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Martin Luther King I Have A Dream Speech Analysis

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“Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” This is the well-known quote displayed both on his gravestone and in the “I Have a Dream Speech” by Martin Luther King, one of the most influential Civil Rights activists of his time. Although he is widely praised as if he’s perfect, Martin often faced racism during his childhood. The racial discrimination, as well as his religious views, caused him to fight for equal rights.

Repetition and Parallelism, which are rhetorical devices, are constantly used in his renowned speech to support his single dream, which he proudly claimed to his audience of 200,000 or more people: “I have a dream that my four little 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” (Part 12). These forms of rhetorical devices were often used in his speech, the most famous phrase being “I have a dream”, which was what his speech was later called. The repeating of phrases and the similar sentence structures create a rhythm that influences the audience, and allow them to be immensely inspired by one of the greatest speeches in history.

Supporters of the Civil Rights movement believed that African Americans should have the same rights as “white” men. Although racial discrimination still existed, many famous activists such as Martin Luther King promoted their ideals in protests and in speeches. Most prominently, the “I have a dream” speech showed

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