Assignment task:
Speaking from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered one of the most famous speeches of all time. His "I Have a Dream" speech was delivered during the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, whose 200,000 to 300,000 participants constituted one of the largest rallies for civil and economic rights in the history of the United States. The speech is almost unanimously regarded as one of the most stylistically savvy and eloquent in the history of oratory because of its skillful use of metaphor, repetition, and inclusive language.
To better understand how style relates to one's message, find a transcript of the speech online and attempt to answer the following questions:
1. What is the purpose of King's speech?
2. What is King's thesis, and what are his main points?
3. Is King's speech formal, informal, or both? How can you tell?
4. What concrete imagery does King use in the speech? How does vivid language relate to this imagery?
5. Identify the ways in which King establishes a sense of rhythm with repetition. What other devices does King use to impart a sense of melody and rhythm?
6. What metaphors does King use? Does he use irony?
7. Does King's speech betray bias? Sexist language? If so, is this appropriate, and why? If not, how does King avoid biased language?