A Dream Come True

A Dream Come True

On August 28, 1963, thousands gathered at our nation’s capitol to hear and see Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. express himself nationwide about the critical issue of racism in America. Those who attended or saw any broadcasts that day witnessed what many would consider the greatest and most powerful publicized speech in American history. King’s speech, “I Have a Dream,” was written in response to the dishonoring of the Emancipation Proclamation and strong racism toward blacks in America. King described how the combination of these two things caused suffering slavery, police brutality and revoked citizenship rights to all Negros in America. King proves his point of view with many strong appeals throughout the entire speech.

King appeals to logic in several ways. One of these was by addressing historical allusions about the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. King commented on the note, stating it was “a promise that all men, white AND black would be guaranteed inalienable rights of life liberty.” King also mentioned a couple authority figures such as the governor of Alabama and the Police.

King uses interesting techniques of repetition to appeal to the audiences’ emotions. The technique used really impacts the perception King was trying to pass on to all the onlookers. King chose sentences with begging phrases like, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed.” King would continue his words in a separate line with the same beginning phrase “I have a dream that one day…” I believe this method of writing really helped emphasize specific points he was trying to have everyone acknowledge.

Metaphors are also strongly used throughout the entire speech. He states in one that America has given the Negro people a “bad check,” a check that has come back marked “insufficient funds.” The metaphor gets tied up in the next paragraph by refusing “the bank of justice is bankrupt;” and refusing that “there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of the nation.”

Word choice is another means by which King appeals to the readers’ emotions. King’s nationwide presence would not have been acknowledged the way he had intended if such strong, bold words and phrases weren’t used. King used unique word choice as “invigorating,” “battered