I Have A Dream Metaphors

Martin Luther King Jr. was one of many great civil rights activists that have fought for equal rights. Throughout the 1960’s he persevered through many things such as, “On March 7, 1965, a civil rights march, planned from Selma to Alabama's capitol in Montgomery, turned violent as police with nightsticks and tear gas met the demonstrators as they tried to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge. King was not in the march, however the attack was televised showing horrifying images of marchers being bloodied and severely injured. Seventeen demonstrators were hospitalized leading to the naming the event "Bloody Sunday." Everyone, young or old, gay or straight, women or man, everyone should get equal rights and this man shows why and how we can do it.

Martin Luther King Jr. was the man who wrote the speech entitled “I have a dream” and presented it to nearly 250,000 people on August 23, 1963. In that speech, MLK Jr. used several different types of figurative language/rhetorical devices in order to convey his message to the people on a deeper level. These devices include personification, allusion, symbolism, hyperbole, metaphor, simile, and anaphora.

In President Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address”, November 19, 1863, and The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream”, August 28, 1963, speeches both speakers using the same words, some in repition, make use of the literary device allusion. The first speech is referenced by the second. Both speeches use of allusions help the speaker connect to the ideas and emotions of the crowd as they are an indirect and brief reference that is relatable, because they can be used as a comparison in these two speeches, the allusions that are used in these speeches make them more powerful.

In Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech, King makes use of an innumerable amount of rhetorical devices that augment the overall understanding and flow of the speech. King makes the audience feel an immense amount of emotion due to the outstanding use of pathos in his speech. King also generates a vast use of rhetorical devices including allusion, anaphora, and antithesis. The way that King conducted his speech adds to the comprehension and gives the effect that he wants to rise above the injustices of racism and segregation that so many people are subjected to on a daily basis.

"I Have A Dream" is a mesmerizing speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It was delivered to the thousands of Americans on August 28, 1963, during the March on Washington. Aimed at the entire nation, King’s main purpose in this speech was to convince his audience to demand racial justice towards the mistreated African Americans and to stand up together for the rights afforded to African American under the Constitution. To further convey this purpose more effectively, King cleverly makes use of the rhetorical devices — ethos, pathos and logos — using figurative language such as metaphors and repetition as well as various other techniques e.g. organization, parallel construction and choice of title.

Lastly, MLk uses many metaphors in his speech to make it effective. One example of this is, “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from

Martin Luther King Jr. was the man who wrote the speech entitled “I have a dream” and presented it to nearly 250,000 people on August 23, 1963. In that speech, MLK Jr. used several different types of figurative language/rhetorical devices in order to convey his message to the people on a deeper level. These devices include personification, allusion, symbolism, hyperbole, metaphor, simile, and anaphora.

From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial more than forty years ago, Martin Luther King electrified America with his momentous "I Have a Dream" speech. This speech demanded racial justice towards the mistreated black community of America. The theme of the speech was that all humans were created equal and that this should be the case for the future of America. King's words proved to touch the hearts of millions of people and gave the nation a vocabulary to express what was happening to the black Americans. This did not happen by chance. Martin Luther King's speech was carefully constructed so it would have the most appropriate diction to propose his facts and ideas. His speech involved multiple different literary techniques which were very

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his speech at the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.” He used a metaphor to give a more vivid description of how the emancipation Proclamation impacted the lives of African Americans. He said “This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering justice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.” (209)The statement “A joyous day break to end the long night of captivity” (209) is referring to the emancipation proclamation. The long night that King is referring to would be the many years that African-Americans were enslaved. King uses the rhetorical device of pathos to bring about emotion to the nation. He gives the image of oppressed beaten down slaves that have overcome slavery only to be denied their human rights once more. This was a very powerful opening marker for King because it sets the tone for the exact purpose of why he is delivering the speech. Another metaphor within the speech is when Kings says “It is obvious that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check; a check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds’.” (209)This dynamic metaphor paints a realistic picture for Americans explaining how people of color are not being granted their equal

Martin Luther King uses a lot of repetition in his speech. They are scattered throughout but very close. One of the repetitions in his speech is “I have a dream.” He uses this phrase to show what he sees in the future of America. One of the phrases he uses with it is: “I have a dream that one day this nation will and live out the true

King wrote one of the most influential speeches ever, and to be able to see if it was effective, an analytical tool could be used called The Rhetorical Triangle which helps the identify the speaker, the audience, and the subject in the speech. The speaker in “I have a dream” is Martin Luther King, Jr. The audience of the speech would be anyone during that time period who believed in the idea of cultures mixing. And the purpose of the speech was to encourage hope in people. He wished to unite white people and black people in peace

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an amazing civil rights leader that made the world a better place. When King was young it was a different era and it was way different than what the world was now. From his personal experiences he saw that the world was currently in a bad place and that gave him an opportunity to change it.

Martin Luther King Jr. wrote and delivered many speeches in his lifetime. However, perhaps one of the best known and the most easily recognized of his speeches is “I Have a Dream.” But many ask, what in particular about this speech made it have such a great impact on the population? He uses repetition to make important words stand out. Such instances occur with the words and phrases: “now is the time”, “I have a dream”, “let freedom ring”, and “free at last” (Narins, par.6,15,22,27). All of these words have to do with blacks becoming free, or acquiring civil rights and equality. King also used imagery in his speech when he compared a “sweltering summer” to the Negro’s unhappiness of the lack of freedom and justice. Martin Luther King Jr. also used

From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial more than two score years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King electrified America with his momentous "I Have a Dream" speech. Aimed at the entire nation, King’s main purpose in this speech was to convince his audience to demand racial justice towards the mistreated African Americans and to stand up together for the rights afforded to all under the Constitution. To further convey this purpose more effectively, King cleverly makes use of the rhetorical devices — ethos, pathos and logos — using figurative language such as metaphors and repetition as well as various other techniques e.g. organization, parallel construction and choice of title.

In King’s “I Have a Dream” speech his goal during his speech was to get through to the people so they know how this affects him and other African Americans. King does this speech first of all because he feels as if they are still not treated right even after the Emancipation Proclamation. King is also doing this speech to stand up for the people who are too scared to stand up for themselves.  King's expected outcome is that the people marching will be equal to the people who do not have a reason to march or speak up for themselves. Martin Luther King uses diction, figurative language, and repetition in order to appeal to his audience during his speech.