Damian Neft March 24, 2017 LA: I Have a Dream Assignment During the speech, King compared a promissory note to the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. His intent on addressing this was to explain that the words in these documents were meant to belong to every American citizen. King uses the metaphor “check” to describe that the country owes equality to African Americans. But the “check that King is talking about is a bad one. He says African Americans were given a check that did not work and was basically useless for them. Usually in banks when given a bad check they return it saying “insufficient funds”. King’s main purpose of using all these metaphors was to compares a bank to justice. King sums it up by describing this bank
King used pathos and logos as well as ethos in his speech to appeal to the audience in a more emotional way. He mostly attempts to appeal to the audiences’ emotions, fears, and desires. When King repeats with the infamously famous quote, “I have a dream,” he stresses a sense of sympathy and hope towards the African American population during that time period. King states that the, “Negro…finds himself in exile in his own land.” In this phrase, King yields compassion as one can see when he emphasizes the unfair treatment and the alienation of the African Americans. King also uses highly connotative language so that he could evoke an emotional response to the audience by saying words such as, “chains of discrimination” and “oppression” to reinforce the need to change. He not only uses words to get to the saddening side of his audience, but King also uses an uplifting tone to motivate and inspire his audience by using positive diction, using words such as “freedom,” “majestic,” and “brotherhood.” Furthermore, King appeals to logos through his use of analogies; for example, “America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds.’” This analogy applies to logos by using a form of reasoning since he appeals to the basic concept of money and the frustration of receiving a “bad check.” Not only does King like to appeal to his audience, but he also uses rich metaphors to convey his message across American
In hopes of creating a better sense of credibility, which encourages people to accept his idea or “dream”, King mentions the Declaration of Independence. Dr. king makes himself credible by challenging what citizens known as the unalienable rights. Unalienable rights, are rights that cannot be taken away from a human being. They are considered rights given to people by God himself, when they are born. In the third paragraph he quotes, ‘the unalienable Rights of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. “This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” He uses the quote to show that the Supreme Court should be on his side. However, he then goes on to tell how even though it should be on his side it is not. “It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note.” He is stating that the American government has neglected their promise to ALL of the American people. By doing this he is asking the readers to ask themselves, why has America failed to reach the expectations of equality? Why is the injustice only occurring to blacks? And most importantly, What can be done to change this? In another attempt to appear more credible, King often times quotes the bible. His use of the bible can cause an emotional response, but
Subsequently, King exercises the strategy of pathos, the emotion appeal. In his statement, "Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all God\'s children". The great use of imagery with the contrast of light vs. dark here definitely draws audience’s attention. Moreover, by making references to the government as a "Bank of Justice" that gave African Americans a "bad check," King describes the situation of the African American people. He proclaims that the "Bank" is not bankrupt and that it was time to "cash the check". These metaphors are easy to understand and are something that the audience can relate to.
King had a dream everyone would be free and treated equally. However, this achievement can only be grasped through sacrifices, hard work, and a strong willingness to take a road that will furthermore end in greatness. "Come to cash a check", which is a form of personification, alliteration, and extended metaphor. The phrases Dr. King uses are deeper meanings, which could be understood through thorough analysis. The recent figurative language shows catchiness, and is memorable, this is casting society as a person who didn't make good on his promise- check=promissory
He refers to the principles voiced by the nation's founders in his appeal for racial equality. This strategy was especially important in light of the fact that the government was concerned that the Civil Rights movement might discredit the United States abroad. The government was worried that if they gave African-Americans freedom, the United States would be seen as weak and have been persecuting innocent people. Hence, it was perceptive of King to imply in the speech that he is not undermining the United States, but asking the country to do justice to the principles that were asserted to be the backbone of U.S. politics and society. King states, for example, that his dream was "deeply rooted in the American dream," (King 2) and that he dreams of a day when Americans "will be able to sing with new meaning `My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing'" (King 3). King then uses the words of that song to distinguish the different areas of the country where he hoped the United States would soon "let freedom ring" (King 3) for all its citizens. King alludes to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution as being a "promissory note" (King 1) to all citizens, which those at the march were claiming as their inheritance. The speech gains power from King's stressing that he was asking the United States to live up to its principles and thus to fulfill the greatness of its pronounced creed.
Early in his speech, he establishes the connection of the Negro people to American society, stating that “America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check that has come back marked ‘insufficient funds.’” Essentially, society has set them up for failure, intentionally creating an environment in which it is impossible to succeed in. Much like the concept of “forty acres a mule,” Negros were deliberately placed in a position of guaranteed failure. When the slaves were freed, they were promised forty acres of land and a mule, but were given no tools to harvest the land. They requested help from other famers, but were swindled out of their land or given land which was implantable, effectively consigning them into being in the same position as they were when they were enslaved. However, King transitions away from a feeling of hopelessness to one of optimism, claiming that although society wants the Negros to feel oppressed, they refuse to believe that “there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of the nation.” They are aware that opportunity and liberty are not things of limited quantity, therefore they should be offered to everyone. The “bank of opportunity” is impossible to go bankrupt because there are unlimited funds, waiting to be distributed out to everyone. The metaphors King connects to the current
As King mentions on page 48,”It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned” (King 48). In this example, the readers learn that America did not keep it’s promise of equality among blacks and whites when in the earlier quote it talk about how America’s note has been discarded in the view of America’s citizens of color. This textual evidence suggests that the colored people of America haven’t received what they have been promised and that is why there is this problem in the present. King points out in his speech,”Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood; now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children” (King 49). By looking at the words that King spoke that day, readers can assume that colored citizens of this supposedly free country are having less freedom than everyone else of no color. This is important to note on the grounds that if the path of
I find Dr. King’s metaphor of uncashed checks made the comparison very effective because he wanted the federal government to be forced into giving full equality to the colored people. Yes, they were “technically” given equality under the law but the government came up with so many different ways of going around it.
Free at last!” (King). Obviously, people of different cultures and beliefs have not lived in perfect harmony. Wishing for a future in which all groups live in peace appeals to the soul of anyone affected by racism or hatred. King not only uses pathos in his “I Have a Dream Speech”, but he also utilizes logos. One example of King 's logical appeals is when he states: ““America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds”” (King) In order to be a citizen in a society, currency is a vital skill to understand. One part of payment and money if often times, checks. Wisely, Dr.King exemplifies the way Negros are treated to as a bad check; an idea all people can grasp. In addition, Dr.King uses another logical appeal to persuade his audience to stand up for civil rights. King says: ““We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro 's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed
King’s use of word choice intensifies his speech to stop racial discrimination in America. He uses negative words, like “captivity”, “poverty” and “persecution” to describe that African-Americans have no freedom and constantly being discriminated within society due to their skin colour. Kings distinctive voice begins with “One hundred years ago” is repeated, which suggest the lack of no change in the lives of African- Americas one hundred years after Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves. King also states “America has given the Negro people a bad cheque, a cheque which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds’, which recognises his use of a metaphor to express something that many people in the audience may have felt or even experienced. Personification is used when he says “that one day the nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed” America here is being compared to a human being who can rise up and live the true meaning of his belief. The intensity of King’s speech is built through bold statements and rhythmic repetition. Each repetition builds on the one mentioned before and is reinforced by King’s increasing passion “Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina…” It would always take a commanding voice to inspire thousands and King’s booming voice was well practiced in
The best part of a long, hard-working day is when you finally get to lay in your bed, close your eyes and let your imagination run free. As you sleep your mind takes you to another place far away from the real world. You begin to dream. Over the night, you may have several dreams. In the morning, you may wake up and wonder what your dreams were suppose to mean for you and your life. By analyzing your dream, it "gives a true picture of the 'subjective state'-how we really feel about ourselves-which the conscious mind cannot or will not give" (Wietz 289). In order to find the meaning of a dream, you have to pick out the most important symbols and define them. But you may be wondering what exactly is a symbol?
These metaphors, while ornamental and adding an artistic quality to his speech, also prove to be a crucial component to his message. One such metaphor is present in paragraphs four and five when he compares America’s rejection of their basic human rights to “America [giving] the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds’,” (King 1). This ‘check’ is long overdue, just as the “riches of freedom and the security of justice” (King 1) is, as it was promised to the black community when the founding fathers wrote how “all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (King
What Dreams May Come is a movie about life, loss, death, afterlife and rebirth. The film explores the emotions evoked by a variety of characters when they are faced with coping with tragedy and death. It also delves into the manifestations of heaven and the variety of forms heaven takes in the minds of different people.
"We refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice". [Avoid starting a paragraph on a quote. Instead, create a strong transition sentence in your own words]With these words, King employs the technique of logos, the logic, as he appeals to the African American population not to give up their fight for civil equality. Furthermore, the organization of the speech is also quite logical. For instance, King begins by alluding to history, and then he portrays a picture of a seething American nightmare of racial injustice and ends the speech with dramatic future by painting the dream of a better, fairer future of racial harmony and integration [Maybe a little more on logos].
The marvelous use of ethos in this speech really brought out the problems that the blacks were faced with. The documents, government, and granted rights, said one thing but were they really meant for all? Even after the Emancipation Proclamation, Constitution, and Declaration of Independence, “the Negro still is not free”(“ American Rhetoric: Martin Luther King I Have a Dream”). All of these documents and promises made by the government about “freedom for all” wasn’t completely true because the blacks were given the same promise. They still had to sit in the back of the bus, and use different bathrooms, and go to segregated schools. King confronted the government about these unfair “rules” they produced by “ coming to cash this check”(“ American Rhetoric: Martin Luther King I Have a Dream”), meaning they have come to receive the promises they were given. The check was to give them “the riches of freedom” and “the security of justice“(“ American Rhetoric: Martin Luther King I Have a Dream”). He backs up his ethics by describing the real life actions he faced during the racist times like, physical violence and abusive