An Analysis Of Martin Luther King's Speech

Superior Essays
Kiki Hsieh
Ms. Marniel Botha
English Literature 11M4
7 January 2016
Word Count: 1004
I have a dream---Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King (1929-1968) was the leader of the Civil Right Movement in United States during the sixties. From his earlier ages, he was inspired by Mohandas Gandhi’s nonviolence campaign and he held Christian beliefs. He frequently cited the Old and New Testaments of the Bible in his several speeches. His dream was to establish equal rights and to end the segregation for all African Americans. His speech “I have a dream” was delivered on August 28th, 1963. It was delivered at the March on Washington, which he demanded racial justice and equality for African Americans that were promised in the Declaration of Independence.
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King repeated “I have a dream”, “We”, and “nations” to emphasize the patterns and to build a stronger determination that made all the audience agree with him. By using the phrase “I have a dream”, King hoped to make it remarkable. “We cannot walk alone.” and “And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march head.”, “We cannot turn back. (King)” He used “we” instead of using “me” to emphasize that everyone should work together toward this problem. He hoped that he can establish equality and justice for all the humans in the world. The word “we” and “us” also brought unity among the people. He inspired the equality and hoped African Americans can one day have the same rights to do the things like the white Americans in the future because they are all human being. Furthermore, he emphasized that the Civil Right Movement never let people felt alone. “I have a dream that one day ... that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia ... table of brotherhood.” “I have a dream today!”(King). He also repeated “free at last!” and “let freedom ring” at the end of his speech. Repetition made his speech flow fluently. It increased passion each time he uses it. Moreover, the repetitions of those phrases show how much he desired for equality and freedom for the African

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