MLK Analysis

In Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream...” speech, King adequately uses metaphors to enhance readers’ knowledge and understanding about the fight for equality. For instance, in the speech King states, “This momentous decree is a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of wondering injustice.” This metaphor allows the audience to further understand how severe the treatment of African slaves were. King also exemplifies the use of metaphors by stating, “... a lonely island of poverty...”. King uses this metaphor to compare Negro lives as a lonely island of poverty surrounded you a vast ocean of material prosperity, which is in reference to white supremacy.

   King also used allusion in his speech to efficiently reference to historical times and allows the audience to become familiar with the point he is trying to make. He starts off by alluding to the Emancipation Proclamation. By doing this King, provides Abraham Lincoln with credibility for helping free the slaves. Furthermore, King also refer to the Declaration of Independence to familiarize his audience with historical documentation of a promise of equal treatment that had not been fulfilled.

    In addition too metaphors and allusions, Kings also uses repetition to grasp his audiences’ attention and accentuate his purpose. For instance, he continually states, “One hundred years later...”, “One hundred years later...”, “One hundred years later...” to emphasize the then present times were as bad as they were before the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Using repetition in this sense was to draw the audience in to agree that it was time for change. King also used “I have a dream...”, “I have a dream...”, “I have a dream...” to solidify his purpose of equality. He appeals to there emotions in order to make his dream a reality.