Aherne, Dylan Mr. Shipp English 1, Block 1 May 24th, 2023 Literary Devices In I have a Dream Martin Luther King Jr's speech “I Have a Dream” went down in history as one of the most impactful speeches given, that continued to inspire society for generations to come. King uses literary devices such as anaphora, analogies, and metaphor to give a better understanding, and to make a greater impact on the listeners in Washington DC. First, anaphora is the repetition of the first part of a sentence. King uses anaphoras three times throughout his speech. One time we see King use anaphora is when he was repeating the phrase throughout the first paragraph, “One hundred years later”. King chooses this phrase to repeat to present his claim that after the negros saw hope that the emancipation proclamation would bring them freedom, one hundred years later they still are not free. In the speech, King quotes, “ This momentous decree is a great beacon light of hope to millions of negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. But 100 years later the Negro is still not free.” King then goes on and keeps repeating the words 100 …show more content…
Martin Luther King uses many analogies while giving his memorable speech. The most impactful and memorable one is, “Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial injustice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.” In this quote, King is using the word “valley” to describe the dark times Negros went through during the times of segregation and slavery. He is also using the phrase “solid rock of brotherhood” to acknowledge that without God and each other as a diverse body of Christ, we are doomed. Overall these analogies compare different things such as valleys to bad times to give a better understanding to the