“I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther is one of the most iconic speeches ever. The speech focuses on freedom and equality, thus making it highly sensitive for various parties. The speech was made when minority groups expressed lesser freedom and rights than contemporary society. King effectively implements multiple strategies to draw attention to the various issue explored in the speech. These strategies are vital in establishing the speech as iconic considering it is relevant to various social parties, including contemporary society. The speech helped initiate other events, resulting in initiatives such as African American rights and freedoms. Due to the impact of the speech when it was read, it is vital to explore the factors that make it stand out for the audience. King demonstrated his ethos through his speeches that were persuasive, inspiring, and meant to impose social changes and equality in civil rights.
Martin Luther King (MLK) defines his integrity and ability on the issue of civil rights in various ways: He first articulates his Baptist minister background, which credits him to be morally and spiritually upright, reverberating with his listeners. The audience accords Martin Luther’s trust and respect by being a minister, which credits him as a civil rights movement program leader. Martin had previously participated in the struggle for justice, which accredits him for his knowledge of the authority on civil rights issues. He used evidence and statistics to support his opinions and validate integrity and expertise on topics during his speech. For instance, Martin identified that most black Americans faced a lot of injustices and discrimination and were in severe poverty across the county. His presenting such issues to his audiences signifies his understanding of Black Americans’ struggles.
Martin Luther inaugurates integrity as a leader by elaborating on his discrimination experiences and sharing his credentials as a Baptist minister. He is determined to eradicate racism across the United States of America. He shares his personal experience, which makes him a credible source of civil rights. For instance, he shares his experience of being forced to vacate the store because of his race, which makes him feel humiliated (Baldwin et al. 117). Besides, he also acknowledges other individuals’ experiences who underwent discrimination and racism, including black American children who could not access school facilities because of race. Through emotional experiences, he establishes himself as a compassionate and empathic leader who is very conversant with the audience’s problem. Using real experiences triggered the audience’s emotions and created a rapport to take action. His experiences also show his active involvement as a leader rather than just a leader who gave speeches without understanding what Black Americans were going through. Thus, his experiences assisted him in developing his ethos as a leader who is intensely devoted to his addressees’ welfare.
Martin incorporates biblical allusions and religious language across his speech as a weapon for appealing for justice and morality to his audiences. He talks of the biblical prophet Amos appealing for justice to roll down like water and righteousness like immense steam and used biblical quotes to call for justice and fairness among his audiences (Heyward & Carter). Martin used religious language to bring out the relationship between the message of love for Christians and his vision for civil rights. For example, he echoes that he dreams of that day “when mountains and hills remain low while the valleys are exhaled, and the lords’ glory is exposed”. Martin Luther King used such language to beseech a religious dream of attaining a society field with equality and justice, which aligns with the Christian message of love.
Martin Luther King used repetitive diction in his speech as propaganda, giving his audience the notion that everyone is equal. The use of repetition in his speech is evident when he says,” When we allow freedom to ring, we will be able to speed up that day” Using the word repetitively, Martin Luther is attempting to bring people together. His message is that people are not united and not equal, and he looks forward to that day when people will be united and equal. He uses repetition severally in his speech, where he says he has a dream and later explains what the dream entails (Duffy et al. 188). The use of repetition is crucial in Martin Luther’s’ speech as it conveys his message home. By repeating the words “I have a dream today,” he means he has a dream that will forever not remain a dream but believes in achieving it in the future (Tracey). The future is bright, and he has excellent hope, just like that of black Americans and warriors who participated in the civil rights movement.
Martin Luther used repetitive diction in his speech to provoke sensations in the audience, focusing on bringing people together. Using the statement “I have a dream “is a representation of his belief (Tracey). Repeating the statement inspired his audience so that they could join him in his campaign to eradicate racism (Duffy et al. 187). Repeating the statement on having the dream convinces people to follow their dreams despite being formerly enslaved. King’s inspiration triggers people to start thinking of their dreams as they get inspired by his dreams. Martin dreams of “his four little children living in a nation that does not judge them based on their color, but his character.” (Morris & Alanna 725) Standards out to offer the audience emotional inspiration. By mentioning what he would love to see in his children, the audience also thinks about their children. No parent among the audience will wish to see their children undergo similar horrible challenges they went through in civil rights (Tracey). The message inspires the audience to put more effort into eradicating racism. Martin Luther believed that racism would have to end and people would no longer be exposed to judgments based on nationality, sex, Religion, and race.
As a leader, Martin Luther King was determined to bring change to the United States of America. He uses his speeches to trigger the emotions of his audiences so that they can join hands and eradicate racism against black Americans. Through the speech “I have a dream”, Martin Luther echoes a lot of inspiring messages to his audience, primarily through his experiences of humiliation and discrimination practices against African American children that demonstrate to his audiences the need participates in the civil rights movement. Besides, his message united his audiences and society, which aided in achieving social freedom and civil rights equality.
Works Cited
Baldwin, James, and Bayard Rustin. “A Sweet Taste of Victory.” Race and Repast: Foodscapes in Twentieth-Century Southern Literature (2022): 117.
Duffy, Bernard K., and Richard D. Besel. “Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” and the politics of cultural Memory: An apostil.” ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes, and Reviews 23.3 (2010): 184–191.
Heyward, Carter. The Seven Deadly Sins of White Christian Nationalism: A Call to Action. Rowman & Littlefield, 2022.
Morris, Alanna A. “Picking up the Pieces of a Shattered Dream.” Journal of Cardiac Failure 27.7 (2021): 725–726.
Tracey, Liz. “‘I Have a Dream’: Annotated – Jstor Daily.” JSTOR DAILY, 28 Feb. 2022, https://daily.jstor.org/annotations-i-have-a-dream/.
write