Metaphors In Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr., a civil rights activist, delivered his renowned speech, "I Have a Dream" on the Lincoln Memorial located in Washington to millions of Americans. King relied on the use of metaphors, imagery, and anaphora to establish pathos; as well as to convey his wish to live in a country where everyone has equal civil and economic rights no matter their skin color.
King employs many metaphors throughout his speech to disclose emotions that can only be represented by comparing two things. More specifically in the beginning of his speech he compares the lack of justice to a "check with insufficient funds." By doing this, King can make his audience acknowledge that the African American population has been deprived

King starts off by repeatedly asking his audience "when will you be satisfied?"; he follows this by stating five reasons African Americans have not been satisfied. By repeating how they are still not satisfied, King makes his audience understands and remembers his reasons for wanting change in this nation which was built on the pursuit of freedom. To understand why King repeated this particular question, the audience will need to know about the racial injustices at the time along specifically about how the white population believed that African Americans should be content with what they have. Another notable example of anaphora is when King repeatedly states "Let freedom ring" to remind his audience what he is fighting for. Moreover, by doing this, King gets his message to ring inside the heads of his audience almost like a ringing

The most notable example of imagery in his speech is when King describes his hopes for the future as "black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers." This example shows Martin Luther King Jr.'s hopes for the future; he wants to live in a country where everyone sees each other as equals. Background information needed to understand this use of imagery is knowing about the discrimination occurring at the time, especially in the southern states where most of the violence occurred. By providing these specific details, the audience can virtually experience what King is demonstrating. After hearing and visualizing King's hopes for the future, the audience cannot help but feel motivated to help the world become a better place. The feeling that this imagery brings is that of inspiration, togetherness, and anticipation for a better future. The second most notable example of imagery is when King states, "Every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight." This example shows how if we work together we can accomplish anything such as ending segregation or straightening a crooked place. This use of imagery also encourages the audience to be the change they want in the world or as