I Have a Dream - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

Benji Huynh

1/26/17

English 1110.1

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR

        Dr. Martin Luther King was a true master of rhetoric and an unrivaled orator not only during his own time but throughout history. His speeches are, to this day, some of the greatest ever written and his delivery of them has ensured that they will remain in people’s memories for ages to come. Dr. King’s shining writing style is particularly on display during his “I have a Dream” speech.

        Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his “I have a Dream” speech on August 28, 1963, during the historical “March on Washington.” Dr. King begins his speech with what some refer to as “a political standard” or an opening which states some basic, positive description of the event at which the speaker is presenting. However, once the pleasantries are over, Dr. King jumps right into his one-of-a-kind writing. His speech truly starts with a reference to President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. This is a brilliant tactical decision twofold: first, he is immediately connecting the speech he is delivering to one of the most iconic and influential addresses in American history; this gives his words an air of authority that carries throughout the entirety of his speech. Second, it is a crucial part of his “set up.” This is a literary term that is the first part in the “set-em up, and knock em down” style of writing. The “set up” portion of this speech begins with “Five score” and ends with “shameful condition.” During this segment, King reminds the crowd listening what they are truly protesting about: a true freedom that was promised both in the Constitution and 13th Amendment, yet is denied to them. This is not a traditional “set-em up, and knock em down” since King isn’t presenting an argument that contradicts his own, in order to destroy it later; however, it follows the form too closely for it not to fall into the category. King is riling up the masses listening by reminding them of the nobility of their cause so that he can “knock ‘em down” with his closing lines and hopefully strengthen the fire of his movement.

        The next part of Dr. King’s speech is in essence a description of the issues facing the African American community at the time. Much of his literary skill is on display during this section of “I have a Dream.” He uses repetition to describe the difficulties faced by the “Negro” community; the phrase repeated is “One hundred years later” to show the magnitude of the suffering his people had faced; for a century after they were freed, they still suffer all of these cruelties. King’s speech is rife with figurative language from his relation of the weather and seasons to his cause, to his alliteration, to his extended metaphors. Of these three, the most noteworthy is his use of metaphors. King carries out the “check” metaphor for several paragraphs, but he manages to do so without seeming unnecessarily heavy-handed. This metaphor is fantastic in its ability to simplify the issues for easy consumption. On a slight tangent, while it isn’t directly related to his writing style, one would be remiss to analyze King’s literary work without also giving credence to his brilliant oratory skills. Dr. King’s voice is among the most iconic in all of history. It rings and reverberates with a depth and passion that is nearly unequaled. His tone is reverent and he controls his volume with a mastery of someone incredibly well practiced in public speaking, which is understandable given his profession. The words he wrote and the style he wrote them were of the upmost importance, but his voice is in no small part responsible for why we hear his speeches even now, nearly 50 years after his death.