“I Have a Dream” was a speech
presented by Martin Luther King Junior during the civil rights movement. Martin
Luther King Jr. is a famous civil rights activist, who protested for equality
until the end of his days. King was arrested on multiple occasions, even though
he only ever led peaceful protests. The March on Washington, with over 200,000
participants, culminated in King’s “I Have a Dream” Speech. As a black man,
Martin Luther King experienced the racism embedded in society first-hand, and
he was brave enough to attempt to do something about it.
The context of this speech is the
lack of equality in America during this time period. Dark-skinned people
couldn’t use the same restrooms or water fountains as white people, and they
could not enter many places (such as restaurants) that white people were
welcome in. King is addressing the whole American population with this speech.
He is being the voice of the colored folk, reminding them how much they have
yet to gain, even 100 years after the Civil War. MLK Jr. is also reminding the
white Americans about the promises in the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of
Independence, reminding the oppressors about unalienable rights that have been
denied.
The most prevalent rhetorical device
used in this speech is anaphora. Many words and phrases are used multiple
times, but the most important phrase is “I have a dream.” King uses this phrase
more than once to emphasize his point. He says that things aren’t great right
now, but they could be one day. The use of anaphora aids King’s purpose because
it stresses the importance of his words.
It is highly probable that King knew
that his words would not cause an overnight miracle. However, his purpose was
to inspire a need for social change. Martin Luther King achieved his
purpose-slash-life-goal because he was able to bring people to see the country
as he saw it. He showed people the potential for goodness that eventually ended
the segregation of America.
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