FREE ESSAY ON MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

Has Anything Changed?
In his world-renowned speech, "I Have A Dream," Martin Luther King Jr. describes his
reflection of present-day America and his hopes of the future by dramatizing the
disgraceful situation in which America is consumed. In 1963, when this speech was being
given to the 200, 000 demonstrators that crowded Washington, D.C., racism was very high,
despite the Emancipation Proclamation that had been signed one hundred years earlier. His
essay was a major milestone in American history, and serves as a cornerstone to the
beginning of equality in America. King's proposal to the American people of the 1960's is
one of many strong rhetorical strategies used, defined and well rounded by the frequent
use of imagery and comparing and contrasting past, present, and future America. 
Even today, King's speech, although originally aimed at demonstrators during the equal
rights movement, affects American beliefs about and attitudes toward a more equal
society: "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.'" His persuasive argument is saturated with dramatic words and optimism, and
provides enthusiasm and inspiration in hopes to repair the wrongdoings of the nation for
the future.
In order to enhance people's views on the political struggles of the nation, King uses
imagery in his work to provide his audience with a more vivid impression: "this momentous
decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been
seared in the flames of withering injustice." He manipulates his words in order to
influence people's views on the topic at hand. His attitude towards the persecution and
discrimination of African Americans across the nation is clearly seen through his
expressions in this essay: "Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom
left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police
brutality." If this passage had been written any less dramatically, its effect on his
audience would certainly not have been as meaningful.
Besides imagery, King's proposals serve as another very strong rhetorical strategy. He
encourages other African Americans not to "be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek
to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We
must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must
not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we
must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force."
King persuades African Americans to struggle against the wrongdoings of society without
the promotion of physical violence. His tactful means of fighting back is also brought by
the question of how far they will take this struggle: "We cannot walk alone. And as we
walk we must make the pledge that we shall always 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 the unspeakable horrors of
police brutality." King encourages his followers to stay strong in this time of strife
and until blacks and whites can live together in peace.
One of the most important, yet not as obvious, rhetorical strategies employed in Martin
Luther King's speech is the comparing and contrasting of past, present, and future
America to show change in society. In one case, it reveals the lack of change America has
gone through since its childhood years, as far as equal rights are concerned: "Five score
years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the
Emancipation Proclamation...It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their
captivity. But one hundred years later, the Negro is not free." By comparing what was
thought to be America's future with present-day America, it is seen that times have not
changed according to what was expected. Although all whites were stereotypically seen as
racist 37 years ago, King shows that not all white men were racist by comparing them with
the many white people that had attended his speech in 1963: "And the marvelous new
militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all
white people; for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today,
have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with out destiny, and they have come
to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom." While some white
people are racist, others are also joining us to fight for freedom. 
In his speech, "I Have a Dream," Martin Luther King Jr. proposes a difficult task to
African Americans across the nation by presenting stunning imagery and comparing and
contrasting problems in society. King encourages African Americans to fight for equal
rights until they are "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!'"