Jackie Robinson once said, “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives”. Thousands of things in life can have an impact on our lives, whether it is a small or a large impact, it will change the course of our lives. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech is widely considered one of the most impactful speeches in American history. In Martin Luther King Jr's speech, King uses repetition and metaphor to develop the central message that all races should be treated equally. King repeats the phrase "I have a dream" throughout the speech, which serves to emphasize the importance of the message and gives the audience a sense of unity with the speaker. The repetition of this phrase helps to drive home the message that King is calling for a shared vision of a better …show more content…
The use of this metaphor gives the audience a sense of hope and inspiration, making them more likely to be motivated to take action to achieve racial justice. Furthermore, the metaphor of the "dark and desolate valley" suggests that the journey to racial equality may be a long and difficult one, but it is worth pursuing. King also says, “One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination,” Chains are something that prevents someone from doing what they want, and by referring to the "chains of discrimination," King is demonstrating to the reader that discrimination prevents people from living their fullest life. King is also referring to slavery when black people were forced to wear chains and manacles. Both of these quotes demonstrate that segregation is bad and racial justice is