I Have A Dream: Four Words That Shaped Society

The greatest explanation of the American dream is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech” I Have a Dream.” In 1963, King and other leaders of the civil rights movement organized a huge march for equal rights in Washington, DC. With a massive crowd of over 200,000 followers, the march was protesting racial discrimination in employment, racial separatism in schools, and they demanded minimum wage for all workers. (Biography.yourdictionary) Dr. King’s speech is more like a testimony of truth rather than a speech. At the time of his speech, African Americans were not free while the Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal. Dr. King’s movement established the way for the idea that there is an American dream, the idea that somebody can be anything they would like to be. This idea is still relevant now in America. Americans pursue their dream everyday by having the opportunity to attend college, and work. Although America is the land of opportunities, Americans take these opportunities for granted, while other parts of the world make it their lives’ time goal to get here. In certain times of history the American dream has not been available to some races. For example it be the Japanese during World War 1 and the African Americans during the Civil rights era. “The land of opportunity has discriminated people from completing their dreams” (Nobelprize.org.). Our country has gone through great trials of racism. The great Martin Luther King Jr. worked his whole life to change these things. Dr. King made history when he gave his speech “I Have a Dream” at the Nation’s Capital in 1963. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal (King, Martin L., Jr.). The famous speech is a testimony to the struggle of African American people and the deep desire of Dr. martin Luther King Jr. who lived, fought and died to win equality for the African American community. Another important aspects of Dr. King's struggle was his vision for the memphis sanitation workers strike.

Within the, I Have A Dream Speech, it was presented to make a difference in society of the United States of America. “Martin Luther King, I realized, moved his people and the nation not only by being one of our most gloriously charismatic speakers, but because he was one of America’s greatest speechwriters,” Richard Green, author of Words That Shook The World: 100 Years of Unforgettable Speeches and Events.”

1-The intended audience for this article are the millennials/ this generation. The author directs this article to this generation because he believes this generation has the responsibility to keep the American Dream alive for the next generation. As the author clearly sates, “for the American Dream, to survive another generation, then another. “if the American Dream is to come true and to abide with us…it will, at bottom, depend on the people themselves. “The people who have the power to change the world should just as the people who have the power to change the dream for better we should. The ones who can move physically and can be heard should move and speak their mind to help for the better is this generation. The authors audience are

that dream if we are motivated enough. Most people dream about money, independence, and to do what they love. The historical document The Declaration of Independence, the poem Who Burns for the Perfection of Paper by Martin Espada, and the speech from Keynote Address to the 2004 Democratic National Convention by Barack Obama all support my belief that the American Dream is still accessible.

I have a dream that one day everyone will understand what Martin Luther King Jr said in his infamous speech on August 28, 1963, and recognize the power and beauty in his words. In the “I Have a Dream” speech, Martin Luther King, Jr. persuades the citizens of the United States that they should no longer accept segregation, and all men should be created equal, as our Constitution states. In this fight though, we can not use violence, but use the power of words, and not stop until every human being is free. This speech was given in a time where black people were made to think that they were equal with white people, when in actuality, they were “separate but equal” which is not the same thing. This is when called segregation flourished and eventually, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had enough of this injustice and he spoke out to the citizens of the United States and the world to fight for freedom. This speech used all of the rhetorical devices: ethos, logos, and pathos, and it used such powerful, discrete language that not only persuaded the reader, but entertained them, drawing in his audience after every word. Its rhythm made it stay with people, haunting them. He truly made it clear of the awful ways the African American people were being treated, connecting to them, making them feel something, making the reader want to listen to him and follow King with every step he took.

Back then, the dream was to be be able to work hard, and by doing that. you could be successful. Nowadays, however, the dream isn't as simple. A chief reason for this is the increasing gap between social classes. As the gap widens, the respective members of the classes dreams differentiate.

presented his most famous and notable speech. King’s “I Have a Dream Speech” moved not only America, but the whole world. King’s speech consisted of social views that blacks and whites would one day live in harmony and unity, regardless of skin color. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” - Martin Luther King Jr. (“I Have a Dream Speech”). His speech set a clear picture of what America should be, and what he hoped to be not only for himself, but future generations as

“[T]oo many people find themselves living amid a great period of social change, and yet they fail to develop the new attitudes, the new mental responses, that the new situation demands” (King, “Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution,” 112). In the last sermon of his life, Martin Luther King Jr. shared this piece of insightful information. The atmosphere of King’s time contained ignorance and oblivion. Today, the atmosphere looks similar, and more than ever before, people must start engaging in the major revolution taking place. Many people continue through life, unaware of the happenings around them. When they choose to sleep through the revolution, their chance to make a difference dissipates, and lasting consequences arise.

Martin Luther king Jr. was a man of very powerful and influential words. He used this gifts to inspire and provoke, not just African Americans, but people from all over the U.S. In the speech, “I Have a Dream” Dr. King stated, “I have a dream that one day,

“I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and girls as sister and brothers.” (King 2). In this quotation, Martin Luther King is telling his audience that one day he has hope that kids will be able to play together without any worry towards their skin color he calls it the American dream. The thing about American dreams is that they are all different to each person and they can vary from wealth to love or even happiness. Everyone has their own American dream, it can relate to George and Lennie from Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck during the

Some people see the American Dream as either, an illusion, a promise, or reality. The thought of the American Dream in MLK’s speech is a promise. August 1963 was the day that Martin Luther King gave his I Have A Dream speech, his dream was that all blacks and whites came together without all the racist actions and sayings. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content

On 28th August 1963, during the rally in the nation’s capital, Dr. King delivered his most famous speech, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, on the steps of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial. Portions of the speech, that are frequently quoted, including, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal’ … I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

On August 28, 1963, people around the nation tuned into hear several civil rights speeches going on in Washington. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of those civil rights speakers, and that day he gave his famous “I have a dream” speech. In Dr. Martin Luther King Juniors speech, he spoke about unifying the nation, to create a place where Americans “will not be judged by the color of your skin but by the content of your character.”(2) He shocked the nation into actions advising that they’re will be a “rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual.”(1) Thankfully, many people in America were changed, and wanted to make a difference after

Following dreams, is a desire of many children that just cannot happen because of where they live or maybe because they cannot afford it. Just imagine a world where everyone can live in peace. Not be scared of each other or live in terror. Making education free would make these things to happen. One may ask how? UNICEF Canada were quoted of stating, "The promotion of education is the most urgent requirement of our time. No nation can achieve prosperity unless it makes education one of its central concerns. Education brings honor, independence and freedom to a government and its people." Feeling more confident and independent can make you more stronger as a person because of the way you believe in yourself. This could immensely change many third world countries and children who live in them. This is like a progressive circle. Many people that live in fear or that live in war torn countries, probably don't go to school because it to dangerous to go outside. But this can be fixed if schools were made and education was free so children could start to understand basics and change into intelligent and confident children. Now they have a base where they can advance from to achieve their goal in life which they probably never even dreamed about before school. Imagine if that happened to all the unfortunate children in the world. Its easy to say that everyone would be happy because of what they had accomplished

What is the American dream? There are many different definitions of the American Dream, some think of the American Dream as a house of their own with a white picket fence around it or the character Tony Montana in the movie Scarface who made it from a refugee to become a very wealthy man, at a cost of course. But when I think about the American Dream I think of Dr. Martin Luther King, who's I Have A Dream speech touched on what he wanted the future of America to look like. During his speech he stated “I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little white boys and girls.” Some people will say we have reached that point and come a long way since August 28, 1963 when King spoke on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, but have we really?