Sharing the Dream: 'I Have a Dream' as a Beacon of Hope for African Americans

Martin Luther King was a very successful speaker and was well known for conveying the audiences. He would tour across the country to give speeches about the injustice that was happening with african americans.

His most famous speech which was “I Have a Dream” was delivered in Washington D.C. in 1963. He would attract thousands of people by his amazing speeches that were very well composed. His choice of wording and tone of voice would captivate the audience and would also help them understand the point he was trying to get across. He would speak about things that he was crediblible about, as well as conveying the audience with his anger and sufferment. As Martin Luther King went about his speeches, he would use a stronger tone of voice when he was saying certain parts of his speech. For example: “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood”, during this part of the speech he starts off with a strong tone when saying “I have a dream” and makes a small pause, then continues with the rest of his sentence. He does this to catch the full attention of the audience, and make them understand the importance of the “dream”. He also uses a hopeful tone to give the audience faith, so it could prevent them from giving up on the belief. If the audience felt the faith through his speeches, then it would keep moving forward.

Dr.King had huge audiences that stood up for what he believed in however, there was also a type of audience that dispieced him. He had people that hated him just like any other public speaker, but these people hated him in another type of level. It’s safe to say that most of the people that disagree with his beliefs were white people. In one of the marches a white man threw rocks, bottles, and firecrackers. He even got knocked out by a rock that was thrown at him which he responded to by saying “I have seen many demonstrations in the South, but I have never seen anything so hostile and so hateful as I've seen here today”. Others weren’t physically violent but they would hold up signs that would say threatening things towards him like “King would look good with a knife in his back”.

He uses credibility in his speeches to back up his statements and make the audience believe that he's a trustworthy source. One of the things that he uses are allusions and they are everywhere throughout his speech to enforce his knowledge. In fact, at the beginning of the speech he mentions the Emancipation Proclamation which he was referring to Abraham Lincoln, and he finishes off his speech with another allusion that was “Free at last. Free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last” which is a bible verse. He also says these things with a very firm voice and a serious look which shows the audience confidence and makes them infer that he knows what he’s talking about. Martin Luther King’s speech was in fact a very well thought out speech that could captivate anyone's attention, even people in today's society. Not only did it create a big impact in the 60’s, but has kept on impacting decades after decades; it’s as if his legacy keeps on living. Yes, his “dreams” came true, however we’re still caught up with some racism problems in today’s society which is why his speech is still retalabe to many people. There hasn’t been a speech that has been this presentable.