16 October 2020
Freedom's Ring: http://freedomsring.stanford.edu/?view=Speech

In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, American states in the south passed Jim Crow laws, which enforced racial segregation in public facilities. It was common belief that African Americans were inferior and unworthy of equal treatment. The Civil Rights Movement was organized by African Americans in an effort to end racial discrimination and segregation in the United States that began in the late 1940s and lasted until the late 1960s. One of the movement’s notable features was nonviolent protests, such as the Montgomery Bus boycott initiated by Rosa Parks, the Greensboro Sit-in, the most memorable of them all, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. During The March on Washington, which happened on August 28, 1936, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered one of the most famous speeches in American history, situated in front of the Lincoln Memorial. It is within this context that King addressed the American people, and gave black Americans hope for the future he envisioned.

Throughout his speech, Dr. King referenced the Constitution, placed a strong emphasis on togetherness, and used parallelism and metaphors to further draw the audience into his speech. Interacting with the scalar version of the “I Have a Dream” speech also allows readers to connect to the oration in a way that it would not have if one was just reading it off a sheet of paper. Personally, I was able to hear the emotion behind Dr. King’s voice, which was further backed by powerful visuals that highlighted Dr. King’s argument.

Dr. King’s speech is very similar to Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address in the way both of them started their speeches. Dr. King began his speech by referring to Abraham Lincoln. In Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, he began his speech by referring to the founding fathers, and the nation’s promise that “all men are created equal.” Both King and Lincoln brought up the accomplishments of those before them that enabled them to stand where they are today. Not only does King reference Lincoln, but he also brought up the Constitution numerous times. He hopes that one day America 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.’” By citing the Constitution, King supported his argument that pushing for civil rights is not unreasonable; the value that all men are equal is stated in the founding document of the country, which applies to whites and blacks. Therefore, Dr. King argued that it is important that the nation keeps its promise to its people. 

I believe one of Dr. King’s main focus was to unite the American people. He fervently believed that the injustice that black Americans faced “must not lead [blacks] to a distrust of all white people.” He further referred to whites as “brothers,” that Americans all pray under the same God, and that they are all “God’s children.” By noting the similarities between black people and white people, Dr. King proved that they are not that different from each other. He does not villainize, blame, or point fingers to white Americans. I believe he chose not to do this because he kept the future of the nation in mind and would rather make allies rather than enemies. In order to achieve his goal where whites and blacks are seen as equals, he must unite the people rather than divide them. Furthermore, he stated that “if America is to be a great nation, [justice] must become true.” Without the freedom of African Americans, there is no way that America will ever prosper. The country is not only for white Americans, but for black Americans as well. The future of whites and blacks are intertwined, so “all men” must “join hands” to step into a brighter and better America. 

The use of parallelism and metaphors further emphasizes his belief that America should unite. Throughout the speech, parallelism was evident, which helped emphasize King’s statements. This approach was even more effective when listening to the oration. Each time the statement repeated, I could hear that he got more emotional and passionate. The audience is also able to retain the information from his speech easier, because the same ideas and phrases are heard multiple times. The use of parallelism also made the speech sound satisfying and put together, much like a chorus to a song. “Together” and “freedom” were some of the most common words and examples of parallelism found in his speech. Moreover, I noticed that he incorporated many metaphors involving light and darkness. He associated freedom and the future with light, while associating racism and despair with darkness. This first appeared when he stated that Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation came “as a great beacon light of hope… a joyous daybreak to end the long night of [African American’s] captivity.” King again brought up this metaphor when he urged America “to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.” Another unique metaphor that caught my eye was that King hoped that America would be able to transform “into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.” In order for an orchestra to execute a perfect symphony, the instrumentalists must work together and feel the music together. With this metaphor Dr. King envisioned an America where its citizens will be able to accept and connect with each other. Dr. King also illustrated that black Americans were given a check “which has come back marked insufficient funds.” Dr. King used this metaphor to prove that the nation has not yet kept its promise that “all men are created equal.” He continued the metaphor to state that because a government cannot deprive its people of rights, then there was no way that “the bank of justice is bankrupt.”

The check metaphor had even more impact in the scalar version of the speech. Behind the narration, I noticed that the check in the background was changing to show what America “cashed out” or things that it was “indebted” to its citizens. These checks included the alienable rights, equal protection to domestic workers, the right to vote for men without land and women, and reparations for broken treaties for Native Americans. The image of the checks implied that America has yet to keep its promise; if there were already so many checks “cashed out” already, then it should be time for black Americans to receive their check as well. As the speech progressed, color gradually replaced the black and white images. One particular example was when black and white words such as “abuse,” “racism,” and “violence” were replaced by colorful words such as “self determination,” “compassion,” and “equality.” The colored images emphasize a bright future, which is similar to the metaphors that Dr. King used in his speech regarding light and darkness. Colorful images also have a more positive connotation, which adds to Dr. King’s argument that a colorful and bright society should be the future of America.

In the scalar version, I could also distinguish between what Dr. King improvised and what he had planned to say. I was astonished by how much of the later half, and more famous parts of the speech were improvised. I believe that this shows how emotional Dr. King was when giving his speech. Without hearing Dr. King’s oration, one could not have heard the passion in his voice and the support from the crowd. I was also able to interact with the speech by hearing the crowd’s cheers and trying to understand why Dr. King chose to change what he planned to say. In his improvisations, he used parallelism to address many southern states directly. By doing this, he emphasizes his vision that even the racist American south can one day be inclusive and free. I believe that his changes were for the better, as Dr. King was able to give his point across clearly and added a very powerful message near the end of the speech. 

Dr. King’s speech was very effective and lives up to its reputation for being one of the greatest speeches in American history. Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement was very successful, as in the new few years following the speech, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, and the Fair Housing Act, which prevented discrimination of any kind in public space. The passion and emphasis present in Dr. King’s voice was able to send chills down my spine, and hearing the cheering made me feel as though I was in the crowd. References to other political figures, emphasis on uniting America, and the use of parallelism and metaphors allowed Dr. King to deliver a very powerful message to the American people.