Martin Luther King Jr's I have a Dream speech

Essay by enzospyder87Junior High, 8th gradeA+, April 2004

download word file, 2 pages 3.4

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used symbolism and references during his famous " I have a dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. He used personal experiences and also experiences from the Civil Rights Movement. During his speech he also referred to American History and used metaphors and repetition to strengthen and enrich his famous speech.

Dr. King described personal experiences when he said "the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land" which is describing the horrible segregation in America to its own citizens. Dr. King also talked about personal experiences when he said "Alabama's governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification" describing how the governor has turned down the civil rights protester's demands. This is how Dr. Martin Luther King used personal experiences in his speech.

Martin Luther King Jr. talked about the Civil Rights Movement in his speech. He talked about Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation five score, or 100, years ago. He said " the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence was a promise that stated all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. But we must face the fact that the Negro still is not free." This meant that after the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were signed it was supposed to give them freedom but it hasn't. This is how Dr. King talked about the civil rights movement.

Martin Luther King Jr. referred to American History in his speech. When he said, " When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall...