Thursday, April 29, 2010

'I Have a Dream' speech by Martin Luther King, Jr.

About the 'I Have a Dream' speech.


The purpose of the speech was to send the message to the American government and the white people to stop the racial discrimination and the social injustice on the African-Americans. The speech clearly states that the African-Americans also wanted equal rights and opportunity in reality and not just in words as stated in the promissory note of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. It helped a lot to stop the racial discrimination. It really showed that the Negros are human beings too and it showed the Whites that Negros have gone through too much of pain and suffering. It was basically to tell everyone and to show everyone that he meant business. Martin Luther King, Jr. believed that non-violence was the way to go and this speech with thousands of people watching it seriously showed that it was time for a change. It was a message of hope and Martin Luther King, Jr. hoped that blacks and whites could live amongst each other in peace.


The speech had dramatic shifts in tone such as from enraged to cautionary to hopeful. I find the speech to be quite sarcastic at certain points. Overall, the speech was eloquent, passionate, intellectual, persuasive and honest.

The interesting major feature(s) which I can see from the speech are:-
i.) Repetition of phrases such as “I have a dream”. This phrase was mentioned eight times throughout the speech.
Repetition of phrases such as “one hundred years later”. This phrase was mentioned four times throughout the speech.
Repetition of phrases such as “now is the time”. This phrase was mentioned three times in the speech.
Repetition of phrases such as “free at last!”. This phrase was mentioned three times in the speech.
Repetition of phrases such as “be satisfied”. This phrase was mentioned five times in the speech.
Repetition of the word, “negro”. This word was mentioned fifteen times throughout the speech.
Repetition of the word, “free”. This word was mentioned twenty four times throughout the speech.
Repetition of the word, “freedom”. This word was mentioned nineteen times throughout the speech.

ii.) emphasis on certain things said.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. states that after a hundred years later, the blacks are still oppressed and marginalised by the whites by emphasizing on the phrase, “one hundred years later”.
- Strong words like ‘manacles’ and ‘chains’ were used to depict the sufferings of the blacks. Their ancestors were once slaves and they were chained and manacled. These words have connotative meanings and are used to show that the blacks were denied social justice and are tied to poverty.
- The phrase, “the bank of justice is bankrupt” is quite sarcastic and funny.
- “Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children.”
By making that statement, he wants the blacks to be given equal treatment and equal opportunities as the whites.
- “In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”
By making that statement, he is telling all the blacks that the struggle for equality must be done in a peaceful way without using any force as it could spur racial tension.
- “Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s statement above might suggest that many of the black audiences were just released from prisons and lockups. Maybe many of them were released on bail. Meanwhile, the second sentence shows that the many of the blacks were suffering from police brutality where they were beaten up badly.
- “There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" we can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
By making the statement above, he is saying that the blacks will never stop fighting for their rights until they are granted equal rights as the whites.
- "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
By making that statement, he means that all human being are equal in god’s eyes and should be given equal treatment.

From the background of the speech, I learned that many black people were marginalized and were denied of social justice and equal rights. Many of the blacks were jobless and they were suffering from poverty at that time. They were fighting for their rights and they wanted it urgently because they were tolerating this situation for more than a hundred years. From it, I also learnt that many of the blacks were suffering from police brutality where they were beaten up badly. They were thrown into lockups and prisons. They felt that all human being are equal in god’s eyes and should be given equal treatment. From the background of the speech, I also learnt that the blacks will never stop fighting for their rights until they were granted equal rights as the whites.

The audio-visual on the 'I Have a Dream' speech.


Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, activist and prominent leader in the African American civil rights movement. His main legacy was to secure progress on civil rights in the United States and he has become a human rights icon. King is recognized as a martyr by two Christian churches. A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. There, he raised public consciousness of the civil rights movement and established himself as one of the greatest orators in U.S. history. In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means. By the time of his death in 1968, he had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and opposing the Vietnam War, both from a religious perspective. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. national holiday in 1986.


( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr. )

Martin Luther King, Jr.


Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, activist and prominent leader in the African American civil rights movement. His main legacy was to secure progress on civil rights in the United States and he has become a human rights icon. King is recognized as a martyr by two Christian churches. A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. There, he raised public consciousness of the civil rights movement and established himself as one of the greatest orators in U.S. history. In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means. By the time of his death in 1968, he had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and opposing the Vietnam War, both from a religious perspective. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. national holiday in 1986.
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr. )

Benefits of using speeches by famous figures, in the classroom.


The benefits of using speeches by famous figures, in the classroom are:-

a.) Speeches by famous figures are normally well prepared, free of grammatical errors and proofread many times before they are finalized. So these speech texts are suitable to be used in the classroom.

b.) Speeches by famous figures are normally persuasive speech. Therefore, if students read more of this type of speech, they can learn the techniques of persuasive speech and apply this particular skill in their real life.


c.) Speeches by famous figures normally reflect higher level of critical thinking skills. Therefore, if such speeches are used in the classroom, it might sharpen the critical thinking skills of the students.

Biopoem for Langston Hughes




Langston

brave, intelligent, creative and wonderful

Son of James Nathaniel Hughes and Carrie (Caroline) Mercer Langston

Lover of poetry, jazz and equality

Who feels upset with racism, hates slavery, despises marginalization

Who gives hope, inspiration and realisation

Who fears slavery, lynching and exploitation

Who would like to see justice, freedom and equality for all

Who lived in Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C., United States

Hughes