I Have a Dream: Final Review Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards for reviewing Dr. King's 'I Have a Dream' speech.

Ethos

An appeal to ethics; convincing someone of the character or credibility of the persuader.

Pathos

An appeal to emotion; convincing an audience by creating an emotional response.

Logos

An appeal to logic or reason; persuading an audience by use of reasoning.

Repetition and Parallelism

Used in King's speech to build rhythm, emphasis, reinforce his vision and hope, build emotional momentum and unite listeners across racial and regional divides.

Extended Metaphor of the Check

King compares the promises of equality and justice to a promissory note—a check that America has failed to honor for Black citizens.

Insufficient Funds

In King's extended metaphor of the check, this phrase represents the denial of civil rights to Black citizens.

Imagery

King draws vivid contrasts, such as 'lonely island of poverty' vs. 'ocean of material prosperity' and 'quicksands of racial injustice' vs. 'solid rock of brotherhood'.

Allusion

King makes Biblical allusions, such as Isaiah 40:4–5 and Negro spirituals like 'Free at last!' to connect civil rights to sacred moral authority.

Tone and Urgency

King’s tone moves from solemn to visionary, emphasizing immediate action with the phrase 'Fierce urgency of now'.

Gradualism

King rejects gradualism, stating, 'This is no time to…take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism,' demanding immediate justice.

Rhetorical Event

'I Have a Dream' is not just a speech—it is a rhetorical event, where words act as instruments of moral clarity and social transformation.