a dream of freedom ….a reality at last……

I was truly amazed when I read the famous speech “I Have a Dream” by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He presented his inspiring speech on August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. His speech moved the hearts of those who listened attentively as he used rhetorical method which is the art of persuasion in speaking and writing. Besides that, he also used metaphors, repetition and inspirational thoughts in his speech. The theme of the speech is expressed throughout the speech through identification and racial equality & uniting, historical background, repetition and regarding certain situation that should be corrected. The power of his speech educated, inspired, motivated the black Americans specifically and the whites generally as he managed to stir the will and determination to uphold humanity and release the sense of freedom by breaking the racial sentiment that disunites and cause discrimination.

 The metaphors which he used in his speech made his speech more interesting and entertaining. Examples of metaphors he used are: “beacon light of hope “, “flames of withering injustice”, “long night of their captivity”, “crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination”, “ island of poverty” , “vast ocean of material prosperity”, “ to cash a check”, “architects of our republic”, “defaulted on this promissory note”, “cash this check”, “a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice”, “tranquilizing drug of gradualism”, “dark and desolate valley of segregation”, “quick sands of racial injustice” , “oasis of freedom and justice”, “hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope” and “jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood”. The repeating words of “I have a dream that one day……..” is a determination, an aspiration of a strong will and heart to visualize the hope on a certain, specific day, where agony, discrimination and injustice will be replaced with the hope for the future that is free at last. I also feel that the classical appeals through proposing, demanding, persuading truly created the sensation that visualized the theme of “I have a Dream in the final part of the speech through his repeated words “free at last” : "Free at last, free at last; thank God Almighty, we are free at last."

Below is the link of the speech “I Have a Dream” by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm