The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. a Baptist minister, who became famous as a leader of the civil movements in the US.
He achieved several awards such as the Nobel Peace Prize. He was popular due to his advancement in the principles that were concerned with the human liberty. King delivered a phenomenal speech in 1963 known as ‘I have a dream’ in Washington D.C. It is considered among the greatest political speeches in America.
This speech was part of a march that fought for freedom and jobs in Washington. The march in Washington was not to necessarily make a plea for the African Americans but to expose the public to the racial inequality. The focus was to highlight the need to create jobs and opportunities for blacks and creating the racial equality for them. In his speech, the King began with liberation of slaves, which Abraham Lincoln issued.
He called for the equality of race and the end of discrimination. He claimed that even after the blacks were freed from the slavery, they were still not free. He claimed that every man has a right, despite his race or color, and should have a promise of freedom. He said that black women, as well as the men, were issued with check that had ‘insufficient funds’. The members who belonged to the union of the civil rights issued a check to the Americans which they were sure that they would keep which was the pursuit of fairness.
In his speech he says that life is very interrelated and that people are caught in the network of inescapability which is tied in the garment of destiny. If something affects one, it indirectly affects all. He says that he never he can never become what he should be, until he is what he should be. He calls it an interrelated structure of the reality. King, together with those who supported him, demanded for freedom, and for things to change urgently without a delay by the oppressors. They did not want change to take place slowly, but instead see the change with an impact immediately.
The King roared that it was the time to embrace justice and make it a reality for all children of God. However, he hoped he could obtain equality without a violent movement. Moreover, he told his fellow blacks not to be bitter, or to fight physically; using violence to make peace would only lead to the endless fighting and unnecessary death. The King urged the Afro-American people not to hate people of other races and various nationalities due to one incident, as it would result to the same kind of problem he was fighting against in his speech.
He continued to say that Afro-Americans were fighting for everlasting freedom and equality of rights, and not just at the end of his speech.Dr. Martin Luther King in his speech did not just assert for the justification of the racial equality but rather argued that it was obligatory for America to realize the aspirations of the independence. In framing his argument, he was able to make an appeal to the passions of the whites that were in his audience, who needed motivation in order to take action. The speech was significant on the last point of it, which was a plea from a society that needed the racial harmony.
However, while this speech is remembered for its vision to equality of race, it helped to enhance goals of the march in Washington, therefore helping to provide a way for the Civil Rights Act. This speech incorporates symbolism in various passages. ‘I have a dream’ should represent the overall context in the talk. This theme introduces two main tenets, which are tthe interracial cooperation as well as the social equality.
The King’s vision of the future that lacks racial divisions holds the emotions of many viewers, and those who read the speech afterwards. The emotional power of that part of the remarks blurs others’ memory, and other important aspects in the speech. King began by reading a prepared text; he included a theme that he used in previous speeches. This speech is popularly known for its great use of rhetoric and argumentation, for example, the King uses the great effect on repetition on the phrase of ‘I have a dream’. Here, he details various aspects of the vision to acquire the racial harmony.
In the first section, he talks about a hundred years later, which is to show the emphasis in that years later after the Emancipation Proclamation the black people had not yet achieved equality in America.One important rhetorical strategy of the speech is the regard to the principles of the nation’s founders where he appealed for the equality of race. This was important since the government had concerns that the movement of the Civil Rights might have intentions to discredit the United States. Hence, the King had to imply that he did not undermine the United States, but was rather asking for justice with regard to the principles that were the bedrock of the political character in the U.
S. For instance, he stated that his dream was rooted in the American Dream, and he dreamt every day that Americans would sing with a new meaning. He then immediately interpreted that song in delineating the various parts of the country as he hoped that the United States would be sing the freedom song for all the citizens. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
brought hope for the racial equality in the history of America.
