Wilmer Zambrana

Autumn, 2018
American Studies.

Implications beyond his

words

Candidate number: 221848

Name: Wilmer Franklin Zambrana Guadamuz
Subject code: ENG105C-1 18H
Subject name: American Studies 
Semester: 1st semester
Task: Final Essay Version

USN– Implications beyond his words

Wilmer Zambrana
Autumn, 2018
American Studies.

ESSAY OUTLINE - Implications beyond his words

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I have dream” speech is said to have been so influential because it appealed to very basic
American values. What are the dominant American values referred to in the speech? Analyze the speech in terms of
unifying rhetorical devices, including both the use of pronouns and references to history and values.

I. Introduction

⮚ Title: Implications beyond his words

⮚ Hook: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive
out hate; only love can do that” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

⮚ Background:
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech is considered one of the most iconic and inspirational
event in American history and it is still highlighted as a heritage in American culture
since it defined values for our society.

⮚ Thesis statement:
In Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech there are several rhetorical devices presented. This
essay will offer an explanation about how these linguistic tools refer to American
historical events and values.

II. Body

⮚ Topic Sentence 1:
King links his words with historical events in America by making references
using phrases.

⮚ Topic Sentence 2:
Rhetorical devices are also copious in the “I Have A Dream” speech. The most
noticeable rhetorical devices found in king`s speech are anaphora, metaphors,
Simile and hyperbole.

⮚ Topic Sentence 3:
“I have a dream” is a penetrating speech which esteems traditional American
values.

III. Conclusion:

⮚ Summary:
This essay has discussed and analyzed the implications of Martin Luther King in
regards to historical events, rhetorical devices employed and American values
referred through the “I have a dream” speech.

⮚ Opinion/Suggestions:

USN– Implications beyond his words

Wilmer Zambrana
Autumn, 2018
American Studies.

In my opinion this speech would have not been so successful if Martin Luther
King had not enriched it with rhetorical devices such metaphor, simile,
anaphora, and hyperbole, which make the audience feel part of it.

Implications beyond his words

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive
out hate; only love can do that” ˗Martin Luther King, Jr. In our society, we
continuously encounter withering comments or scenarios which make us meditate and
try to transmute our demeanor to have a more humanistic life; the goal of many leading
figures in the past. By way of illustration, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech is
considered one of the most iconic and inspirational events in American history and it is
still highlighted as a heritage in American culture since it defined values for our society.
Having given his famous speech “I have a dream” in 1963, King brought a widely
acclaimed equality to America and ensured civil rights for all people regardless of race
and he made great progress in American society because of his commitment to peace
and non-violence on behalf of civil rights. He started his speech by singling out that
even though slavery had ended up a hundred year ago, African Americans were still
being mistreated and oppressed and he argued that there will be not tranquility in
America until the Negro was granted his citizenship rights. In Martin Luther King, Jr.’s
speech there are several rhetorical devices presented. This essay will offer an
explanation about how these linguistic tools refer to American historical events and
values.

Since the very beginning of his speech, King links his words with historical
events in America by using phrases. The expression “Five core years ago a great
American in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation
Proclamation” refers to Lincoln’s Memorial who on January 1st 1863, a hundred year
before his speech, issued the final Emancipation Proclamation, which ordered the
freedom of all slaves in ten states and then he pushed for an antislavery amendment to
the U.S. Constitution to ensure its permanence (History, 2018). Furthermore, he then
contextualizes that event to the current situation in that period by using the phrase “One
hundred years later” several times to describe the same oppression and indicating that

USN– Implications beyond his words

Wilmer Zambrana
Autumn, 2018
American Studies.

there has been a long time these African-Americans aspiring for the freedom and equal
rights without any discrimination based on color and creed. (Muhammad Aslam Sipra,
2013). Another historical event King refers to is about the constitution and declaration
of independence. In the third paragraph, King states: “when the architects of our
Republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of
Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall
heir.” The Declaration of Independence, which he quoted directly from, was considered
a promissory note that the United States would ultimately guarantee for all people. This
historical event is recalled once again when King says: “I still have a dream. It is a
dream deeply rooted in the American dream”. His words were rooted in the second
paragraph of the Declaration of Independence that claims that no man by nature is ruler
or the servant of another. It’s a great statement about what it means to be an American.
(Coulter, 2013). A final historical event is mentioned in King's speech is about
Governor George Wallace. Martin Luther King described him as perhaps the most
dangerous racist in America since he wanted to prevent integration of African American
and white students. King referred to Alabama's "vicious racists" and then said the
governor's lips were "dripping” with segregationist rhetoric.

Rhetorical devices are also copious in the “I have a dream” speech. A rhetorical
device is defined as a linguistic tool that employs a particular type of sentence structure,
sound, or pattern of meaning in order to invoke a particular reaction from an audience
(Somers, 2018). The most noticeable rhetorical devices found in king's speech are
anaphora, metaphors, Simile and hyperbole. King used a Metaphor when he says: “In a
sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check”. The expression has the basic
concept of money and the frustration of receiving a bad check which king was referring
to a broken promise and he also uses Personification when he refers to American society
as a person who has done African-Americans wrong by stating: “America has given the
Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds”.
He believes that people who are fighting for civil rights aren’t fighting a person, but
rather a system.  In addition, King also uses Anaphora by repeating words or phrases at
the beginning of successive clauses such as: “One hundred years later” mentioned four
times in the second paragraph and “Now is the time…” mentioned 4 times in the fourth
paragraph.  King emphasizes his point in the reader’s mind as well as impressing on the
audience when saying “we can never be satisfied… we are not satisfied… we will not

USN– Implications beyond his words

Wilmer Zambrana
Autumn, 2018
American Studies.

be satisfied” as an expression of injustice suffered by African-Americans. And of

course, the famous phrase “I have a dream” being stated several times is used to refers
King's wish to see a new America, an America free from racial injustice and cruelty
(Lee, 2012). Other rhetorical devices used in King's speech are Simile, a comparison
showing similarities and Hyperbole, an exaggerated statement. Examples of Simile in
his speech are presented when he writes that the Emancipation Proclamation became
“as a joyous daybreak” to the black slaves to end the “long night of their
captivity.” referring to how the Emancipation Proclamation was a great “beacon of
hope” to the slaves and how they rejoiced when they received the news. Other Similes
are: “justice rolls down like waters” and “righteousness like a mighty stream.”  In this
simile King strives for sweeping away injustice and racism. Moreover, this famous
speech contains hyperbole when he says: "I have a dream that one day every valley
shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will
be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight." He wanted to emphasize
the fact that he can see a new America, an America free from racial injustice and
cruelty. This hyperbole is also a reference found in the bible in Isaiah 40:4-5. King
thought his dream of social justice and racial equality was in harmony with God’s
dream, and that God's dream will surely be realized. (White, nd). Generally, these forms
of language strategies were meaningful in his speech because they created a greater
picture and encouraged the audience to fight for their rights.

“I have a dream” is a penetrating speech which esteems traditional American

values. There are some outstanding values that the king pursues: equality and
independence. One of the main values described in his speech is the fight against
inequality. When saying “I have a dream,” King was showing that he wanted to change
inequality between Whites and Blacks since by that time black people did not have the
same rights. For instance, Rosa Parks was put in handcuffs and arrested when she
refused to give her seat on a Montgomery bus to a white man in 1955. That event had
major ramifications on bus boycotts by a black population. (BBC History Magazine ,
2018). According to Robin Stern the cry for equality wrapped in a moral vision for all
and was spoken with an intensity that remains forever emblazoned in the minds of
Americans (Stern, 2014). Therefore, King emphasized the existing problem in America
and called upon all citizens to enact change and correct these injustices. He used the
opportunity to inspire Americans to work for a fair and equal society for all people.

USN– Implications beyond his words

Wilmer Zambrana
Autumn, 2018
American Studies.

Moreover, when saying “Let freedom ring,” King was showing that freedom was indeed
a possibility. Another main value described in his speech is the fight for independence.
The word independence could be applied to the blacks in America. King wanted
independence when he says: “…we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not
free.” He was saying that even though America is supposed to be a free and
independent country, African Americans were really not free and treated equally and,
instead, they had to live a hard life full of segregation and discrimination. Although
King points out the unequal treatment of black Americans, in his speech he appeals to
several values such as unity, humanity, justice, and integration. It is evident his desires
for unifying both races when he says: “Little black boys and black girls will be able to
join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and
brothers” referring to turned hatred to hope to recreate things, living in a world full of
love that relies on the unification of many different personalities. 

In general, this essay has discussed and analyzed the implications of Martin
Luther King in regards to historical events, rhetorical devices employed and American
values referred through the “I have a dream” speech. Martin Luther King reminded us
our values, which were proclaimed by another outstanding person – President Lincoln at
his Gettysburg Address.  Overall, the main objectives of this speech were to persuade
people that it was possible to live together peacefully as a family and friends, to
demonstrate cruelties against color people and from different religious and to put the
idea of freedom, equality and a future with no segregation and discrimination in
people's mind. In my opinion this speech would have not been so successful if Martin
Luther King had not enriched it with rhetorical devices such metaphor, simile,
anaphora, and hyperbole, which make the audience feel part of it. He proved to us that
he is not only a great orator but an inspirational figure who is passionate about what he
believes in.

USN– Implications beyond his words

Wilmer Zambrana
Autumn, 2018
American Studies.

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USN– Implications beyond his words

Wilmer Zambrana
Autumn, 2018
American Studies.

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USN– Implications beyond his words