Conventions, Literary Devices And Appeals In Martin Luther King’S Speech I Have A Dream
Society today is still in pursuit of a world free of discrimination. Martin Luther King Junior demands racial justice, while motivating his audience, using apparent overstatements and repetition, emotionally and religiously influenced affirmations. King Junior recognizes that one’s personal happiness, having a sense of self-respect and self-worth are only achievable in a world of social and economical equality.
King Junior’s determination and frustration persuade the American society to fight for changes in democracy. The elimination of human rights violations and ending discrimination on the basis of race, will create a sense of fairness in the society. Judgment of individuals must be based on their actions and values rather than their appearance. The nation of America was founded to provide freedom and justice to all and the world will become a liveable place for everyone when the mistreatment of people of colour ends. King Junior’s intention to inspire his audience is equally important as the message itself. His proclamations are hopeful with a sense of determination. He is completely aware that there will be obstacles along the way, but his overall optimism is still apparent: The enthusiasm that shines through his words empowers the audience to recognize the necessity for change. He educates and inspires his listeners while painting a picture of a promising future. The hope for American society to truly become a land of equal rights and opportunities also symbolizes the possibility of attaining fairness in the world as a whole.
King Junior conveys his message about social unjustness with the help of exaggerated statements and repeated diction. He uses dramatization in order to emphasize the significance of his message: King Junior accentuates his concerns about future generations having to face the same challenges, if no progress is made with evident overemphasis. Furthermore to leave a significant impression and to ensure that his words have a definite effect, he uses the same powerful phrases repeatedly King Junior aims to make his ideas memorable by introducing the basic points of his view with the exact same phrase. “I Have a Dream” is repeated numerous times as he describes his vision of unity in America. King utilizes variations of a phrase within the same paragraph to draw the listeners’ attention to the importance of his overall message. Versions of “We can never be satisfied” is used extensively to answer his rhetorical question of “When will you be satisfied”. King Junior’s diction guarantees that his message is delivered with a perceptible touch on citizens all over America. Continuous repetitions assure that the seriousness of King Junior’s main ideas will be widely recognized and remembered. Overstatements and frequently used expressions are crucial elements of the speech, they purposefully support King Junior’s intentions to shake the American population up and motivate them to take action to correct previous wrongdoings and build a society of equal rights.
King Junior uses American historical and biblical references, as well as emotional influences to prove that change is inevitable in order to achieve social justice. He makes a remark about Abraham Lincoln, mentions the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence and also uses several biblically infused statements to refer back to the foundation of his lesson, not only that all men are created equal but also that the members of the society need to act according to this basic principle. King Junior calls for unity and to take stand against discrimination. He lays the background and foundation of his vision of a future with the help of religiously charged statements: King Junior’s remarks deeply impact the biblically educated members of his crowd, and the comments simultaneously make him a trustworthy rhetorician in the listeners’ eyes. These individuals will surely listen to and remember his words, and will be inclined to join him in the fight for a nation free of discrimination. In addition King Junior’s language becomes more and more dramatic as the speech progresses. His vehement expressions of frustration and anger about the American nation’s inability to improve the African American’s standard of life in the last one hundred years are deeply distressing. He delivers his message with great passion, in like manner warning the public about the need for immediate action: The emotional element gradually accelerates throughout the speech, which ultimately drives the audience to become passionate about the topic. Becoming emotionally involved guarantees sensibility to all aspects of the issue, therefore will likely inspire one’s participation in the fight for justice. Martin Luther King mixes historical and biblical elements with emotional sentiments to promote his vision of social integrity while helping to defeat some listener’s feelings of despair.
The fight for equality and righteousness is an ongoing process. In I Have a Dream, Martin Luther King Junior calls for help to accomplish the goal of a nation free of discrimination, while moving his crowd with the assistance of exaggerated and frequently used expressions, as well as emotional and biblical assertions. King Junior delivers his speech to his fellow Americans, however his thoughts prove to be much more progressive, having a logical connection to questions of racial emancipation, tolerance and the perception of different races all over the world.
