King’s speech gave new meaning to old clichés. The power of his words, got a hold on his listeners. According to Stevie Edwards in his article Analysis of Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream Speech, he described King’s speech as “not a legal brief on the intricacies of the civil rights movement in America, nor an intellectual treatise on the plight of black people.” Rather, it was a “fervent emotional sermon, forged out of the language and spirit of democracy” (Edwards). In making this statement Edwards states that King’s speech was more than a call for the civil rights movement, but a speech based on remarkable emotion, with both body and voice, it moved others. Since for the most part King’s speech seemed to come from his heart - what he truly felt toward segregation and his hopes for our nation. In contrast to the immediate impact Governor Wallace’s speech had, which had a significant impact of disbelief, and shocker. According Samara Freemark and Joe Richman in their article ‘segregation forever’: A Fiery Pledge Forgiven, But Not Forgotten they state that when they interviewed James L. Poe Jr., former NAACP president, Poe stated in his interview that, he and his colleagues were taken back by Governor Wallace’s speech, “to hear the governor of a state get up and make the kind of comments that you would expect that someone in the back alley, with …show more content…
King’s speech is classified as the greatest speech of all times, but there are a big number of reasons for such statement. King’s speech is proof of what the power of one man and the magic of his words can do. He gave others hope during dark times. He also showed proof that things can change with no-violence. King’s speech is also remembered due to the powerful language he used in it, and the location of where he gave his speech, he’s speech was symbolic in every aspect. On the contrary, Governor Wallace’s speech is remembered because of the depth of hate and the harshness of his voice. According to Charles Jr. Dean, in his article, George Wallace 's 1963 inaugural address: A speech that lives in infamy (slideshow, video) he states that “I think Wallace…told Asa Carter, 'Write us something that will get them going…I don 't think Wallace [thought much] about it beyond that point" (Dean). In making this statement, Dean implies that Wallace was so driven by his hunger for power that he didn’t think much of what kind of effect his speech would have on the nation. Also his speech is a reminder of the importance to not forget what Wallace did: caused suffering, misery and death. He had the power to captivate others; the problem was that he was doing it for the wrong