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Speech Analysis

Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech ‘I have a dream’ is one of the greatest speeches in history. The speech uses language and style that made it have so much impact. He used metaphors in his speech to highlight the contrasting concepts. The use of metaphors allows the speaker to associate with the speech concept with concrete images and emotions. The metaphors are used in contrasting between two concepts that are abstract for example, in contrasting segregation form the racial justice, Martin Luther uses the metaphor of a dark and desolate valley and sunlit path to evoke contrast between segregation and racial justice.

King also uses allusion in his speech. Evoking historical and literary references in a speech is a powerful technique that can be executed both implicitly and explicitly. Through allusion, the speech provides the required credibility of the arguments through reference to the appropriate words of credibility from the speaker. King also used repetition in his speech and this ensured emphasis calling people to action and this can be attributed to the strength of the speech.

Another strength is that his call to action was clear and compelling telling the audience that if they did not act, then there would be consequences of inaction. At the end of the speech, he ends with a hopeful note, promising the audience of a better tomorrow. To connect with his audience, King used repletion and emphasized on the issues affecting the people such as segregation appealing to the emotions of the audience. I think the reason as to why King’s speech was so powerful is due to his use of facts and his ability to connect to the people based on their needs.

Works Cited

King, Martin Luther. I have a dream. Edizioni Mondadori, 2015.