MLK Jr. Analysis Paper
Not often does a revolutionary such as Martin Luther King Jr. come along, and whenever one such person does, the earth trembles as their shockwaves of change are felt. King's pressure of reform for equality during the civil rights movements of the 1960's was felt as a predominant force in those times. Until his untimely assassination in 1968, King's main tool in conveying his powerful messages to the masses was through his speeches. His diction and rhetoric was stirring and carried much weight when it was used in conjunction with his many biblical references and language. In his perhaps most famous speech, I Have a Dream, King's opening lines that echo and emulate their originator, President Lincoln, a revolutionary icon and legend in his own time, are the same opening words of conceivably America's other most recognized lecture; the Gettysburg Address. King's mannerisms regarding his public speaking are well-placed literary devices and a rhetoric consisting of recurring and accentuated themes. In the I Have a Dream speech, King uses a style of repetition, immersion and demolishing of racial barriers, and an imperative tone. The tone of his speech carries a sense of urgency and imperativeness that can
This phrase may resurface later, and cause that listener to think about and maybe comprehend fully the extent of those words, as it is not possible to fully take in the whole meaning and power of this work at once. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. " This manner of speech compels the audience to which it applies to join in order to make a difference. However, King remains loyal to his roots with messages of ghettos and 'Negro'. This reinforcement of his point is an attempt to leave a lasting impression on the audience, keeping them in the frame of mind that they were in upon first hearing the speech. " It goes on to threaten the problems that will occur if the urgency of this problem of racial mistreatment is continually overlooked. to remain faithful, and spread the message until the goal was reached, albeit posthumously. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. King included all races to combat this civil rights battle for the cause of equality. " This imagery of brotherhood and togetherness is illustrated in various other points throughout the piece, most of them preceded by an "I have a dream" that signifies the creed of King. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.
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