Martin Luther King, Jr. - I have a dream speech
Please provide some feedback on your thoughts about MLK's speech, which we saw in class but did not have time to discuss.
Please consider
a) why this speech has become so famous
b) what you noticed about this delivery that was expected or unexpected?
c) what you noticed about the content of his speech (expected or unexpected)?
Context:
King delivered this speech in the middle of the Civil Rights movement on August 28, 1963. This speech was delivered as part of the famous March on Washington, in front of more than 200,000 people who had come to DC from all over the country in the hopes of using non-violent protest as a way to secure civil rights.
Check out how they have outlined the speech here
I had never seen MLK's "I Have a Dream Speech" in its entirety until yesterday's class. Speaking in front of 20,000 people in a location so enriched with history and American ideals, evoking inspiration and hope among the masses would prove to be a very daunting and challenging task. However,upon watching the video, I came to see just how amazing MLK was as public speaker.
ReplyDeleteI think the most significant skill of MLK, that I was oblivious to until now, was his ability to forge a dynamic relationship between the content and delivery. In the content of his speech, MLK includes a pattern and rhythm to his statements. He often repeats certain phrases for emphasis. Examples include "now is the time"- "Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood", "I have a dream" - "I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today", and the famous conclusion in which MLK repeats the phrase "Let Freedom Ring" over ten times.
While such a repetitious pattern adds much emphasis and significance to his points, it is the addition of his rhythmic tone to these phrases that ultimately adds the immense inspiration. When watching the video, one will see how each time MLK says one of these phrases, his tone gets progressively louder and emotional. Such a growth of tone and volume adds a sense of climax and drama to the speech that can only be received as positive hope and inspiration.
On another note,I never really realized how united and peaceful MLK's speech is. Rather than focusing on being the victim or expressing anguish or hostility towards the white race, MLK uses terms such as "white brothers", "brotherhood", "faith", and "friends" so as to create an overall sense of patriotism and peace among the masses.
Just like Farrah, I had not seen Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" Speech in its entirety until yesterday, which is a bit of a shame. Regardless, I enjoyed the speech and I definitely believe that Dr. King applies most, if not all of the tenets of public speaking in his orations and applies them effectively.
ReplyDeleteI think that this speech has become so famous because it carries so much emotional and political baggage with it. What I mean by that is that the speech marked one of the pivotal points in US history for civil rights. Dr. King's message carried such power and I think it has a lot to do with how he delivered it.
As I mentioned before, i believe that the delivery played an integral role in the influence of the speech and why it is regarded as one of the most important speeches in US history. One can see that Dr. King's Baptist Preacher background helped him in his exceptional oratory skills. Dr. King has great command of enunciation, fluency, rate, rhythm, pitch, and gestures. For example, I noticed that Dr. King would take a pause in order to highlight the previous point he mentioned. Never did he sound rushed, he enunciated his words clearly and even alloted certain emphasis on some words to highlight their importance. His facial gestures set the seriousness of the speech.
What surprised me about the speech was that there is much more to the speech than the "I have a dream" segment", but I think this just had to do with the fact that I was only exposed to that small portion in elementary school. Still, I found that the content before that segment to be important. It may have not been as ear-catching as the "i have a dream" portion, but its content was no less valuable. Dr. King implemented the sue of pauses and enunciation and pitch to carry his message in the first portion of his speech, even though the last part is looked at more.
All in all, I can see why Dr. King and his speech will remain in the American psyche for generations to come. in the clip, Dr. King was introduced as the "moral leader" of the nation. And i think this is true. This carried a lot of responsibility, and yet he delivered, and made true on his title.
Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream speech” is without a doubt a pivotal moment in relation to the 1960’s Civil Rights movement. One of the factors that led to this speech being iconic is that MLK’s piece represented how the minorities would start standing up for themselves already and resist all the prejudice against them. To speak in front of hundreds of thousands of people in a place so important is a very tough thing to do. MLK was a very successful leader with all the great qualities that a leader should have, including excellent public speaking skills.
ReplyDeleteMost leaders today are very good at public speaking. Public speaking is an essential tool in actively engaging the people to a leader’s platforms or viewpoints. One of the many reasons as to why this speech has become famous is because it must have touched not only the people that were supporting him but also the people that were against him. He referred to the opposing side as the “white brothers” and “friends” rather than mentioning them as the antagonists. Due to MLK’s position in power as the leader of the African-American Civil Rights movement, his speech has influenced people all of all races nationwide.
MLK’s delivery was so powerful. His whole presence and the way he stood showed firmness. The way he projected his voice even displayed great power. He enunciated the words very well and took pauses, not as a distraction but to separate his previous and following points. He also took necessary pauses to let the audience take in what he had just said. His tone was varying and exhibited his feelings for the certain points he was discussing at that moment. He was also taking his time in speaking. Like what Alex said, he never sounded rushed throughout the speech.
The content of the speech is expected. MLK’s “I have a dream speech” revealed what the minorities felt and hoped for. His speech contained very strong and emotional points, which I think contributed greatly to the speaker, as well as the piece’s effectiveness.
Although I had already seen the "I have a dream" speech, re-watching it in class on Thursday gave me the opportunity to pay attention to the delivery of the speech and really grasp how great of a public speaker MLK was.
ReplyDeleteI think that this speech reamins a prominent part of history not only because of the political and pivotal role it played in the civil rights movement, but also because of the actual power of the speech. Not only did the content provoke a great change in society, MLK's delivery and skill as a public speaker made the speech iconic. In addition, the amount of people that were live at the speech to see MLK was outstanding, making it a un-forgettable part of history.
MLK employed a variety of different techniques in his "I have a dream" speech that made grabbed the attention of the audience and made it emotional and memorable. First, he had a slow and paced tone and placed emphasis on certain key words and phrases that placed importance on his main points. Through pauses and changes in pitch, MLK's speech was made more effective. In addition, like Farah said, MLK used repetition throughout the speech. Phrases such as, "now is the time", "I have a dream", and "let freedom ring" add significance to MLK's speech and emphasis onto his main ideas of freedom and equality. Furthermore, I think that these key phrases that are repeated throughout the speech have grown to become famous and iconic.
I believe that not only was the actual delivery of the speech great and attention grabbing, but the actual content and the message being portrayed was magnificent. When listening to the speech I think that it flows very well. I think that the speech can be so entrancing that it is difficult to pay attention to the organization, but when I went back later to look at how it was outlined, it is clear that the speech moves in a natural way following a problem/solution type speech. I think that most shocking thing about the speech that continues to amaze me is that MLK remains peaceful throughout the speech and never places blame in a hateful way. He instead puts more emphasis on change, rather than dwelling on the past.
I have never seen the entire speech prior to class on Thursday. But after seeing it I was truly inspired on how powerful of a speaking Martin Luther King's speech was delivered as well as the content. I believe that this speech as become so famous for several reasons. First being that so many people attended to support such a powerful cause, which was not as common as it is today. Also, it was because Martin Luther King was very specific in who we was speaking to and what he spoke about. This caused the crowd to be very involved and find the speech personally relevant. With such a large crowd and so many people finding this so personally relevant, it made for a unique speech.
ReplyDeleteThere were a few expected and un expected things Martin Luther Kind did during his speech. I expected the repetition of certain phrases and words because those are very famous and I already knew of them. But he unexpectedly spoke about some religious affiliations, which for the time period makes sense. He was also very in tune with his rhythm, tone, and pauses. He used them very well for dramatic effects. When it came to the content of his speech, I was pleasantly surprised to see he included many factual comments and well as motivational ones. The parts of his speech that I was familiar with were mainly motivational one, therefore it was unexpected to hear how many factual points were also included in the speech. Overall, Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech was very powerful and inspirational. It moved many people that were not just of the same race as him, but of many different races. The speech will forever be a famous and important part of history due to Martin Luther King's impeccable speaking skills and creative organization.
Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech will always go down in history as being a pivotal moment for not only his message, about the hopes and desires of equality, but for his presentation as well. After taking this class and realizing how terrifying and difficult public speaking can truly be, I had even more respect for MLK's speech while evaluating his speaking presentation and style. His use of alliteration was amazing, and really emphasized his point to the audience. His use of "I have a Dream" and "we cannot be satisfied" really got his point across to his audience- which I was surprised (and pleased) to see was a very mixed combination of blacks and whites as well. MLK kept steady eye contact it seemed with the whole audience- he kept a steady pitch throughout, with clear enunciation, speaking at a slow rate. MLK's speech progressed at a slow rate, so that each of his words was really made clear for all to hear; this was key because his message itself was so extremely important. This speech will be remembered throughout history not only because of its content, but the effectiveness that King presented the message with. His diction was exceedingly well-chosen, and his point could not have been more clear. He took pauses in all of the right places for dramatic effect, and his audience not only at the actual monument in D.C., but the rest of the country, could tell the importance of his message.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have seen this speech before, I appreciated it so much more not only being of age to truly understand the content, but after taking this class and learning how hard it is to really give a good speech. This was a great thing to show especially after learning about the Key Aspects of Delivery. MLK's speech was a vivid example of all of the things we learned about: rate, pause and effect, rhythm, alliteration, pitch, volume/projection, enunciation, fluency, eye contact and gestures. His facial expressions were appropriate and serious for the nature of the speech, and his gestures were very minimal and simple. This speech was perfectly practiced and while he may have memorized a lot of it, it seemed natural and from the heart. This speech will forever be important in history, especially because of his presentation and the effectiveness of the speech. His audience seemed to be completely absorbed in his message and moved by his speech, naturally. I am glad that we had an opportunity to see this in class.
I had never visually seen Martin Luther King's speech until class on Thursday but rather heard it orally. Viewing the speech not only solidified the power of Martin Luther King's voice but also added new aspects of delivery that I was unable to notice while only listening to the audio version.
ReplyDeleteMartin Luther King's stance and presence alone completely commands the audience’s attention. His command was displayed in the panning of numerous faces during the speech as every human being felt a connection with him while he was talking. His pauses particularly created this connection, as if he was talking with reflection and personal care in every word. The pauses had the listeners hanging on each line of the speech.
Secondly, his repetition and alliteration only further enforced each and every point. The speech is most popular for the "I have a dream" repetition but numerous other statements were repeated that added great depth and character to the speech. It was wonderful to hear him outline his dreams, goals, and message in a flow that moved into many areas but still was direct and completely understandable to the masses.
Within his speech he also used many analogies and metaphors, which only strengthened his credibility of a speaker as well as the audience relevance link. He knew exactly what message he wanted to portray and by relating the injustice to a “debt” that needs to be repaid the whole audience connected.
What is interesting about this speech I find is the medias fascination and somewhat fixation on the “I have a dream section” but rather ignorance or less praise for other sections. The speech has so many wonderful quotes, lines, and concepts and although “I have a dream” may be the strongest in audience’s opinions, many other ideas can and also should be pulled from this speech.
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech was the different pitches in his voice, the power and conviction in his voice and the impact of alliteration and pauses used during his speech. Although the content of King's speech made his speech historic, I believe that it was his delivery that made the speech so inspiring and memorable. I though it was interesting how King linked his speech to the audience by naming out racism in individual states. It made me feel like together the United States as a whole needs to work together to combat racism. I was not surprised that King alluded to biblical references because he was a sermon.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of King's speech, all I can think about is the outstanding delivery. His voice sounded so powerful and credible. He emphasized words and phrases to seem more meaningful. His use of repetition, for example, "let freedom ring from the ...." made the content and main point of the speech unforgettable. If someone in the audience was not paying attention to his speech, I believe they would still know that freedom was the the main topic of the speech by King's use of repetition. I think students of all ages think about the phrases "let freedom ring" or "i have a dream" when they hear about Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous speech.
The duration of King's speech was the perfect amount of time. It was not too long or not too short, but managed to get to the point with unnecessary stories. The words were easy to understand, but also inspiring. The simplicity of the message, repetition of phrases and delivery are the qualities that have made King's speech so iconic.
Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech was a defining moment for the 1960s civil rights movement. His speech is famous because his words honored and gave strength to the civil rights movement. Although he spoke live in front of more than 200,000 audience members, the entire nation watched, and his words continues to inspire us decades later as we continue to face inequality in America today.
ReplyDeleteI have only heard Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech, I had never seen him present it before his audience. For me one of the most powerful influencers of his delivery was the speech location; Dr. King presented his speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial standing in the symbolic shadow of the statue of Abraham Lincoln, the president who signed the Emancipation Proclamation of African American slaves. This acted as a constant reminder that in our "free" country, there is so much progress to be made in order to assure true equality.
When it came to Dr. King's delivery, one thing I noticed is that he did not use body gestures just facial gestures. At first I was surprised because most effective speakers utilize some form of gestures to make an emphasis during their speeches. However, I realized that he was talking at a podium and had several microphones in front of him, which most likely prevented him from using large movements and gestures. Furthermore, since this was my first time viewing the speech I was surprised that he spoke in the manuscript style. I always imagined him presenting an impromptu or at least memorized speech when picturing his delivery. However, since this was such a monumental moment, it makes sense that he used a manuscript style in order to ensure the exact wording of his speech came out the way he meant it to.
Furthermore, he spoke in a very consistent speed and serious tone at the beginning of his speech because he was providing information to a large audience in order to make sure that they understood and followed what he was saying. His use of repetition allowed him to have the perfect pause and effect moments, which stressed exactly the messages he felt important. Finally, when it came closer to the end of his speech, he changes quickened his pace and tone a little in order to emphasize his dreams and the actions he wanted his audience to take away from his speech.
The content or wording of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech has made it as memorable and inspirational as it is today. Martin Luther King Jr.’s use of metaphors, symbolism, historical references, and especially his use of repetition have made it successfully stick in people’s minds and have also motivated people to take action. One of my favorite examples is when Dr. King says: “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. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Later on he states that “It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned.” He then repeats the action he wants American’s to take. “Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.” These beautifully crafted sentences are just a few examples of why Dr. King's speech continues to be quoted and referenced over and over again. Ultimately his content and delivery had the ability to inform, empower, and inspire people to see the injustice of inequality in a nation built on freedom and equality and continues to do so today.
Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech, I think, is one of the most important and powerful speeches in this country's history for a number of reasons. For one, this speech was delivered at the height of the Civil Rights Movement in 1963; tensions were extremely high and people all over the country were looking for any sign of hope or progress in the fight for justice. What makes this speech so powerful is both the historical context and the delivery. At the time, there were only a handful of African American political leaders who were at the forefront of the struggle for equality and justice for all races. Yet, no one else spoke out and defended peaceful civil rights for African Americans in the 1960s more than Martin Luther King. "I Have A Dream" not only set the tone for the development of the civil rights movement, but provided a raw, emotional account of real-life events that many people would be able to relate to even decades after.
ReplyDeleteFor me, what makes MLK's delivery so powerful and resonating is his usage of his own voice and tone inflection throughout the speech. Surely, his background as a Baptist preacher helped carry out this delivery. MLK seemed to be very sure of his voice, evident in his emphasis on his voice projection on strong statements like "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." Because of his previous experience as a speaker, MLK knew exactly when to place pauses and pitch for added effects throughout the speech.
I appreciated MLK's choice to repeat and over-emphasize certain phrases, because it helped the audience remember the most powerful statements and gives a feeling of hope and inspiration.
Like many of my classmates, this was the first time I watched Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech all the way through. Most of us only know the “I have a dream” snippets. We can even quote them because they are so famous. By watching the speech in its entirety, I not only had the chance to appreciate the full context of those lines, but I understand why those lines in particular are the ones we memorialize and remember so many years later. I got chills when he said, “even though we face difficulties of the today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.” This moment was the turning point in his speech, the climax, in which he became even more passionate and hopeful. The rhythm of his words was natural and flowing. It was obvious he did not need to look down and read his manuscript because these were the lines he knew by heart. So as an audience, we remember these words too, even years later.
ReplyDeleteBy watching this speech, it really highlighted for me the delivery differences between a manuscript mode and extemporaneous one. Although, I don't expect him to memorize his entire speech, it was surprising to see that he needed to refer to his script at times, reciting lines with his head completely down. Since Martin Luther King was delivering from a manuscript, he didn’t sound like he was speaking in an everyday conversation, something we try to strive for in our extemporaneous delivery in class. But the occasion was so much grander, that a conversational tone would not be fitting. And even though he did look down at times, it did not bother me. He could get away with it because he words were so eloquent and perfectly arranged. He could use these powerful metaphors like “the manacles of segregation,” “chains of discrimination,” and the “lonely island of poverty,” and use them to capture passion and pathos. I feel like if I tried to employ those types of planned metaphors in my speeches in class, it would sound completely contrived and unnatural. It just wouldn’t work.
In addition, like many of my classmates noticed, Martin Luther King effectively used volume, repetition, rhythms, and pauses. I saw that the tone of his sentences was shaped in an arc. The tone always rose and fell in a pattern and rhythm, ending on a downward inflection. What stood out to me the most was his manipulation of his words’ duration. He would prolong the vowels and let the end of his words resonate and ring. He would even pause between words in his sentences. I realized because of the grand nature of the occasion, the size of the audience, and the significance of his content, Martin Luther King can take these aspects of delivery, amplify and exaggerate them, and use them in a way that makes an impact on his audience. In our exercises in class, when we exaggerated, we just sounded silly.
This speech by Martin Luther King Jr. has become so important because it is able to sum up the feelings of an entire movement into one speech. MLK was able to capture not only the intense emotion of the civil rights movement, but also the main points of peace that were so central to the message MLK was spreading. I also think the atmosphere in which it was given has a lot to do with the the emotion of the delivery which has a great effect on people when they listen to this speech. Emotions were extremely high at the rally and I think that this would have helped MLK give the passionate delivery of this speech which makes it so powerful.
ReplyDeleteI think that his use of repetition and pauses was extremely appropriate for this speech, because it gave the large crowd time to interpret what he said and react accordingly. His repetition of the phrase, "I have a dream" made it clear what the main point was, and was a great phrase for the crowd to take away with them. I have heard this speech in full before we watched it in class, but I am always impressed by how moved I feel after hearing it. MLK has such presence that you can't help but hang on his every word. I still get chills, and I think a lot of that has to do with the power of his delivery. He speaks with such passion that every word he is saying does carry a lot of importance. The pace of the speech was also very appropriate and his tone changed as well as his volume when he felt that something was of even greater importance. I cannot think of any other speech I have ever seen that leaves me feeling so impressed an inspired after hearing it.
The way he speaks is so powerful and comes with so much emotion. The message is so clear and as a listener, its so hard not to be persuaded to what he represents. When M.L.K Jr. delivers his speech he chooses his words carefully, getting his point across without upsetting the opposing side. For example, M.L.K states
ReplyDeleteThere are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."
The way he speaks is so convincing, he states what needs to be changed, but in a way no one can take offense to. He makes sure not to single anyone out or directly accuse anyone. Martin Luther King Jr. establishes what needed to be done in order to honor the Declaration of Independence, promising every man life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In order for this to happen, they need to be heard instead of silenced and when they try to speak, they need not to be punished, but listened to. This is the definition of a perfect speech.
When one talks about Martin Luther King Jr., the phrase that comes to everyone's mind is "I have a dream." Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech is memorable today because of this line. He uses repetition of this line and blends it well with the content and his vision of the future.
ReplyDeleteHow Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his speech was unexpected. He changed his volume according to the content of his speech. In the first half of his speech, he made eye contact with the audience and frequently looked down at his paper. But once he got to the "I have a dream" portion of the speech, he maintained eye contact with the audience until the end and spoke with greater intensity and passion. This portion of the speech seemed more motivational and inspirational. He also made use of rhythm. At times, his speech sounded very lyrical, like a song, especially with his use of repetition. Also, he emphasized each word with longer duration, which was unexpected. Speakers today do not speak anything like this, and do not extend the duration of the words and would probably be perceived out of place.
The content of the speech was interesting and unexpected because I have neither heard nor studied Martin Luther King Jr's speech in depth recently. The content is organized so that it has great logic flow. He provides the problem, assesses it, give a solution, and conveys his vision of the future. I like how he mentioned all the different states to convey the point that he hopes freedom can be found anywhere in the United States. He ends with a "bang" and is very memorable with the repetition of "Free at last!."
Straight off the bat, three of the most important aspects of this speech that make it so famous are it's speaker, situation and audience. Martin Luther King Jr. was already considered the most prominent leader of the Civil Rights movement by the time of the march. The March itself would most likely have gone down in history without the speech due to the sheer number of people who came, and the audience itself were the two integral parties involved in the conflict: the protesters and the government. The stakes of the speech itself already boost "I Have a Dream" to fame. The content of the speech met the occasion perfectly. Beginning by defining the moment as "the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation," King established the formality and somberness at the very start. His use of occasionally lofty and intellectual diction, such as the phrase: "dramatize a shameful condition" coupled well with this formality to create a sense of legitimacy. The speech, however, was not above the heads of the listeners. His use of repetition of the "I have a dream" montra and colloquial metaphors like the "check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice" created a strong, clear, easily understood image of King's goals. The speech itself was delivered slowly and cleanly, only tempered with passion but not outright rage, which kept the credibility and righteousness of the cause intact, and allowed the stern and powerful language to retain its power. With steady intonation and grounded movement, King insured that even if his listener did not catch all of his wordings and their meanings, he did catch King's determination. This determination, given shape by King's eloquence and delivery, was more than enough to inspire a country and its future towards equal rights.
ReplyDeleteWatching this speech, I felt very emotionally connected to the words that were spoken by Martin Luther King Jr. I think one of the biggest reasons why this speech became so famous is that MLK Jr. understood and experienced firsthand where his audience was coming from. He was speaking from an insider's perspective on the racial prejudice that was going on at the time. I think this was key to his speech because it was through his personal relations to the adversity of the African Americans that he was able to eloquently express the emotions associated with it throughout his speech.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of his delivery, I was very prepared to listen to a riveting voice with a passionate tone since that is such a big part of what makes this speech. Because I expected this prior to actually listening to the speech, I can't say that his delivery was too unexpected in any way. Despite my preconceived expectations for this speech, however, the fact that I was still emotionally impacted by his delivery speaks volumes about how effective he was in reaching out to the audience and making words really come alive. I thought the content was very metaphorical and lyrical. It felt less of a speech describing the racial prejudices but more of a beautiful and passionate poem coming from the heart.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech will no doubt live on in history as one of the greatest speeches of all time, as Martin Luther King Jr. will live on as one of America's most inspirational figures in history.
ReplyDeleteThis speech is so powerful because of the representation it had during the time. This speech was delivered during the midst of the African American civil rights movement of the 1960s, and many African Americans were harassed and jailed for attempting to assert their rights in a predominately white society. This speech was a way to combat that idea on a national, highly public stage. This speech also has special significance because it serves as a call to action by Martin Luther King to the people to change.
The delivery of this speech is quite amazing. Martin Luther King is able to speak very clearly, loudly, and eloquently, which boosts his image and credibility. His speaking pace allows the audience to easily understand him, and they are allowed more time to process the historic message that they are being given. What he does with his words is interesting-- he kind of draws them out at the ends. While I feel like that is something that would be awkward to do and hear, he makes it work, and it makes the audience seem more attentive. What he's doing in the beginning of the speech according to the outline given is uniting and identifying-- he does this by trying to get everyone to see each other as equal human beings. By calling white people "friends" and "white brothers," he is attempting to ease any possible racial tension. I find a bit of a problem with this, though, since he uses a lot of references to slavery in his speech, saying that the "Negro" is still not free even if they are physically free of shackles. While I realize that he is trying to strengthen emotion in his audience by taking them back to the history of the African American, this may only just cause some people to be bitter towards white people for the past, which defeats the purpose of creating an alliance between the two. The repetition of phrases such as "now is the time" (in varying volumes) brings to the forefront that call to action to equalize all the races, while "let freedom ring" appeals to the American identity of the listener, and reminds them that they all do have something in common, even if it's not necessarily skin color. He went out with a bang with that last sentence "God Almighty, we are free at last!" It was definitely a powerful and memorable way to end an equally memorable speech.
The speech is so famous because it marked the culmination of Dr. King’s efforts. Here, at the March on Washington, I think Dr. King was able to outline his feelings, hopes and dreams for the future of America and his people. I say this is the culmination because he was unfortunately assassinated not long after the speech, so I am extremely grateful we have a speech like this to illustrate his strength and strong public speaking skills.
ReplyDeleteWhat surprises me about this speech is the length. In our class we learn that an audience really only has an attention span for about 20 minutes or less. While this speech comes in just under 20, Dr. King speaks slowly and strong and he is obviously not unsure about the length or time he is taking. He doesn’t rush or hurry his speech. I think this is a good example of someone who also read their audience. With over 200,000 people clapping and cheering him on, Dr. King was there to lift spirits and educate. He spoke slowly and to his audience and allowed for them to clap and express their thoughts, even during his speech.
By using signal posts, like “Now is the time” he adds urgency and excitement to his speech. This helps with the length and content because it allows the audience to follow his organization.
The delivery is something we should all strive to. He was strong, confident and slow. With a long speech especially, you don’t want to talk too fast or confuse your audience. You can feel his passion through his voice and it emanates long after you hear it.
This was a very memorable speech and I think all politicians and public speaker's should follow his style. He left his audience wanting more as well as instilled with the passion to fight against hate in America until they are "Free at Last!"