Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of the most famous public speakers in history. King was a pastor and leader of the Civil Rights Movement. On August 28, 1963, over 250,000 people of all races and backgrounds gathered at the Lincoln Memorial to see King, as he presented his award-winning speech with the hope to spread awareness of the civil rights movement. By sharing his dream, he hopes that someday his kids will be “judged not by the color of their skin but the contents of their character.” His patriotic piece is brought to life by his use of repetition, anaphora, and allusions. To begin with, King uses the rhetorical tool of repetition to emphasize the importance of racial justice and equality for all. He repeated powerful words such as “Freedom”, …show more content…
He also states, “One hundred years later” then, goes into detail about how when the founding fathers gave us our independence, they also promised us equality and freedom for all men. He also makes a point to show how they promised us this, and we as a nation still haven't achieved it. Lastly, he uses allusions such as the Declaration of Independence, and the Bible to show us the importance of his speech. King alludes to the Declaration of Independence to reference the founding fathers' intent to give all humans equal rights when he states, “This note was a promise that all men — yes, Black men as well as white men — would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” He also states, “Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds.” This allusion shows that instead of fulfilling what the founding fathers set us on a path have used this to continue to persecute and judge based on color instead of