"I Have a Dream"

By Martin Luther King Jr

Introduction

 Author: King, Martin Luther, Jr. (Southern Christian

Leadership Conference)
 Date: August 28, 1963
 Location: Washington, D.C.
 Genre: Audio Speech
 Topic: March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom,
1963
 A call for equality and freedom, it became one of the
defining moments of the civil rights movement and
one of the most iconic speeches in American history.
 Martin Luther King Jr
 Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968) was
an American Baptist minister and activist who became
the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil
rights movement from 1954 until his death in 1968.

 On October 14, 1964, King won the Nobel Peace Prize for
combating racial inequality through nonviolent
resistance, one year after his speech.
 The speech gets much of its greatness from
the historical context of civil rights. Speech is
nothing without context. MLK knew his
background and knew the right message for
that context.
 This speech has a measurable outcome. It
makes this speech focused and not
ramble.“Now is the time to make real the
promises of democracy… Now is the time to
make justice a reality for all of God’s children.”
What Makes
 There are multiple anaphoras in the I have a This Speech so
dream speech – here is one example.“Now is
the time to make real the promises of
democracy. Now is the time to rise from the
Good
dark and desolate valley of segregation…Now
is the time to lift our nation from the
quicksands of racial injustice…Now is the time
to make justice a reality for all of God’s
children.” This emphasises he wants a change
now.
 There are multiple metaphors in the “I have a dream speech.” Here is one:“the
Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material
prosperity.” Vivid imagery, evocative language, and on-point metaphors are
mighty tools for making your message clear and memorable.
 Dr. King traverses intense emotional territory, from the “flames of withering
injustice” to those “battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the
winds of police brutality.” But he closes by filling his listeners’ hearts with a
hopeful, aspirational message. He paints a picture of how things can be: “One
day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join
hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.”
Thanks for Listening
By Clodagh Mc Donnell