Martin Luther King
Essay by review • July 10, 2011 • Essay • 505 Words (3 Pages) • 1,176 Views
Martin Luther King’s, “I Have a Dream” speech connects with several different audiences. He uses biblical quotes such as, “and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together” (King 4). King uses the bible quotes to target religious audience on their values and beliefs and the source is credible.
To target the patriotic audience he uses words from the National Anthem in his speech. He also uses Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg speech by using the term “score” and other memorable words such as, freedom and civil rights (King 1). These words tie into the beliefs and values of our nation’s history.
Finally, King’s choice of words grabs the attention of African Americans, Caucasians, and liberals by using emotional word choices. Slaves, poverty, and segregation are word choices that play on human emotions.
King’s choices of words are powerful and are chosen right to direct specific audiences to be drawn into his own values and beliefs. “I have a dream,” reflects on the slaves and immigrants from the past to have the opportunity to have civil liberties and to be created equal. That “dream” is still running strong with the immigrants of today.
Abraham Tim: Martin Luther King Jr’s memorable “I Have a Dream” speech effectively conveys complex ideas through simple illustrations. Several of King’s illustrations are made stronger by combining emotion and senses such as taste. For example, the phrase, “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred." For a listening audience this is more effective than warning simply warning against bitterness, because the audience of all ages and education can immediately relate to the sense of taste and thirst.
King also makes use of American based вЂ?catchwords’ like вЂ?dream’ and вЂ?freedom’ to highlight the importance his message. The repeated phrase “I have a dream today,” relates to the idea that America is the “land of dreams.” This concept inspired, and still inspires many to uproot their lives
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