ipl-logo

Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream Figurative Language

633 Words3 Pages

Brummitt, Delana
Mr. Shipp
English 1, Block 3
5/24/23

I Have a Dream Figurative Language

Martin Luther King Jr gave the I Have a dream speech to peacefully bring all people together. Throughout the speech there are multiple examples of metaphors, anaphora and allusions to express what is going on and things that need to be done. A metaphor is comparing two things that are not similar to each other without using like or as. Anaphora is changing a word said earlier in the sentence to not use repetition. And an allusion is referring to someone or something with literary text. An example of figurative language is a metaphor. A metaphor used in the speech is in paragraph 2 line 4, “light of hope for a million slaves”. This quote is explaining the light of hope for millions of slaves as it is their freedom and happiness. It is being connected to the emancipation proclamation and how they both were wanting freedom and justice for slaves. The emancipation proclamation only wanted freedom in the United States and not for everywhere. As the paragraph goes on it says that the slaves were “seared in flames of withering justice”. This is being compared …show more content…

He uses it multiple times to express all the places he would like all people to have freedom. The amount of times he repeatedly said let freedom ring there was a different state for each one and those were where he wanted them to have rights. MLK Jr also uses the quote “I have a dream” in different paragraphs to tell all of the things he had a dream about that could happen and would have a good effect on everyone. These lines of the speech describe how unfair it is for african americans and the limitation they have to things and places, but by telling this speech MLK is showing to all people that he believes there can be change. He believes that the dream will happen for them and they will finally be

Show More
Related
192 Words | 1 Pages

Figurative language and literary devices are utilized in “Letters to Birmingham,” by Martin Luther King Jr. to persuade his fellow clergymen to understand his reasoning behind protest. Evidence from the text that correlates with his intended purpose can be seen from the statement “As in so many experiences in the past, we were confronted with blasted hopes, and the dark shadow of a deep disappointment settled upon us.” This example supports the author in getting his purpose across by using figurative languages to convey the emotions of the black community and their discontent for waiting until an agreeable time. King also uses an allusion to a famous religious member and political commentator in, “Individuals may see the moral light and give

Read More
1341 Words | 6 Pages

He then repeats “go back to,” multiple times, telling the listeners of his speech to go back home and keep fighting for freedom. He lists many states and places to show that people across the nation want equality, not just the small group of Negroes in Alabama. He then repeats prolly his most famous words, “I have a dream.” These words for Martin Luther King, Jr. show what he wants to see out of America for his kids, and their kids, and everyone else's future generations to come. His last two repeated words in the “I have a dream” speech are “with this faith” and “Let freedom ring.”

Read More
363 Words | 2 Pages

Zagulian, Stacey Mr. Shipp English 1, Block 1 5/24/2023 I Have a Dream Essay Martin Luther King Jr.s I have a dream speech is a good example of the effective use of literary devices and figurative language.

Read More
578 Words | 3 Pages

I Have A Dream For one hundred years, the negro community has lived under the repression of the majority of the white people. Negro rights had slowly become abolished and ignored for the benefit of the whites. But one brave African American decided to speak above it all, in one famous speech called “I have a dream”. Martin Luther King successfully uses figurative language because the complex metaphors serve to not only explain the injustices that negroes have gone through, but they touch on the white audiences patriotic tendencies from a nonviolent standpoint King’s use of elaborate extended metaphors is effective because it translates the many repeated complaints of black people who have been oppressed, for metaphors that express the same meanings in a fresh, profound way.

Read More
574 Words | 3 Pages

Oxendine, Rion Mr. Shipp English 1, Block 3 5-24-23 Martin Luther King Figurative Language of Reasoning Martin Luther King Jr. “ I Have a Dream'' speech influenced a lot of people during the Civil Rights Movement. In his “I Have a Dream” speech he used a lot of literary devices such as imagery: the use of literal and figurative language to add symbolism and enable the reader to imagine the world of the piece in literature, a metaphor:a comparison in which one thing is said to be another.

Read More
708 Words | 3 Pages

In his 1967 speech on the Vietnam War, Martin Luther King, Jr. employs figurative language and syntactical elements to construct his argument against the hypocrisy and cruelty of American involvement in the war. Martin Luther King, Jr. utilizes figurative to emphasize the inhumanity and immorality of the war. In describing the ways in which the war is detrimental to the American people, King writes that "Vietnam [continues] to draw men and skills and money like some demonic destructive suction tube" (King). King draws a comparison between the war and an unholy vaccuum while enumerating what the U.S. loses as a result of the war to shed light on the resources and lives that could be better spent improving the U.S. itself as opposed to acting

Read More
113 Words | 1 Pages

King uses figurative language (“engulfs,” “ugly . . . brutality,” “unsolved bombings”) to create vivid images that evoke fear, injustice, and inescapability, and toshow that King and his affiliates have completed the first step of the nonviolent campaign: “collection of the facts to determine whether injustices are alive” (par. 6). King uses alliteration (“its ugly record of police brutality,” “its unjust treatment of Negroes,” and its “unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches”) to create a rhythm in the text, which strengthens the persuasiveness of his explanation that the “city fathers” have “refused to engage in good-faith negotiation” (par. 6), because if they had these injustices would not be so present in Birmingham.

Read More
275 Words | 2 Pages

Cannie's currently 13-year-old little girl, Joy. Joy, whose untimely birth left her with hearing issues, has constantly realized that her mom composed a lascivious, top of the line novel numerous years back yet never had much enthusiasm for understanding it — as of not long ago. What's more, what she peruses stuns her. She begins to scrutinize her mom's genuineness, and goes looking for reality about her family's history. Then, Cannie's significant other Peter needs to locate a surrogate so he and Cannie can have their own infant together.

Read More
722 Words | 3 Pages

“I Have a Dream” by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on August 28, 1963 gave many examples of metaphors and allusions to build his argument. Such as alluding where they are located, comparing the treatment that African Americans were getting to handcuffs and restraints, comparing racial injustice to quick sand, and comparing brotherhood to a solid rock. These examples add support to back up his argument of how terrible the Africans Americans were being treated. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. uses metaphors and allusions to enhance his speech and make his point clear. To begin Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. uses allusions to tell where they are while he is giving the speech.

Read More
1110 Words | 5 Pages

In addition to building a strong cadence, it unifies a sequence of ideas, emphasizes an idea by stating it more than once, and helps create a strong emotional effect” (p. 231). In this case, King’s repeated use of “I have a dream” resulted in all of the above, especially the strong emotional effect. Martin Luther King used the repetition of “I have a dream” several times in his speech, including these times: I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’ I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of

Read More
990 Words | 4 Pages

I Have a Dream - Rhetorical Analysis Inspiration and exuberance were the emotions that people felt as they listened to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s. , “I Have a Dream” speech. The momentous speech was delivered on August 26th, 1968, shocking the world with its influential expression of emotion and implication of social injustice. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. proclaims courage to the civil rights activists as he speaks passionately about the need to end racism.

Read More
753 Words | 4 Pages

In his famous 'I have a dream ' speech, he moves the listener from summer into autumn and the element of time is reinforced by saying, “1963 is not an end but a beginning.” MLK uses a metaphor for his subject matter and through his metaphoric trip, he leads the receiver by doing a series of modality reframes such as, “Dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice,” “From the quicksand’s of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood,” “The sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality,” “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred,” and, “Every hill and mountain shall be made low, and rough places will be made plains, and the crooked places will be made straight and

Read More
1088 Words | 5 Pages

“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.

Read More
466 Words | 2 Pages

In paragraphs 16-24 he repeats the phrase “I have a dream.” This is an example of repetition. MLK also uses analogy in his speech in paragraph 4. In the text, King compares American civil rights to cashing a bad check. King compares the two to show how worthless the promise of African Americans civil rights is.

Read More
523 Words | 3 Pages

and “I have a dream,” multiple times in his speech. The phrase "let freedom ring," is used because, MLK is trying to tell people that if they freedom then everyone needs to agree to let freedom ring.. It also means happiness should be spread across the

Read More

More about Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream Figurative Language

Related Topics

Open Document