Analysis of Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech
The
“I have a dream” speech by Martin Luther King is
recognised as one of the best speeches ever given. More than 40 years ago, in
August 1963, Martin Luther King electrified America with his
momentous ‘I Have A Dream’ speech, dramatically delivered from the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial.
His
soaring rhetoric demanding racial justice and an integrated society became a
mantra for the black community and is as familiar to subsequent generations of
Americans as the US Declaration
of Independence. His words
proved to be a touchstone for understanding the social and political upheaval
of the time and gave the nation a vocabulary to express what was happening.
The
key message in the speech is that all people are created equal and, although
not the case in America at the time,
King felt it must be the case for the future. He argued passionately and
powerfully.
So
what were his compositional strategies and techniques?
Certainly
King’s speech was well researched. In preparation he studied the Bible, The Gettysburg Address and
the US Declaration
of Independence and he
alludes to all three in his address.
Stylistically
the speech has been described as a political treatise, a work of poetry, and a
masterfully delivered and improvised sermon, bursting with biblical language
and imagery. As well as rhythm and frequent repetition, alliteration is a
hallmark device, used to bang home key points.
The
format is simple – always an aid to memorability! It falls into two parts.
The
first half portrays not an idealised American dream but a picture of a seething
American nightmare of racial injustice. It calls for action in a series of
themed paragraphs. “Now is the time” is the first:
We have also
come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce
urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to
take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the
promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate
valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to
open the doors of opportunity to all of God’s children. Now is the time to lift
our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of
brotherhood.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “when will you be satisfied?” We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of unspeakable horrors of police brutality. 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.
The
second half of the speech paints the dream of a better, fairer future of racial
harmony and integration.The
most famous paragraph carries the theme “I have a dream” and the
phrase is repeated constantly to hammer home King’s inspirational concepts:
I say to you
today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the
moment I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream
that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its
creed — “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created
equal.”
I have a dream
that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of
former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down
together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream
that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state sweltering with the
heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom
and justice.
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.
I have a dream
today.
I have a dream
that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor’s lips are presently dripping
with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a
situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands
with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream
today.
I have a dream
that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be
made low, and rough places will be made plains, and the crooked places will be
made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall
see it together.
This will be
the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning “My
country ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my
fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom
ring.”
And if America is to be a
great nation this must come true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious
hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom
ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom
ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom
ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom
ring from the curvaceous peaks of California.
But not only
that — let freedom ring from Stone Mountain in Georgia.
Let freedom
ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom
ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every
mountainside, let freedom ring.
When we let
freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from
every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of
God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and
Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro
spiritual,
Free at last!
Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
• The remarkable emotion of King’s delivery in terms of both voice and body
• The site at which it was delivered – on the steps of the memorial to the President who defeated southern states over the issue of slavery
• The mood of the day, a sense of perpetuated slavery among black people and the gradual realisation of a sense of guilt among white people
Described by one linguistic scholar, King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech was “not a legal brief on the intricacies of the civil rights movement in America, nor an intellectual treatise on the plight of black people.” Rather, it was a “fervent emotional sermon, forged out of the language and spirit of democracy. King’s mastery of the spoken word, his magnetism, and his sincerity raised familiar platitudes from cliché to commandment.”
Martin Luther King Jr’s “I have a dream” speech put
the civil rights movement into the hearts and minds of Americans and beyond. It
contributed to him being named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963 and to
his Nobel Peace Prize the following year. Here are the key features of
King’s distinctive and inspiring speaking style – and what it means for public
speakers…
1) Rock solid, unshakeable confidence
As a speaker, Martin Luther King had the solidity that is surely only found with those who have completely aligned their actions with their firm commitment. The 200,000 people at the Washington rally could not have pushed King off-track if they’d tried, so solid was he in his convictions. Self-belief from a beyond-personal source gives this sort of power – and you can see the impact.2) The Voice
It would always take a commanding voice to inspire thousands and Martin Luther King’s booming voice was well practiced in his capacity as a Baptist preacher. His cadence, his pacing and his preacher-like drama bring real passion to the speech.Martin Luther King used powerful, evocative language to draw emotional connection to his audience, such as:
“Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.”
“This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.”
“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”
3) Rhythm & Repetition
The intensity of King’s speech is built through bold statements and rhythmic repetition. Each repetition builds on the one before and is reinforced by Martin Luther King’s ever increasing passion.“We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. 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.
“Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina…”
“With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.”
“Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.”
As the speech comes to a close the pace of Martin Luther King’s repetition increases, helping to build to a crescendo.
4) Ditching the Script
If that wasn’t dramatic enough, Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech was never meant to even include its most famous sequence and climax. Originally penned under several names, such as the catchy “normalcy speech” and “A Cancelled check”, King put aside his script ten minutes into the speech. Few would dare risk it at such a moment, but King was said to have responded to the cry of Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson “Tell ‘em about the dream, Martin!” and ad-libbed what came next. This is what gave “I have a dream” its raw power and edge – King was living the words that he spoke.5) With, not ‘at’ his people
It’s thought that King ditched the script so that he could connect more with his audience. And it worked. “I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations,” he begins. King goes on to talk to his audience and their personal situations directly, “Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.”King is with the people, fully connecting to them with his eyes and delivering a powerful rhythm in his speaking. Martin Luther King’s script writer, Clarence B Jones reflected, “It was like he had an out-of-body experience.”
So often it is the speaker who is flexible and vulnerable enough to connect with their audience who has the most powerful impact.
Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech was a time and moment in history – but still offers much for would be inspiring speakers to learn from. How can you be more powerful, more passionate and more authentic in your public speaking? Could you ditch the script and go with your feeling? What is the power within you that you could push behind a message?
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