Martin Luthur Kind Jr. opens with a pretentious statement about the freedom of the nation.
He eludes to Abraham Lincoln’d Gettysburg Address by starting his speech with “five score years ago” and also by mentioning the Emancipation Proclamation. He then goes on to say that black Americans are still not free. He discusses various social issues related to racism and blames American society.
He says that the group gathered has come to the nation’s capital to protest the exclusion of their race from the “undeniable rights” that Americans have. He creates a long bank metaphor for justice and segregation. He rallies the crowd by making several statements pertaining to injustice.
With another metaphor, King recognizes that this is only the beginning of a movement that will last for decades still. He emphasizes against the use of violence to achieve peaceful ends and encourages peaceful but effective protest.
He desires freedom, but not in a way that could alienate whites. His ultimate goal is racial harmony.
He states that the community will be satisfied when everything is truly equal.
He acknowledges all those in the crowd who have suffered racism, and says that there is hope ahead for all of them. At this point he actually says “I have a dream” and describes a world of peace and equality.
He quotes the Constitution, and then discusses several scenarios of equality. Many of these have at this point come true.
From here, Luther enthuses the crowd by saying “let freedom ring” and listing places throughout the country that people can relate to.
He then brings the tone of the speech back to its roots with a quote from a traditional song.
No comments:
Post a Comment