The famous “I Have a Dream” speech is well-known for King’s repetition of phrases in the beginning of each sentence, also known as anaphora. For example, he repeats the phrase “Now is the time” several times. By repeating …show more content…
was a very influential man on America, but especially on the African-American community. Throughout his speech, his selection of words, or diction, it's very descriptive with a heavy connotation. In the beginning of the famous speech, he illustrates the unfairness that the African-Americans suffered through by saying, “Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice.” Words like “seared”, “flames”, and “withering” are negatively connotated and give off a mood of pain and brutality. King uses these strong words in order to present how harsh the white people have treated African-Americans throughout history and to also emphasize the cruelty they have experienced. Additionally, King describes the goodness of change by saying, “with this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony orchestra.” The selection of positively connotated words like “faith”, “beautiful”, and “symphony orchestra” demonstrates how a change in the current society towards equality for all races is extremely ideal. King employs these words to present how corrupt the system is currently and then illustrates and said how beautiful peace and harmony between all people is. This positive phrase influences change and makes it look good. Martin Luther King Jr.'s genius diction style influenced the way Americans could view the current society and see the injustice.
To conclude, the well-known speech by Martin Luther King