"I Have a Dream" - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Flashcards about the Literature of Civil Rights and Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech.

Civil Rights Movement Literature

Literature that arose from the civil rights movement and led to widespread social reforms in the 1960s.

Essential Question of the Unit

How can words inspire change?

Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968)

A prominent leader of the African American civil rights movement known for his dedication to nonviolent resistance.

Speeches as Literature

Speeches are more fluid than most nonfiction because speakers react to unspoken signals and adjust accordingly.

Emancipation Proclamation

Signed by Abraham Lincoln, it ended slavery only in the Southern states that had seceded from the United States; the first step to legal freedom for African Americans.

Metaphor

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase for one thing is used to refer to another thing in order to show or suggest they are similar e.g., 'lonely island' for social isolation.

Rhetorical Devices

Techniques used in speeches to create emphasis, emotion, and clarity (e.g., charged language, repetition, parallelism, analogy).

Analogy

Drawing a comparison that shows a similarity between two unlike things

America's Ideals vs. Reality (in King's Speech)

King develops this theme by comparing the U.S. Constitution to a check, suggesting America has given African Americans a 'bad check' marked 'insufficient funds' regarding their rights.

Urgency of Now

King emphasizes the immediate need for change, rejecting gradualism and urging action to realize the promises of democracy and racial justice.

King's Vision of the Future

A future where freedom, justice, and equality are established, contrasting the present's injustice and suffering.

Call for Nonviolent Resistance

King urges his followers to avoid bitterness and hatred, conducting their struggle with dignity and meeting physical force with soul force.

Interconnectedness of Freedom

King emphasizes that the destiny and freedom of white people are inextricably bound to the destiny and freedom of African Americans.

Unsatisfactory Conditions

King lists conditions that must be changed before African Americans can be satisfied, describing horrors of police brutality, travel fatigue, ghettoization, and denial of basic rights.

Dream Rooted in the American Dream

King expresses his dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed that all men are created equal.

King's Dream for Children

His four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

Vision of Brotherhood

Little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

Harmony and Integration

King envisions America as a great orchestra and chorus who should be able to create beautiful, harmonious music.

Persuasive Speaking

Presenting information and supporting evidence to convince listeners to think or act in a certain way, using charged language and rhetorical devices.

Purpose of King's Speech

To persuade listeners to help fight for the rights of African Americans in the United States so they can experience the liberties outlined in the Constitution.