Indledning
The civil rights movement did not appear from nothing. In 1835 the American civil War ended, and this effectively meant the end of slavery.
But, African American were in for a long struggle before they were finally rewarded equal rights. The lives of African Americans slowly improved, and as of 1870 all eligible men were finally able to vote.
Although many southern states applied the ‘separate but equal’ mentality to all aspects of life. This meant, that all public transport, schools, water fountains etc. would be segregated by race.
During this revolutionary period, many important characters either told their stories, or held speeches. In particular, Martin Luther King JR. was known for his “I have a dream” speech.
The speech was held in Washington D.C. in connection with the “March for Washington for jobs and freedom”.
It was delivered to more than 250.000 civil rights supporters, and it was a defining moment of the Civil Rights Movement.
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Uddrag
Martin Luther King uses several rhetorical devices to convey his point and to convince the audience.
Firstly, the anaphoric repetition is often used. The repetition emphasizes his point, and makes it sound more powerful.
The famous quote “ I have a dream ” is a very powerful phrase, and when repeated several times in different contexts, it adds meaning and strengthens coherence.
In the very beginning of the speech, Martin Luther King uses another anaphoric repetition; “But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free”, he repeats “One hundred” four times.
Here he refers to Abraham Lincoln and the emancipation proclamation, which was made one hundred years earlier.
With this repetition, Martin Luther King emphasizes the importance of Lincolns acts, but also that the negros are still being suppressed.
The anaphoric repetition is often used in speeches in order to engage, inspire and motivate. Martin Luther King definitely succeeds with that, using these phrases.
Likewise, the use of metaphor has the effect of giving the audience the ability of creating their own imagery.
When Martin Luther King says “ Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred”, it allows the listener to use their imagination.
With this metaphor Martin Luther King wants to create the image of the cup of bitterness and hatred.
A strong message saying that we must achieve freedom with creative protest, not hatred: “ We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence”.
This also relates to the main theme of his speech, which is that the approach of this protest shouldn’t be violent. They have had enough of violence.
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