Even after the abolition of slavery, African Americans faced challenges integrating into the American economic, political, and social landscape. Activists applied different methods and strategies to overcome these struggles but failed to do so. They were all repressed by the government and deprived of every avenue that could have allowed them to fully participate as American citizens. By the early 1960s, under the direction of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a spiritual leader that preached non-violent protests, millions of Americans, including whites, were peacefully protesting against the United States government and calling for equality and justice for colored people. It was on August 28th 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, that Dr. King stood in front of a crowd of over 200,000 people, and gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. On behalf of the alienated colored community, Dr. King was calling for an end to the oppression and vowed to unite the American public, by efficiently addressing the large audience.
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King successfully employed in his speech is what is called anaphora, a technique that involves the repetition of the words at the beginning of a clause. The phrase “I Have a Dream” is repeated eight times throughout his speech. Alluding to such phrases, he was able to put an emphasis on the opportunities that African Americans have lacked in the American society for a long time. Parallel to anaphora, repetition is another method that Dr. King applied. To that end, he used the word freedom thirty times. While his main aim employing this method was to convey the existing social captivity African Americans were enduring, he iterates that hope is there and that equality will one day be attained. He further employs other techniques to make sure that his message is sound and
King successfully employed in his speech is what is called anaphora, a technique that involves the repetition of the words at the beginning of a clause. The phrase “I Have a Dream” is repeated eight times throughout his speech. Alluding to such phrases, he was able to put an emphasis on the opportunities that African Americans have lacked in the American society for a long time. Parallel to anaphora, repetition is another method that Dr. King applied. To that end, he used the word freedom thirty times. While his main aim employing this method was to convey the existing social captivity African Americans were enduring, he iterates that hope is there and that equality will one day be attained. He further employs other techniques to make sure that his message is sound and