I Have a Dream: An Inspiring Cry for Freedom

I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr was a speech given on August 28, 1963. Martin Luther King’s speech took place on Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, where thousands of blacks and whites joined together to listen. He stated his dreams of what America should be like, equal for all colored people, including blacks.In my opinion, his speech was a need for the society because it was really necessary for the other people to understand that African Americans should have civil rights equal to the rest of the people.

The main idea of this speech was to make both sides of the discussion, white and African-Americans, accept change in a non-violent yet efficient manner. The idea was to achieve the equality for all of American citizens.People should not degenerate their protests into physical violence. Instead of acting out of discipline the people should act out dignity. Black and whites should be able to join hands to together and live peacefully among one another. Colored people will be able to get along non-colored people as friends and families. Every citizen, blacks and whites, will be able to go to school together, use the same bathroom together, sit together, and live together.

The purpose of the speech was to fix the system. Even though for many years many civil rights acts have been passed in order to give African American citizens the equal right to white citizens but the system was still corrupt. Martin Luther king’s was hoping to make the audience sympathize the African-Americans, hate racism, and give the African Americans hope for a better world. In order to achieve this, Martin Luther King used strategies to provoke the audience. An example is shown when Martin Luther King says, 'I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.' This quote emotionally stands out because it is very heartfelt and inspiring.

Moreover, the speech was intended to different types of audience; the African-Americans (immediate) who are being discriminated , the White- Americans (intended) who are against African-Americans, the national (extended), and the White-Americans who argue that African-Americans are evil and the civil rights movement is violent. For African Americans, the speech delivered a message of hope with the promise of freedom and equality. While for White-Americans, it helped them understand that their freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of African-Americans.

King creates an emotional appeal to the audience by persuassion, he makes the audience feel empathy for the way that whites have treated non-whites for over a century. King also uses allusion to augment his point in his speech. Throughout his speech he makes many references to the Bible “justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream”. He alludes the bible verse. He also uses description to prove the inequality happening on a daily basis, like, police brutality,hotel lodging,for whites ony signs,limited freedom etc.

In conclusion,King depicts that he wants justice to overtake the injustices of discrimination, and for justice to not only overcome discrimination, but for it to flow through America forever. many people were motivated to stand up and fight for their rights, Dr. King made many people realize how bad the discrimination in the U.S. was. His demonstratiom and speech proved the nation that people would no longer tolerateracial injustice. The outcome of his speech was one of the most successful and influential peaceful demonstration in the history of the United States.