On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to over 250,000 civil rights supporters on the on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to end racism in the United States. This occurred on the day of March in Washington, which encouraged Civil Rights and equality for African Americans. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his speech with the goal of encouraging many individuals to end segregation. His “I Have a Dream” speech was very effective due to the use of metaphors, repetition, historical references, literary references, and poetic devices.
There were many metaphors that were utilized throughout his speech that created imagery to his audience that help strengthen his points. “Flames of withering injustice” was a term that was used that I believe …show more content…
made biblical references to the Israelites when he stated that the “Negro was still languishing in the corners of American society and found himself in exile in his own land” (King, 1963, para 3). Martin Luther King Jr. also created a Biblical reference to Psalm 23 as he compared segregation to a dark and desolate valley, which referred to the valley of the shadow of death (King, 1963, para 5). Once more, he made a Biblical reference to Isaiah 40:4 when he said, “One day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together” (King, 1963, para 20). Most individuals can associate themselves with a religion. Christianity is one of the biggest religions when compared to others. Martin Luther King was a religious man and wanted to target many people. Because religion can be seen as free for everyone, King wanted to get his message across a vast community. Not only did Martin Luther King Jr. use Biblical references but he also referred to song lyrics. In paragraph twenty-two of his speech, Martin Luther King Jr. quoted “My Country ‘tis of Thee” while he encouraged the audience that one day, that song would be true for all Americans. Concluding his speech he stated, “Free at Last” and he continued to convince the audience that the African American community would one day be free at
There were many metaphors that were utilized throughout his speech that created imagery to his audience that help strengthen his points. “Flames of withering injustice” was a term that was used that I believe …show more content…
made biblical references to the Israelites when he stated that the “Negro was still languishing in the corners of American society and found himself in exile in his own land” (King, 1963, para 3). Martin Luther King Jr. also created a Biblical reference to Psalm 23 as he compared segregation to a dark and desolate valley, which referred to the valley of the shadow of death (King, 1963, para 5). Once more, he made a Biblical reference to Isaiah 40:4 when he said, “One day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together” (King, 1963, para 20). Most individuals can associate themselves with a religion. Christianity is one of the biggest religions when compared to others. Martin Luther King was a religious man and wanted to target many people. Because religion can be seen as free for everyone, King wanted to get his message across a vast community. Not only did Martin Luther King Jr. use Biblical references but he also referred to song lyrics. In paragraph twenty-two of his speech, Martin Luther King Jr. quoted “My Country ‘tis of Thee” while he encouraged the audience that one day, that song would be true for all Americans. Concluding his speech he stated, “Free at Last” and he continued to convince the audience that the African American community would one day be free at