I Have a Dream

The targeted audience of activist Martin Luther King’s speech, “I have a dream”, can be identified as the American citizens gathered at the event where the speech was delivered, while the purpose of his delivery was to emphasize the idea of implementing civil rights towards African Americans. Through the use of the personal pronouns, “we,” “you” and “I”, King guides his audience to include all of the American citizens. This inclusive language, used in his speech, is then amplified by the historical context in which it is placed in, that is, the civil rights movement that was occurring. This then contributes to Kings targeted audience as it incorporates the people involved with the movement. Additionally, the purpose of conveying this speech, as mentioned above, was to advocate for the African American community and to raise awareness for the injustices that these people faced.  By expressing his ideas for the end of segregation and racism, King utilizes the historical setting of American independence to support his cause.  Mimicking Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address, King commences his opening statement with, “Five score years ago…,” Moreover, through the use of allusions, King references the Declaration of Independence, suggesting that the purpose of his discourse is to bring awareness to the civil rights movement as a continuum of American independence and inequality and to persuade his audience to align with him. This undoubtedly relates to the motive of persuasion, as he even claims, “And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back,” which suggests to the audience that they must endure the struggles and not quit the fight for equality.

The various use of stylistic features, such as rhetoric and figurative language, coupled with the structure of king’s speech is called into account by the historical context placed on it.  Divided into sections, king’s overarching use of rhetoric in this persuasive speech is emphasized by the mention of African American slavery.  The use of a hypophora in the speech, when king asks “When will you be satisfied?” along with his response that no one would be “as long as the Negro is the victim,” is one of the multiple uses of rhetoric found throughout this speech. Additionally, through the utilization of an anaphora, where King repeats the phrase, I have a dream that…,” the historical setting of America at that time augmented his speech. Referencing to the states Mississippi and Alabama, where a high prevalence of slavery occurred could have the impact of correlating to the rhetorical approach of his delivery. King, furthermore, employs parallel structure, such as, “We will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together,” which aids in unifying his ideas and emphasizing the importance of what he is saying. Moreover, the excessive use of metaphors, at the beginning of the text, raises questions to the audience as to whether their “unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness will ever be achieved”.  Here, the figurative language of an allusion, which references to the constitution, stresses the importance of the civil rights, thus relaying his message.