Analyzing Martin Luther King's Speech

Language is a key aspect in daily life and even though one doesn't think about it while doing it it plays a crucial role in conveying different messages. Speeches are the ultimate test of language due to the fact that there is an audience hanging on to each and every word. Out of the many Orators and their wonderful speeches I have chosen to analyze the language used in the following four speeches: Martin Luther King’s I have a dream, Sojourner Truth’s Ain’t I a woman, Winston churchill’s Blood, Toil, Sweat and Tears, and lastly Mark Twain’s Speech to Misses Tewksbury’s school of girls on Smoking, Drinking and Lying. These four speeches exemplify the fact that even though there variety of techniques that can be used to deliver a message, they are not equally effective. …show more content…
One of the reasons it continues so impactful is due to the repetition of the phrase “I have a dream”. This phrase resonated with so many that the speech was named after it. The repetition of that iconic phrase was used alongside lots of imagery, analogies, and metaphors. All throughout the speech King was repeating the same message in different ways and painting a picture of the future he would like to become reality. In this author’s opinion that was his greatest strength which was crucial in one of the big successes of this speech; keeping the audience interested. Within the many strong points of this speech there were some weak points as well. A good example was the syntax. The speech featured a lot of long rambling sentences which can ultimately be exhausting to read or listen to. Based on the King’s background being a minister, a reader can understand how he got set in his ways of long rambling sentences. King’s technique can best be described as colorful, due to his use of imagery to inscribe images in the mind in a way that is original to