Allusions In I Have A Dream Speech

Dr. King was there to talk about freedom. This is a very common speech today. A lot of African Americans were all for their freedom and joined the rally to have our world stop segregation. Dr. King speech was very powerful and he hoped to change the minds and hearts of many American people. His words had a lot of impact on American’s after his speech.

(P.1) Nevertheless, Douglass’s interaction with the audience allows them to reflect upon themselves and ask why he is speaking because that is what he thinks himself. In conclusion, this questioning tone of actions from Douglass conveys the audience to a state of mind of what else he considers the matter of

Dawn McNeil-Bruce English 2100 Professor Andrews- Parker 10/21/15 The Rhetorical Techniques in “Letter from Birmingham Jail” The unjust treatment of African Americans have cause a significant amount of African American leaders to use different ways to advocate for racial equality.

“Be the change you wish to see in the world” was once spoken by Mahatma Gandhi, one of the most distinguished individuals on Earth. Known for his peaceful protests throughout the country of India, a great number of people have been inspired by him, such as Nelson Mandela, Albert Einstein, and even Martin Luther King Jr. The Civil Rights Movement leader took the wise man’s words to heart and delivered a life changing speech called “I Have A Dream” during a time of alienation between the people of America. In his speech, King turns back the clock to the time of slavery, reliving the brutality African Americans faced, then winds it back up again to the present where segregation has taken hold, and finally speeds up the hands to the future where he shares his dream to be of one.

Repetition is found all throughout Washington 's speech. He repeats the phrase "cast down your buckets where you are" to strengthen his allegory. The more it is said, the more it is clear that he is not just talking to the African Americans, he is also talking to the "those of the white race". He is implying that the Whites could look to the African Americans for the prosperity of the South, instead of looking to "those of foreign birth and strange tongue and habits" (Line 74-75). He is telling both sides to notice what is around them and use what they have.

“I Have a Dream” by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on August 28, 1963 gave many examples of metaphors and allusions to build his argument. Such as alluding where they are located, comparing the treatment that African Americans were getting to handcuffs and restraints, comparing racial injustice to quick sand, and comparing brotherhood to a solid rock. These examples add support to back up his argument of how terrible the Africans Americans were being treated. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. uses metaphors and allusions to enhance his speech and make his point clear. To begin Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. uses allusions to tell where they are while he is giving the speech.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the most important leaders of the civil rights movement. He graduated from a segregated high school at the age of fifteen and earned a bachelor degree at a segregated institution in Atlanta in 1948. King was known to be a strong civil rightist, and he was part of the committee known as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. On August 28, 1963, King presented his well-known speech, “I Have a Dream,” during The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom for Africans’ civil and economic rights. His “I Had a Dream” speech was known as the most influential speech that has tremendously impacted the United States forever by its powerful rhetorics and the emotional connection to the audience.

During the era of the civil rights movements in the 60s, among the segregation, racism, and injustice against the blacks, Martin Luther King Jr. stood at the Lincoln Memorial to deliver one of the greatest public speeches for freedom in that decade. In Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech he effectively uses ethos, diction and powerful metaphors to express the brutality endured by African American people. Yet his most important method of reaching his audience, and conveying his enduring message of equality and freedom for the whole nation was his appeal to pathos. With these devices, King was able to move thousands of hearts and inspire the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Opening his speech Martin Luther King Jr. sets up his credibility with his use of ethos, referring to the Declaration of Independence saying, “This note was a promise that all men… would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life.”

In Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches and letters, there are many powerful examples of the use of pathos. Firstly, from his speech “I Have a Dream”, MLK preaches: “This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice.” (King, 261). This piece of evidence displays that

King repeatedly uses the phrase “when you” –eleven times approximately- in order to resonate with his critics the importance of action in bringing segregation to an end and allowing justice for all people of color. Each time he uses the statement “when you”, his argument builds up with greater fervor and passion giving him greater persuasive power over his audience as the repetition of the phrase cause an emotional effect on the readers as they begin to simulate their own experiences with that of what he is citing. Anaphora is also particularly useful in King’s favor as he employs this towards the beginning of the letter, therefore by repeating the phrase “when you” multiple times, it enhances the likelihood that his reader will remember not only what the read but how they felt by the end of the piece. The audience is actively drawn into King’s arguments due to a perception of membership, by being able to anticipate that the next line will repeat what has been said it builds resonance within the audience. King’s usage of anaphora throughout the essay (not just in this one particular quote) serves to effectively strengthen his argument and persuade his readers to abide by the four steps of peaceful protesting for which he is concerned on behalf of the Civil Rights movement.

The faces that joined him were Robert R. Livingston, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Roger Sherman. During the time a lot of people felt like the group of five was bound to lead the new world. After writing the declaration they choose Jefferson to defend the piece in front of the committee. The everyone choose Jefferson was because of his outstanding writing skills and his powerful mind, so they felt that was the best decision at the time. On July 4 the congress approved the declaration for the thirteen states.

It is important that every American reads What to the Slave is the Fourth of July (1852) by Frederick Douglass because, it causes the reader to think about the Nation we live in as Americans. The speech makes the reader think about the patriotic holiday The Fourth of July, a day for celebration for all Americans of different ethnicities today. Unfortunately in the past not everyone could join the celebration, the Declaration of Independence which was published in July of 1776 was written by the Founding Fathers which includes, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and many more brave men. The importance of the Declaration of Independence is that it granted America the freedom from Great Britain. Frederick Douglass gave this speech in Rochester New York at a rally to share his opinion on the

It’s my pleasure to be appearing on the show tonight. Interviewer: Let’s start off with some important questions. In many of your poems, you have quite patriotic feelings towards America, how did your childhood affect this view?

The 1960s in America was a decade where many problems occurred and much change was made. Some of those issues were racial segregation and foreign policy. Two of the most influential and inspirational people then were Martin Luther King Jr., and John F. Kennedy. King was an African American who fought for an end to racial segregation and was committed to this important issue.