Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream”, Essay Example

One of the most beautiful and memorable speeches ever delivered to the citizens of the United States and which became known throughout the world was Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered in August, 1963.  In addition to being a classic example of a persuasive speech, his words, quoted again and again, became well known for their poignancy, their helping to shape the history of the civil rights movement, and perhaps most sadly, were a terrible foreshadowing of his death less than five years later.  This paper will discuss the strategies used in this speech which succeeded in moving people to action in the short- and the long-term, resulting in a national racial climate that was to be changed forever.

Many elements of this speech served to enhance its impact both on the live audience who were present to hear it, as well as generations to follow who have read it, studied it, and seen the videos of the original presentation.  Dr. King spoke with such emotion, with his voice trembling and reflecting highs and lows of feeling that even 50 years later, it is possible to be moved to tears when simply reading the text, let alone listening to his words from recorded images of the speech.  In addition, it was given at the Lincoln Memorial, which is loaded with symbolism pertaining to the struggles of black people in the United States, with President Lincoln serving as the ultimate representation of the delivery of freedom to black people at long last.  It reflected with emotion the racial situation that existed in the United States of that era: the acknowledgment of the horrors experienced by black people whose ancestors had been enslaved, as well as white people beginning to feel some guilt and responsibility regarding the deeds of their ancestors in perpetuating slavery.

Dr. King’s oratory gifts were considerable, and his speech had the tone and emotion of a sermon, using Biblical references and other powerful imagery.  When considering the speech’s connection to Monroe’s Motivated Sequence, it is clear that the various devices used in the finished speech followed the Monroe format.  Dr. King began his speech by acknowledging the historic nature of the March on Washington that was occurring at that moment, invoking the memory of President Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation, and beginning a preview of the speech to follow: that 100 years after that momentous occasion, there was still much work to be done in order to secure true civil rights for black people. He became specific about the struggles that still confronted African Americans, using many metaphors such as a need for black people to “cash a check” to obtain the freedom owed them, who are still owed a “promissory note” for freedom, referring to “the bank of justice” being bankrupt.  The speech is rife with alliteration and metaphors

Dr. King used repetition for emphasis, building his speech to an emotional crescendo, particularly when he repeated the phrase,” I have a dream…” again and again, with different endings but all suggesting the hope and possibility of a better nation and plight for African Americans.  There was no hate in his heart, but rather a genuine plea to people, black and white alike, to continue the work that had been done 100 years before in the hopes that finally black people would truly be free.  I have always found one of the most stirring the lines in the speech to be when Dr. King says, “I may not get there with you” and repeats, “free at last, free at last, thank God almighty we’ll be free at last.” He mobilizes his audience by naming many different states and regions of the country, calling to action all Americans from coast to coast, and inspiring them to act in ways that were non- violent but would be effective in achieving true equality, when little children of all colors could walk hand in hand and accomplish everything they set out to do.  The speech was so effective because of his very dramatic repetition of phrases that inspired, the theme of having a dream of a better America, and was extremely persuasive in helping people to believe that our better angels could work together to mobilize what President Lincoln had started a century before.