Analysis of Martin Luther King Juniors I have a dream speech - Essay Example

Module Analysis of Martin Luther King Junior’s “I have a dream speech” Martin Luther King Jr. was actually born as Michael Luther King, Jr., but would later change his first name to Martin. He was born in 1929, in Atlanta, and would grow up to be an activist and a pastor. He was also a well-known leader in the civil rights movement whose main purpose was to obtain civil rights for the African American which was then subjected to grievous mistreatment by the American mainstream. Martin Luther King Jr. is today recognized as being a heroic leader who greatly contributed to American liberalism. He is most well-known for the speech, “I have a dream”, which was delivered to a crowd of more than 200,000 Americans in 1963. This speech essentially refers to the importance of being given the same rights as other ethnic groups. Today, many people compare King’s “I have a dream” speech to the "We shall fight" speech which was delivered by Winston Churchill during the Second World War when Britain was suffering from the bombings of nightly bombings conducted by the German Luftwaffe. Both speeches sought to reassure their citizens that there was a day coming when the suffering would cease and they would rejoice once again. Both speeches also called on citizens who were experiencing hardship to join together to press for emancipation – in Churchill’s case, from the Germans, and in King’s speech from discrimination. The “I have a dream” speech did not just influence ordinary Americans but affected many citizens in other foreign nations while garnering sympathy for the African American cause. The effects of King’s speech on the international audience were immediate. King would make the cover of the ‘Times’ magazine in 1963 and receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. In this particular speech, King sought to reassure disenfranchised people from different ethnicities and races, as well as religions. He stated that all mistreated members of different communities could rise up to provide a united stand against mistreatments of different kinds (Hansen, 131). King was unique in that he believed that the goals of such a peace could be achieved without the shedding of blood. This was quite an unusual stand at the time as most African and Asian nations seeking their independence from their colonial masters around that time were using bloody tactics to achieve their objective. King was quite courageous in openly criticizing the institution of segregation which was usual at that time. In 1963, America was still a segregated society that allowed privileges for White people while Blacks were left to survive on little in the margins of society. Dr King was virtually risking his life by alluding, in his speech, to the fact that he hoped that in the near future, his children would not have to experience the segregation that had constantly marked his life. King used emotion to appeal to peoples of different races, particularly those of the White race, to listen to the meanings under his words. In the speech, he alludes to his hope that a time would come when his four children would experience more freedom than he had experienced. By using children in this way, he was able to emotionally affect the White majority to see his point and understand his sorrow. There is no parent, Black or White, who would like to see their children, mistreated in any way or allowed fewer opportunities due to their color. King also used emotion in the description of African American life in the past and present. In one sentence in his speech, he says, “One hundred years after President Lincoln set the slaves free, the Negro’s life remains wretchedly crippled by the chains of discrimination and segregation” (Hansen, 134). By using words like “chains of discrimination” and “sadly crippled” King was not just affecting African Americans, but also causing White Americans to remember a time in American history that they probably wished did not exist. America has always viewed itself as the land that offers opportunities for all persecuted people from other lands. The institution of slavery stands as an uncomfortable reminder that it has not always been as just a land as its citizens wish it could be. The “I have a dream” speech was also delivered in the manner of a sermon from a black Baptist minister. These sermons are usually emotional discourses delivered to a stirred crowd that will encourage the pastor by affirming his words and shouting out answers to questions he asks. King also used references from respected literature such as the bible, the Declaration of Independence of the United States, the Constitution, and the Emancipation Proclamation. For instance, in the latter part of his speech, King alludes to Psalm 30:5 when he states that the Proclamation of Emancipation “Came as a festive daybreak to conclude a long night of imprisonment”. An additional allusion from the bible is in the tenth stanza of his famous speech where he asserts, “No, no, were not content and will not be pleased until righteousness rolls down like waters and virtue like a mighty stream” (Carson, 49). By stating this, King was letting his followers know that he was ready to go all the way even if he lost his life in the process. King alluded to the fact that he knew the ‘morning’ he had prayed for so long was in site when, towards the end of his speech, he stated, “I have gone to the mountaintop and I have seen the promised land…” (Carson, 42). This was a metaphor of the biblical scenario where God took Moses to top of the mountain so that he could see the land that was promised to the Israelites. In using biblical verses in this way, King touched the emotions of both Black and White Americans, most of whom were faithful adherents of the Christian religion. King followed that statement with an unnerving, and seemingly prophetic allusion of his own end, which was soon to come. He added, “I may not go there with you…but I have seen the Promised Land…”(Carson, 49). In saying this, he strengthened those who sincerely believed in his cause to continue with it even if he was removed from their midst. This seeming fearlessness in the face of death [probably worn the hearts of a huge majority of listeners and motivated others to pursue justice in all lands where there was still active oppression regardless of the consequences. King emphasized to his listeners that the time of change had come, and that there was no time like the present time. He did this because he knew that the majority of his listeners were frightened by the riots and heavy-handed tactics of law enforcement officials in seeking to quell the disturbances that had erupted in several cities across the United States. He also stressed in his speech that non-violence was the right road to take. This was probably said to marshal the support of the more fundamentalist elements in the Black population that wanted to force the American government into giving the Black people equal rights by causing mayhem. At the end of his speech, King unified the races by speaking about the things that the unity of the brotherhood of man would achieve. He ends by broadening the vision of a united to speak not only of races put aside their differences, but also religions. He also quoted the constitution’s statement that was established by the American forefathers who stated that ‘all men are born equal’. This was probably a reminder to the American authorities that openly of subtly supported segregation that they were going against their own constitution in segregating Black people. Martin Luther King suffered much and was also much rewarded in his life time. He conferred with Bobby Kennedy, the Attorney General of the United States, and President John F. Kennedy, and also promoted President Lyndon B. Johnson to Black populations after Kennedy was assassinated. He was arrested more than twenty times and battered at least four times. He was also the recipient in 1994 of the Nobel peace prize and received five honorary degrees. He was Times Man of the Year in 1963 and was internationally recognized as the bulwark of peace. Moreover, as is common in the lives of many other great men, Martin Luther King Jr. would seal the testimony of his life with his death. On April 4, in 1968, while resting on the terrace of his room in a motel in Memphis, Tennessee, he was shot dead. His death brought even more riots to numerous cities in the United States. It also brought the sympathy towards the Black cause that his famous “I have a dream speech” had been unable to stir among the largely White American population in America and around the world. Black people in America would soon start being recognized as genuine citizens of the United States. Works Cited Carson, Clayborne. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2001. Hansen, Drew. The Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr and the Speech that Inspired a Nation. New York: Ecco, 2003. Read More