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Figurative Language In I Have A Dream Speech

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Recommended: “I Have a Dream”: A Rhetorical Analysis

“Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” are the old words of a Negro Spiritual. In “I Have a Dream” by Dr. Martin Luther King, he persuades Americans to treat everyone equally and how we can’t give up until it’s done. This speech is the most compelling speech because he tells everyone to start treating blacks equal after all they are exactly like everyone else; he also backs up his central idea with great Figurative Language. The quotes used in this essay are from MLK’s speech “I Have a Dream”. Three of his main ideas are presented in my essay: colored people still aren’t free, we need to put ourselves in check, also how children are growing up with all this racism. America needs to change the way....

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He want’s black children and white children to someday play together. “...little black boys and little black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.[King,3]” Think of all the children-- let’s do it for them. “ I have a dream that one day…[King,3]” Martin repeats this 8 times to give emphasis, also to make sure people understand what he is trying to say. If someone in the crowd misses some of his speech they will at least be able to catch a few pieces of his repetitive lines. “...with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification…[King,3]” I can just see someone saying this; I can picture the words “dripping” out of his mouth. He makes our brains listen to what he is saying by using these words, it gives the realization that we have been letting this get past us.

“I Have a Dream” by Dr. Martin Luther King is the most compelling speech--he truly persuaded people to treat blacks equally by giving them a realization of common sense. His figurative language helped his argument a bunch. We now need to let the Negro’s be free, and we will live together as a family. Lets leave the past behind us--let’s start a new

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King appeals to the audience by using strong words and repetition. By using repetition of “let freedom ring” and with this faith it helps the audience be reminded of his purpose that change will occur and equality will reign. This rhetorical technique helps the speech come across strong and more powerful and really convinces the audience of the idea of change. Martin Luther King Jr’s speech was revolutionary and changed the view of many Americans. He helped achieve this effectiveness through his strong choice of diction and loaded words and his assertive tone that grasped the audience's attention.

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Therefore this makes people see racism in a whole new light; racism has not been justified because the United States have failed to uphold their promises. Kings goes on to say how racial equality can not be achieved until “...justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream” (King). He deliberately tries to make the audience feel as if racial segregation is both wrong and against basic morals. Martin Luther King’s most famous speech, “I Have a Dream” was the changing point for racism in America. It managed to inspire a generation of blacks to never give up and made thousands of white Americans feel ashamed of their actions.

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“Let freedom ring.” Freedom is all something we all value in life; unfortunately, it wasn’t just handed to all of us. In “I Have a Dream,” Martin Luther King Jr. tries to convince all of America that everyone should be treated with equality. This address is very compelling because it uses tone, repetition, and allusion to convey a point using both compassion and power. The first paragraph references to the Declaration of Independence and our unalienable rights as Americans, trying to argue his point.

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used allusion, metaphors, and repetitions in his speech to try to convince Americans to open up their door of selfishness and welcome change. Dr. King used metaphor to let people better understand things that they don’t necessarily know. KIng also used allusions to show people his ideas compared to theirs, and to make people remember certain things that those people said that goes against what the audience is doing. Finally, Dr. King used repetitions to show people something that is really important, and to remind them about things in the past that should be remembered. In the end, Martin Luther King Jr. “I have a dream” speech used many rhetorical devices to try to convince people to change their ways, open the doors of selfishness, and invite change.

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Throughout his speech he implies a lot of metaphors to make his speech effective and influencing. For example, King constantly describes the Negroes as being “crippled” by the “manacles of segregation”, “Storms of Persecution,” and “chains of discrimination.” Through these metaphors King indicates the crises the Negroes face. A few of King’s strongest metaphors are his references to prejudice: “the quick sands of racial injustice”, the “heat of oppression”, “the dark and desolate valleys of segregation”, and the “chains of discrimination.” King also indicates the unbearable inequality by creating an image: “the sweltering summer of the negro’s discontent.”

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