Katie Raskovic Mrs. Kuhl English 10 March 3, 2015 History’s Greatest Speeches Two men, over 100 years apart, presented unbelievable speeches that changes U.S. history. Abraham Lincoln who wrote “The Gettysburg Address”, announced one of the shortest speeches in history with only 272 total words. He delivered this speech November 19, 1863 to dedicate the Soldier’s National Cemetery. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his speech August 28, 1963 at Lincoln’s Memorial in Washington D.C.. In which, his was nearly four pages long. Both M.K.L and Abraham Lincoln’s speeches consist of literary devices to prove their point and deliver words that would be remembered in generations to come. However, both “I Have a Dream” and “The Gettysburg Address” applies personification in these works of art. In “I Have a Dream”, he included “the life of the Negro is still crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.”. A man cannot be “crippled” by things like “segregation”. But by doing this, he expresses the emotions felt by the black people and brings the idea of freedom to life. There are …show more content…
In “The Gettysburg Address”, Abraham Lincoln proclaims how the men are there to dedicate a portion of the field as a final resting spot for the men who gave their lives for the nation. But after that is said, he asserts that complete opposite and how they cannot dedicate this but to fight for what they’re given for the country. In “I Have a Dream”, he states how the the black man is still not free even after slavery was done and over with. King Jr. preaches how the negro still is not equal and there is still many changes that need to be done in order for the black to be equal with whites. He refers back to the Declaration of Independence saying that the note said all men, even black men as well as white, would be guaranteed “Unalienable Rights” of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of