Martin_Luther_King

Not many people can influence a crowd of people like Martin Luther King, Jr. He was one of those speakers who would make people stop what they were doing just to listen to what he had to say. When King had a message to bring to the people, he would not disappoint. People would leave his speeches having gained new ideas and would want to make change happen. King’s powerful speeches and writing style would make believers out of non-believers. Martin Luther King Jr’s use of a strong tone, deep voice, repetition and emotional appeal makes his “I Have a Dream” speech truly renowned and legendary. The purpose of the “I Have a Dream” speech was an emotional appeal to bring attention to the plight of the African America people as it was at the time of his speech on August 28, 1963. Another purpose was to expose the audience of the economic struggles and the inequality of the African American. He wanted to use his influence to try to get more jobs and to try to obtain the same work opportunities as the white people had. His audience was composed of political people who could help make the changes that he was hoping for. He wanted higher wages, equal rights and an appreciation of the plight of what the African America had to go though. The majority of his audience was the African American community and some Whites that sympathized with his cause and concerns. This speech gave hope to those people that someone was on their side and was doing something in the right way to help them. He was using a peaceful process instead of the riots and demonstrations that others were doing. The setting of Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech was in Washington DC on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. This setting was symbolic because it was Abraham Lincoln who in 1862 freed the slaves after the Civil War. Martin Luther King Jr. made reference to Abraham Lincoln’s emancipation proclamation speech at the beginning of his “I Have a Dream” speech. Martin Luther King Jr. used a similar phrase as Abraham Lincoln did in his Gettysburg Address speech in which Lincoln used the phase “four score and seven years ago”. King started his speech with the phase “five score years ago.” Martin Luther King Jr. emphasized that it has been 100 years since Abraham Lincoln gave his speech about freeing the slaves. He said that not much has changed since that time as the Negro of today is still being treated as a second class citizen who does not have the same rights and opportunities that the White man have. He said that the Negro was still not free and that there is still segregation and discrimination. King made reference to the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence in which he quoted that there was a promise that all men (yes even black men) have the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. He said that this promise has not been fulfilled for the African American and again the purpose of his speech was to bring attention to this situation. King used many strategies in his “I Have a Dream” speech. He was very well prepared as he referenced historical documents such as sections from the Declaration of Independence (“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” He used quotes from the Bible (Luke 3.5 in which one of his dreams was that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight.) King also used a Bible hymn to emphasize that he wished for the freedom of the Negro “My country ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.” By using these references from the Constitution and the Bible it gave his speech very good background material that people would be familiar with. The most powerful tool that Martin Luther King Jr. used in his speech was the repetition of many different phrases. He repeated phrases throughout the speech starting in the beginning in which he kept repeating the phrase “one hundred years later” He stressed with this phrase that the situation of the Negro was not that much better today after one hundred years after they were freed from slavery. He repeated the word “now” many times to point out the urgency that things needed to change now not later. He wanted people to know that they needed to start making changes starting today and not wait any longer. Another saying that was used often was that “we can not be satisfied”. He was stating facts that we can not be satisfied with the events of the day where the African American was still being victims of police brutality, not being able to stay in motels because they were a Negro and not being able to vote in some areas of the country. The most famous phrase that he repeated often in this speech was his “I Have a Dream” saying. This was his signature phrase and it is how his speech is remembered. He stated this phrase as a way of envisioning the future and what he hoped would happen in the future as it concerned the plight of the African American. He had dreams of freedom and justice, of people of all races getting along, of equal rights and equal opportunities. King ended his speech by telling people to spread the word that this freedom must ring out to all parts of the country and that eventually everyone will be “Free at last! Free at last!” I believe that only Martin Luther King Jr. could deliver a speech like this which influenced people and changed the path of the country at that critical time in our country’s history. King was very well respected by his own African American community and was able to reach out to the White people of the country who could help him make his dream come true. Through this persuasive speech he was able to unite people of all colors toward a peaceful and productive purpose of helping to change things for the better. His passion and emotional appeal was what the country needed and our country is a much better place today because of what King spoke out to the world that day in August 1963.