A close examination of the rhetorical devices and themes within Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech is necessary for understanding a pivotal point in U.S. history. According to Mika Edmonson, Dr. King’s speech was delivered on August 28, 1963 “from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial…[which] cast such a transformative vision for freedom and equality”[1]. To fully understand its impact, one must explore its roots during that time, its impact today, and how well articulated it was by Dr. King. The speech by Dr. King, a prominent spiritual leader and campaigner for justice, became a significant moment in the campaign against prejudice in America in the mid-twentieth century. According to David Smith, King’s speech was in front of “a crowd of a quarter of a million people gathered on the National Mall to demand social justice, fair wages, economic opportunities, and an end to racial segregation.”[2] The speech is famed for its demand to end racial discrimination and for King’s vision of a more inclusive, impartial, and harmonious country.
Grasping the significance of Dr. King’s speech requires an understanding of the 1950s and 1960s in America. It was an era when African Americans faced structured oppression, such as Jim Crow laws, which enforced racial separation and denied basic civil liberties to African Americans. A combination of factors, including these types of laws, was a catalyst for the civil rights movement. It was a public and societal movement intended to end racial segregation and bias, specifically in the southern states. The speech was conveyed with the larger context of the struggle for civil rights. In fact, David Smith claims that“It is widely credited with pressuring the John F Kennedy administration to act on civil rights, ultimately leading to the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.”2 This period saw many protests and significant legal changes, including the Supreme Court case ruling Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954, which announced that state laws establishing different public schools for colored and white students were unconstitutional. King conveyed his speech during a pivotal time in this movement, as civil rights activists demanded equal rights, an end to segregation, and an end to discrimination in housing, education, and work.
The address created this sense of power through anaphoras and repetition. An anaphora is a figure of speech where there is a phrase that starts a sentence and does so repeatedly for many sentences. Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech displayed mastery of rhetoric which had a memorable effect on the audience. According to George Gopen, “’ I have a dream’ [is a form] of anaphora. In the speech, he uses it eight times. It became a form of cheerleading”[3] In fact, the movement as a whole can be attributed to the careful word choices made by Dr. King. His reiteration of “I have a dream” is rhythmic in his address and develops inspiration. Moreover, It evokes a depiction of a more equal and harmonious future. He also used the Emancipation Proclamation’s 100-year-old anniversary as a symbolic anaphora. According to George Gopen, Dr. King uses “‘100 years later’ [which] emphasizes in its repetition just how long a period has passed without true freedom having materialized”[4] The decision to use the Lincoln Memorial as the setting was deliberate, representing a call to fulfill promises born from the Emancipation Proclamation and the principles of American democracy. Gopen claims that “King gave this speech at the right place (in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial), at the right time (100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation), and at a moment of great racial intensity in our history.”4 King’s mentions of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence also highlighted the contradiction between the nation’s founding principles and ongoing racial discrimination.
Dr. King’s appeal for nonviolence and civil disobedience was a strategic decision, as it highlighted the moral righteousness of the civil rights movement while revealing the flaws of those who opposed it. Gopen underscores that he even structured his speech rhetorically “urging all of his race not to lose control but to remain nonviolent.”4 This plan attracted global and nationwide backing for the movement, making it difficult for the government to disregard the demands for racial equality.
Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech profoundly impacted the course of American history and shows how significant one’s speaking ability could leave a memorable mark. People today still find motivation in King’s message of equality, fairness, and unity. This memorable speech strengthened the fight against prejudice and served as a reminder of how vital preserving King’s vision of racial harmony remains.
[1] Mika Edmonson. “Reclaiming the ‘Dream’: After 60 Years of Co-Opting Martin Luther King
Jr’s Speech, We Need to Reexamine His Message.” Christianity Today
[2] David Smith. “‘I Witnessed the Best of America’: Remembering the March on Washington 60
Years On.” The Guardian
[3] George D. Gopen, “The Rhetorical Reasons Why Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream”
Speech Is One of the Greatest 20th Century American Oratorical Gems,” Litigation 48, 4 (Summer 2022): 12-14
[4] Ibid