all literary devices in i have a dream speech

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I Have A Dream Speech

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A Summary and Analysis of Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

‘I Have a Dream’ is one of the greatest speeches in American history. Delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-68) in Washington D.C. in 1963, the speech is a powerful rallying cry for racial equality and for a fairer and equal world in which African Americans will be as free as white Americans.

If you’ve ever stayed up till the small hours working on a presentation you’re due to give the next day, tearing your hair out as you try to find the right words, you can take solace in the fact that as great an orator as Martin Luther King did the same with one of the most memorable speeches ever delivered.

He reportedly stayed up until 4am the night before he was due to give his ‘I Have a Dream’, writing it out in longhand. You can read the speech in full here .

‘I Have a Dream’: background

The occasion for King’s speech was the march on Washington , which saw some 210,000 African American men, women, and children gather at the Washington Monument in August 1963, before marching to the Lincoln Memorial.

They were marching for several reasons, including jobs (many of them were out of work), but the main reason was freedom: King and many other Civil Rights leaders sought to remove segregation of black and white Americans and to ensure black Americans were treated the same as white Americans.

1963 was the centenary of the Emancipation Proclamation , in which then US President Abraham Lincoln (1809-65) had freed the African slaves in the United States in 1863. But a century on from the abolition of slavery, King points out, black Americans still are not free in many respects.

‘I Have a Dream’: summary

King begins his speech by reminding his audience that it’s a century, or ‘five score years’, since that ‘great American’ Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This ensured the freedom of the African slaves, but Black Americans are still not free, King points out, because of racial segregation and discrimination.

America is a wealthy country, and yet many Black Americans live in poverty. It is as if the Black American is an exile in his own land. King likens the gathering in Washington to cashing a cheque: in other words, claiming money that is due to be paid.

Next, King praises the ‘magnificent words’ of the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence . King compares these documents to a promissory note, because they contain the promise that all men, including Black men, will be guaranteed what the Declaration of Independence calls ‘inalienable rights’: namely, ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’.

King asserts that America in the 1960s has ‘defaulted’ on this promissory note: in other words, it has refused to pay up. King calls it a ‘sacred obligation’, but America as a nation is like someone who has written someone else a cheque that has bounced and the money owed remains to be paid. But it is not because the money isn’t there: America, being a land of opportunity, has enough ‘funds’ to ensure everyone is prosperous enough.

King urges America to rise out of the ‘valley’ of segregation to the ‘sunlit path of racial justice’. He uses the word ‘brotherhood’ to refer to all Americans, since all men and women are God’s children. He also repeatedly emphasises the urgency of the moment. This is not some brief moment of anger but a necessary new start for America. However, King cautions his audience not to give way to bitterness and hatred, but to fight for justice in the right manner, with dignity and discipline.

Physical violence and militancy are to be avoided. King recognises that many white Americans who are also poor and marginalised feel a kinship with the Civil Rights movement, so all Americans should join together in the cause. Police brutality against Black Americans must be eradicated, as must racial discrimination in hotels and restaurants. States which forbid Black Americans from voting must change their laws.

Martin Luther King then comes to the most famous part of his speech, in which he uses the phrase ‘I have a dream’ to begin successive sentences (a rhetorical device known as anaphora ). King outlines the form that his dream, or ambition or wish for a better America, takes.

His dream, he tells his audience, is ‘deeply rooted’ in the American Dream: that notion that anybody, regardless of their background, can become prosperous and successful in the United States. King once again reminds his listeners of the opening words of the Declaration of Independence: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’

In his dream of a better future, King sees the descendants of former Black slaves and the descendants of former slave owners united, sitting and eating together. He has a dream that one day his children will live in a country where they are judged not by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.

Even in Mississippi and Alabama, states which are riven by racial injustice and hatred, people of all races will live together in harmony. King then broadens his dream out into ‘our hope’: a collective aspiration and endeavour. King then quotes the patriotic American song ‘ My Country, ’Tis of Thee ’, which describes America as a ‘sweet land of liberty’.

King uses anaphora again, repeating the phrase ‘let freedom ring’ several times in succession to suggest how jubilant America will be on the day that such freedoms are ensured. And when this happens, Americans will be able to join together and be closer to the day when they can sing a traditional African-American hymn : ‘Free at last. Free at last. Thank God almighty, we are free at last.’

‘I Have a Dream’: analysis

Although Martin Luther King’s speech has become known by the repeated four-word phrase ‘I Have a Dream’, which emphasises the personal nature of his vision, his speech is actually about a collective dream for a better and more equal America which is not only shared by many Black Americans but by anyone who identifies with their fight against racial injustice, segregation, and discrimination.

Nevertheless, in working from ‘I have a dream’ to a different four-word phrase, ‘this is our hope’. The shift is natural and yet it is a rhetorical masterstroke, since the vision of a better nation which King has set out as a very personal, sincere dream is thus telescoped into a universal and collective struggle for freedom.

What’s more, in moving from ‘dream’ to a different noun, ‘hope’, King suggests that what might be dismissed as an idealistic ambition is actually something that is both possible and achievable. No sooner has the dream gathered momentum than it becomes a more concrete ‘hope’.

In his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, King was doing more than alluding to Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation one hundred years earlier. The opening words to his speech, ‘Five score years ago’, allude to a specific speech Lincoln himself had made a century before: the Gettysburg Address .

In that speech, delivered at the Soldiers’ National Cemetery (now known as Gettysburg National Cemetery) in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in November 1863, Lincoln had urged his listeners to continue in the fight for freedom, envisioning the day when all Americans – including Black slaves – would be free. His speech famously begins with the words: ‘Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.’

‘Four score and seven years’ is eighty-seven years, which takes us back from 1863 to 1776, the year of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. So, Martin Luther King’s allusion to the words of Lincoln’s historic speech do two things: they call back to Lincoln’s speech but also, by extension, to the founding of the United States almost two centuries before. Although Lincoln and the American Civil War represented progress in the cause to make all Americans free regardless of their ethnicity, King makes it clear in ‘I Have a Dream’ that there is still some way to go.

In the last analysis, King’s speech is a rhetorically clever and emotionally powerful call to use non-violent protest to oppose racial injustice, segregation, and discrimination, but also to ensure that all Americans are lifted out of poverty and degradation.

But most of all, King emphasises the collective endeavour that is necessary to bring about the world he wants his children to live in: the togetherness, the linking of hands, which is essential to make the dream a reality.

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I Have a Dream Speech Analysis Research Paper

Searching for I Have a Dream speech analysis? Look no further! This literary analysis focuses on rhetorical devices and persuasive techniques used by Martin Luther King, Jr.

Introduction

• Summary & the Key Messages
• Analysis of the Structure
• Ethos, Logos, & Pathos

“I Have a Dream” is the most famous speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is also considered as the best and greatest speech that was proclaimed in the history of the United States. It gathered more than 200,000 Americans of all races at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963.

The speech is an excellent example of persuasive rhetoric filled with many expressive means and stylistic devices, such as metaphors, repetitions, allusions, epithets and persuasive constructions. The speech has become a symbol of a new era of freedom and symbol of the American civil rights movement.

I Have a Dream: Summary & the Key Messages

“I Have a Dream” is a representation of the “America Dream” about a free and equal society. As Leff & Kauffeld (1989) mention, “Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech won immediate and sustained praise and has become a moral compass in American political culture” (p. 181).

The speech had a great influence on minds and visions of all Americans and “forever “legitimized” civil rights in the minds of most Amricans” (Leff & Kauffeld 1989, p. 181).

Marin Luther King was among the founders of the American civil rights movement. He led an active political life. He attended the Morehouse College in Atlanta, and then studied theology at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania and Boston University.

In 1955, he became a president of the Montgomery Improvement Association and gained a public recognition for his activities in the campaign. He also is one of the organizers of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957. In 1963, the members of the conference led mass demonstrations in Alabama. These demonstrations resulted in the passage in the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

During one of the march demonstrations for Jobs and Freedom, King pronounced his famous speech. (Durgut 2008). The main purpose of the speech is expressed in its name “I Have a Dream”. The dream of the author was to live in a free society and make all people equal regardless race and social position.

Passionately and powerfully, he claimed that reformation of the society is a task of the future. His words became a meaningful expression of the political and cultural situation in the country and “shaped” the idea for which every American should struggle.

Thus, his speech was aimed at inspiring Americans to take actions and improve their lives. The key message of the speech is “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal” (King 1963, n. p.). In order to come to this subject, the author divides the speech into three parts: introduction, first part (American reality) and second part (the prospects of the future).

First of all, he outlines the problem, “One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination” (King 1963, n. p.), then he provides the detailed description of the racial injustice and inequality that face Americans.

He also inspired the listeners to rebel against these injustices claiming that “Now is the time” for changes, “now is the time to make real the promises of democracy” (King 1963, n. p.). Thus, he prepared people for the second part of his speech in which he presented the results of the changes.

King also expresses the dissatisfactions with the policies and laws which discriminated African Americans and their rights. The intended audience was the government representatives.

However, the author was intended to “touch minds” of all people, both black and white from all social layers. Emotionally and with anticipation, he addresses the people of America and, especially Negro people to whom he belongs:

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred (King 1963, n. p.).

He says “we” in order to show his concern and participation. When emphasizing the word “we” he demonstrates that everybody who understands the problem and seeks changes is involved and the “problem” is not a concern of the particular individuals, but it is a common problem and everybody should make his/her contribution to solve it.

The purpose of the author is to inform and inspire people for struggle and prepare them for changes. He builds his speech so that it was meaningful not only for political activists and Negro people, but to everybody. He says:

…the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny (King 1963, n. p.).

Thus, we can see that the speech is addressed to white people as well. Moreover, King says that “all people are brothers” and there is no racial distinction. Next important trait of the speech is that it was written at the time when the question of racial discrimination was urgent.

Black people faced inequality and violence. “King is known as a charismatic orator. His way of persuading people was to use the power of words instead of physical violence” (Durgut 2008, n. p.).

He knew exactly how to use words, and after he delivered the speech “I Have a Dream”, he gained a great appreciation from people and was called “The Man of the Year” by The Times magazine.

Moreover, a year later, he was awarded by the Nobel Peace Prize for his great contribution to the establishment of justice and peace in the world. These facts demonstrate how people assumed about the author and his activities.

During the time when the speech was proclaimed, television transferred the recent events of the raising struggle for civil rights. There were the episodes of the violence in Birmingham and Alabama. The March on Washington became the first step towards equality and justice.

Regardless the fact that by the time when the speech was proclaimed Abraham Lincoln put an end to slavery and signed the Emancipation Proclamation, discrimination and inequality still had a great power and did not decrease at local and even national levels.

This reality inspired King that something should be done in order to “open people’s eyes” and spread the ideas of equality and justice. In his speech, the author makes allusions to the documents that also addressed the same ideas as his speech.

He refers to the Emancipation Proclamation and the Bill of Rights; the author also cites the words from the Declaration of Independence, and addresses the Bible in order to show that God created all people equal and it was the responsibility of every person to preserve that equality. King met a great response from the audience.

The text of the speech was heard by a broad audience due to television and this allowed the author to reach “the hearts” of many people around America.

These days, the text of the speech is widely available for all who wants to read it. It can be found on the Internet at the American Rhetoric and other sites, as well as in many anthologies and books. The audio and video versions of the speech are also available on the Internet.

The main idea the all people should be treated equal is heard in every line of the text. In order to make the speech emotional and persuasive, King made use many stylistic devices, as well as paid a great attention to the content.

“I have a Dream” is a political speech with the elements of a sermon. According to the Aristotelian classification, it is a deliberative speech. The distinctive feature of this type of speech is the purpose of it. It aims at enabling the audience to make a judgment or a decision during the speech.

I Have a Dream: Analysis of the Speech Structure

There are three main parts of the speech: exordium, narration and argumentation and peroratio (introduction, main part and closing) (Black 2008). In every part of the speech, King presents particular information. With regard to the content, structure of the text has a great importance in representation of this content.

Every type of speech should begin with the exordium, “the functions of the exordium are to make the audience attentive, docile and benevolent” (Durgut 2008, n. p.).

Traditionally, the content of the introduction of the speech should present the salutation of the audience, the main idea and some general additional information to attract the listeners’ attention. Martin Luther King managed to include all the points into one sentence, “I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation” (King 1963, n. p.).

Furthermore, the narration presents arguments, evidences and prospects for the future. The main part of Luther’s speech can also be divided into two parts. The first part of the main text provides the audience with the historical background of the “problem”.

The author describes social and political events that had place “Five score years ago” and the results that people could see “one hundred years later” (3 times) (King 1963, n. p.). In the next paragraphs, he calls people for action telling “now is the time” which he uses four times, “Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.

Now is the time to rise from the dark… Now is the time to lift our nation… Now is the time to make justice a reality…” (King 1963, n. p.). The author also set goals for people who are ready to protect their rights and freedoms, “and as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back” (King 1963, n. p.).

He claims that people “can never be satisfied” as long as they have to be the victims of unjust policies and racial prejudice. In order to supper his argument, the author uses convincing evidences which he observed in the society.

He also makes allusions to historical documents, such as The Emancipation Proclamation, the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. In addition, he refers to the Bible as to a foundation of the “human law and justice”. The second part of the text is the author’s expectations.

He looks into the future with the words “I Have a Dream”, it is the main theme of the paragraph, as well as the speech as a whole. He begins this part with an emotional introduction, “I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment I still have a dream.

It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream” (King 1963, n. p.). He addresses a strong message for Caucasian people about peace and equality, and he expresses his hope that the positive changes will come in the nearest future, “King gave advice how to act and what to change currently, so his vision of the common future for the American society might come true one day” (Durgut 2008, n. p.).

He claims, “let freedom ring from” all over the United States and people will live happy. This idea is voiced in the peroration of the speech, and it provides strong and persuasive ending of the text.

As it has already been mentioned, King was a skillful orator and his speech is an example of high quality rhetoric. His speech presents all types of appeals, such as ethos, pathos and logos. “Pathos refers to how well you can appeal to someone’s emotion” (Black 2008, p. 48).

Ethos, Logos, & Pathos in I Have a Dream

Dr. Martin Luther King’s persuasive “I Have a Dream” speech was fueled by emotional components. He said that “African Americans were living on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.” (Black 2008 p. 48).

He persuaded to give the black Americans the equal rights, in the passage of his speech he says that “all men – yes, black men as well as Caucasians men – would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (King 1963, n. p.).

He uses logos when referring to historical documents and the Bible. Providing that all people are equal and friend, Martin Luther King uses ethos.

Language and style of the speech are bright, expressive and persuasive. He makes use various methods to convince the audience. Thus, he widely uses repetitions of key phrases and “theme words”, make allusions to significant historical events and important documents, provides specific examples to make his arguments significant and use broad metaphors to emphasize important moments and highlight the most important concepts and ideas.

So, the most important phrases that serve to attract the audience’s attention, such as “Now is the time…”, “We can never (cannot) be satisfied…”, “I Have a Dream…”, “Let freedom ring (from) …” are repeated in the successful sentences, or at the beginning of the sentences.

The theme words are repeated extensively through the text, they are “freedom” (20 times), “dream” (11), “we” (30), “our” (17), “justice” (8). Among the most “impressive” metaphors used by King are:

“Joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity”;

“The Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity”;

“Rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice”. (King 1963, n. p.).

Thus, we can come to a conclusion that the speech “I Have a Dream” is the most impressive political speeches that had a great influence on the history of the United States, and shaped visions of many Americans.

It is one of the best examples of the rhetorical art and persuasive writing. Thus, as Kenneth Tamarkin & Jeri W. Bayer (2002) say, “Martin Luther’s “I Have a Dream” speech is an eloquent appeal for integration and equality” (p. 399), and the representation of the American dream.

I Have a Dream Analysis: FAQ

• What Am I Have a Dream Speech about? One of the most iconic speeches in US history aims to put an end to racism in America. The key message of I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr. Is the importance of equal civil and economic rights for all US citizens.
• What Was the Purpose of the I Have a Dream Speech? In I Have a Dream , Martin Luther King, Jr. addressed the issues of racism and segregation in the US. He encouraged using non-violent protests as a weapon to fight inequality.
• When Was the I Have a Dream Speech? The speech was delivered on August 28, 1963, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Martin Luther King presented his speech from the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., to over 250,000 civil rights supporters.

Reference List

Black, Barry C. (2008). From the hood to the hill: A story of overcoming. New York: Thomas Nelson Inc.

Durgut, Ismail. (2008). “I Have a Dream”: an example of classical rhetoric in a post-modern speech . London: GRIN Verlag.

King, Martin Luther. (1963). I Have a Dream. American Rhetoric . Retrieved from https://americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

Leff, Michael C., & Kauffeld, Fred J. (1989). Texts in context: critical dialogues on significant episodes in American political rhetoric . Davis: Routledge.

Tamarkin, Kenneth, & Bayer, Jeri W. (2002). McGraw-Hill’s GED Social Studies . New York: McGraw-Hill Professional.

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I Have a Dream Speech Analysis: Lesson Plan & Video

• January 8, 2024
• Lessons and Ideas

On November 2, 1983, Martin Luther King Jr. Day became a federal holiday when Ronald Reagan signed the King Holiday Bill into law. But this day was a long time in the making and only became a reality after a 15-year campaign to officially celebrate King’s legacy nationwide. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a perfect opportunity to teach about Dr. King’s legacy and role in the civil rights movement—and Flocabulary’s I Have A Dream speech analysis FREE lesson plan is a great place to start. King was a prolific speaker and writer who left behind a treasure trove of speeches, sermons, letters, and essays that served as a window into King’s mind and evolving views. These primary sources are ideal for in-class analysis from both a content and style perspective.

In this blog post, you will find a lesson inviting students to connect style and content while analyzing King’s legendary I Have A Dream speech. Students will then incorporate some of King’s language and rhetorical moves into their writing as they outline their vision for the world.

New to Flocabulary ? Teachers can sign up for a trial to access our lesson videos and assessment activities. Administrators can get in touch with us to learn more about unlocking the full power of Flocabulary through Flocabulary Plus.

Celebrate Black History Month with a rap-writing student contest

In honor of Black History Month, we’re inviting students to be the researchers, lyricists, and rappers. Every February, we host a student rap contest where students select a significant Black historical figure to write a rap about. The winning students will have their lyrics turned into a Flocabulary video lesson, be featured in the video for classes nationwide to see, and sit in with our writers, rappers, and editors to get an inside look into the video creation process! This contest is the perfect opportunity to empower student voice, choice, and creativity. Click below to learn more about the content, practice culturally responsive teaching, and elevate student voices in your classroom.

How did Martin Luther King Day become a national holiday?

The first appeal to honor King with a holiday came just four days after his assassination in April 1968. Michigan Congressman John Conyers proposed a bill to create a new federal holiday, but it was largely ignored. John Conyers Jr. , one of the few Black members of Congress, persisted, reintroducing the bill every year alongside the Congressional Black Caucus until 1979. It was during that year, on what would have been King’s 50th birthday, that the bill finally came to a vote in the House. Despite a petition with 300,000 signatures in favor of the holiday and the support of President Jimmy Carter, the bill was rejected.

As the ’70s gave way to the early ’80s, public support for the holiday grew as the Congressional Black Caucus collected more than 6 million signatures and Stevie Wonder released a hit song, “Happy Birthday,” about King. By the 20th anniversary of King’s I Have a Dream speech, the bill made it back to the floor for a vote. This time, the bill passed with a 78-22 vote; Reagan immediately signed the bill into law.

Although the first federal Martin Luther King Jr. Day was celebrated in 1986, it took nearly 15 more years for the holiday to become official in all 50 states. Several southern states later combined Martin Luther King Jr. Day with holidays celebrating Confederate General Robert E. Lee. In other states, like Arizona, debates about whether to celebrate MLK Day went back and forth for years before finally being settled. By 2000, Martin Luther King Jr. Day was recognized in every state. Today, the holiday is fully ingrained in American life—and a perfect opportunity to invite students to review King’s legacy and analyze his words in the classroom.

Who was Martin Luther King Jr.?

Martin Luther King Jr. was a minister and civil rights leader born in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He grew up in the Jim Crow South, attending segregated schools throughout his childhood. The son of a minister, he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps. He graduated from Morehouse College and then studied theology in Pennsylvania before earning a doctorate in theology from Boston University. In 1955, shortly after King was hired as a pastor in Montgomery, Alabama, the Montgomery Bus Boycotts were sparked by Rosa Parks. King helped organize the 381-day boycott—a jumping-off point for his life as a public figure and civil rights activist. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, King began promoting and organizing nonviolent protests across the United States. He traveled more than 6 million miles, leading marches, boycotts, and sit-ins to draw attention to widespread racial injustice in the United States.

By August 1963, King had become one of the most prominent civil rights leaders in the United States. At the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom , he delivered his famous I Have A Dream speech to a crowd of 250,000 people, outlining his vision of racial equality in the United States and the world. In 1964, King became the youngest person to win a Nobel Peace Prize. His work helped pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act, ending segregation in public places and outlawing discrimination in hiring. King also played a part in the 1965 march in Selma, Alabama, that garnered support for voting rights for Black Americans and helped lead to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 .

Martin Luther King Jr.’s later years

In the latter half of the 1960s, King’s tactics were increasingly questioned by a younger, more radical wing of the civil rights movement. They believed he was too accommodating to those in power in the United States. Still, King continued his work as an activist, fighting racism, opposing the Vietnam War, and advocating for poor Americans. In 1968, while visiting Memphis, Tennessee, to support striking city workers, King was shot and killed on the balcony of his hotel room. Following his death at the age of 39, King’s reputation grew. To this day, he is remembered for his critical role in the civil rights movement and his eloquent, clear-eyed speeches and letters. Each year, on the third Monday of January, we celebrate his legacy and consider his impact on American society.

Bringing Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy into the classroom

One of the best ways to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. is to revisit his most famous speeches and letters. Primary sources like these are a terrific opportunity for students to not only bear witness to a historical figure’s words and ideas firsthand but also to analyze the content and style of a speech or piece of writing. The following speech analysis assignment will guide students through closely analyzing King’s most famous address.

In this I Have A Dream speech analysis lesson, students will experience both the text and audio of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have A Dream speech while learning about King’s key contributions to the Civil Rights Movement. They’ll define and explain keywords and phrases from the speech, including examples of figurative language. The lesson culminates with students writing their original lyrics about their dreams for the world using language from King’s speech and their own figurative language.

I Have A Dream Speech Analysis Lesson Plan

Lesson plan information.

• Time: Recommended for two class periods (can be modified for one)
• Grade level: Recommended for Grades 3 to 8
• Standards Alignment: This speech analysis assignment is aligned to these CCSS standards and all 50 state standards. Find the alignment to your state standards .

In Flocabulary’s I Have A Dream speech analysis lesson, students will be able to…

• Describe key events in the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and King’s major contributions to the Civil Rights Movement.
• Explain the meaning of keywords and phrases in King’s I Have a Dream speech, including examples of figurative language.
• Write an original rap about a personal dream for the world using quotations from King’s speech and original figurative language.

Class and student output

• Class discussion about King’s life and contributions to the Civil Rights Movement
• I Have A Dream speech analysis focusing on word choice, allusion, and figurative language
• Original raps or poetry about personal dreams for the world that include quotations from King’s speech and original figurative language

1. Play the Martin Luther King Jr. Flocabulary video . Turn on Discuss Mode and play the video again. Discuss Mode will ask questions that check for understanding and prompt discussion about King’s life and contributions.

Here’s a preview of the video lesson!

2. After discussing the final Discussion Mode prompt, click pause on the video (around 2:55). This is right before the extended clip of the I Have a Dream speech. Pass out the Martin Luther King Jr. printable activity , which includes excerpts from the I Have a Dream speech on the first page. Give students an I Have A Dream speech summary to provide additional context.

3. Press play on the video to re-watch the clips from the speech. Students can follow along in the text. (NOTE: The video clip starts on the 5th paragraph down on the page.)

4. As you watch, point out the lines from the song “My Country ’Tis of Thee” and the spiritual “Free at Last” that King quotes toward the end of the speech. As a class, discuss why King may have included lines from other texts in his speech.

5. As a class or in groups, complete the top part of page 2 of the I Have a Dream activity. Ask for suggestions of words or phrases from the speech that stood out to students. Using context clues, generate definitions or explanations of these words and phrases.

6. Review the meaning of figurative language . As a class or in groups, complete the bottom part of page 2 of the activity, explaining the meaning of some of King’s figurative language.

7. As a class, discuss why King may have used figurative language in his speech. What does this add to the speech?

8. Tell students that tomorrow, they will follow King’s lead by writing their own lyrics about their dreams for the United States or the world. They can start brainstorming what they’d like to write their rhymes about.

1. Start by playing the Martin Luther King Jr. video again to refresh students’ memories of the I Have a Dream speech.

2. Have students individually complete page 3 of the activity. Students should first write their dream at the top. They should then return to the text of King’s speech and their I Have A Dream Speech analysis from day one to identify words or phrases they’d like to include in their raps, just as King included quotations from other texts. These should be words and phrases that relate to their dream somehow. Encourage students to feel free to choose words and phrases other than the ones you defined as a class.

3. Have students develop at least one example of figurative language to include in their lyrics. They can start by writing a line with literal language and then brainstorm how to revise this line using a simile, metaphor, personification, or another literary device.

4. Have students write at least six lines explaining their dream and what needs to be done to achieve it. They should include the words/phrases and figurative language they identified. Students can use Lyric Lab to write their lyrics or help them develop rhymes. If you or your students haven’t used Lyric Lab before, click “Lyric Lab” on the left panel next to the video on the lesson page.

5. Invite students to share their lyrics with the class. Have students identify the quotations from King’s speech and the examples of figurative language in each other’s songs.

Wrap-Up & Extensions

• Replay the clips of King’s speech in the video, and ask students why they think certain images and video clips were chosen. Have students imagine the song they wrote will have images added to it. Ask students to brainstorm the types of images they would include.
• Have students complete the Read and Respond I Have a Dream activity accompanying the video. In Read and Respond , students will read passages of informational text, including one that provides an “I Have A Speech Dream summary and context for the speech, to learn more about King’s life and achievements, and they’ll answer text-dependent questions about these passages.

Use Flocabulary to teach beyond I Have A Dream speech analysis

The lesson above focuses on I Have A Dream , but King’s prowess as a public speaker goes well beyond his most famous address. If your class enjoyed experiencing, analyzing, and reacting to King’s words, this list of King’s most memorable speeches will provide ample material for further viewing and analysis.

And for those classes that want to go deeper into the civil rights movement, be sure to check out Flocabulary’s videos on Civil Rights , the Voting Rights Act & Selma , Fannie Lou Hamer , Malcolm X , John Lewis , Yuri Kochiyama, and Jackie Robinson .

• Encyclopedia Britannica
• Britannica Kids
• The National Archives
• National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Constitution Center

Mike Judd is a Curriculum Manager, lyricist, and rapper at Flocabulary.

This Post Has 9 Comments

Thank you for sharing this solid, practical, and flexible English language arts lesson that can be used from 6th grade to community college!

hiya, thanks for this usfull information i have a degree in englishh and found this very special

Chingy Wiong

This was great! It helped so much with a rhetorical analysis essay I’m writing about the speech for my AP language and composition class.

This was well written

This help me woth my home work. About this speech amd the figuretive language.

This help with my home work .

Thank you so much for this excellent lesson plan! I am using this for my 9th grade English class.

Great Lesson idea! I’m tweaking a bit to use with my 8th Grade proficient/advanced ELA enrichment classes. For a 50 yr old teacher to quote rap…WOW!

Excellent lesson.

Comments are closed.

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“I Have A Dream”: Annotated

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s iconic speech, annotated with relevant scholarship on the literary, political, and religious roots of his words.

For this month’s Annotations, we’ve taken Martin Luther King, Jr.’s iconic “I Have A Dream” speech, and provided scholarly analysis of its groundings and inspirations—the speech’s religious, political, historical and cultural underpinnings are wide-ranging and have been read as jeremiad, call to action, and literature. While the speech itself has been used (and sometimes misused) to call for a “color-blind” country, its power is only increased by knowing its rhetorical and intellectual antecedents.      

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation . This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.

But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. 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 would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now . This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. 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 quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred .

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” 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 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.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream .

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.”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

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.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor’s lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where 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.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted , every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood . With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

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This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with a new meaning, “My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.”

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

For dynamic annotations of this speech and other iconic works, see The Understanding Series from JSTOR Labs .

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I Have A Dream Literary Devices

Introduction to “i have dream”.

On a sunny day, August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. held a very important speech. He addressed an enormous audience, constituted of more than 250,000 people who were in the streets of Washington D.C to fight against unfair employment and inequality. King faced the Lincoln Memorial and declared his great dream.

He dreamed of a future where people of all colors coexisted in peace and harmony. He wanted to end the unfair treatment of blacks. His expressive utterances brought significant changes. In fact, due to his speech, the law was adopted in 1964. The absolute exclusion of treating everyone equally regardless of their skin color was denied. The speech remains one that is well associated with that fight.

Summary of “I Have a Dream”

The speech begins with King lamenting the broken promise of the Emancipation Proclamation a century prior, denouncing ongoing racial injustice as a “bad check” returned with insufficient funds. He declares “now is the time” to finally pay this moral debt, setting an immediate, urgent tone.

King then vividly describes the nightmare of oppression faced by black Americans, from blatant terror to insidious shame. However, he resolves to meet hatred and violence not with violence, but through the transformative powers of nonviolent resistance rooted in Christian love.

At the core of the speech is King’s ardent articulation of his “dream” that America will rise up to fulfill its highest ideals of equality and dignity for all people, regardless of race. King locates this crucial dream in vivid metaphors drawn from biblical sources and American patriotic imagery like the Declaration of Independence.

He issued several rousing calls to action to keep marching, struggling, and going to jail if needed for the sake of justice. King gives shining examples of courageous resistance through moving descriptions of men gallantly sitting at lunch counters and “creative suffering.”

The speech builds on its climactic conclusion as King takes listeners to a mountaintop vision of freedom, racial harmony, and national redemption. He exhorts listeners to continue working to make this prophetic dream real through nonviolent commitment and steadfast faith. King’s stirring conclusion cemented “I Have a Dream” as a rallying cry that would fuel the continuing fight for civil rights.

Themes in “I Have a Dream”

In an iconic address from the civil rights era, many of the key themes relate to ending racial injustice and creating a more just, integrated society:

• The frustrating persistence of inequality and oppression towards black Americans despite legal advances like abolition and fair employment laws
• The moral duty to fight against immoral racial prejudices, discrimination, and segregation through nonviolent protest
• Dr. King’s vision of a “dream” of true racial equality and reconciliation is founded on ethical Christian principles of love, dignity, and brotherhood.
• The necessity of freedom and justice for all people as natural birthrights
• Transforming society through sacrificial struggle against unjust laws and institutional racism
• Capturing America’s founding ideals of liberty and opportunity while denouncing the nation’s failure to uphold these values for all citizens

Literary Devices Used in “i have a dream”

1- metaphor.

“Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.”

In the passage, Martin Luther King Jr., without using the words “like” or “as” compares two things. He uses the metaphor of two different things. He speaks of “dark and desolate valley of segregation” and “the sunlit path of racial justice” as if they were described as a real valley and path. But, the “dark valley” is where people are treated unreasonably because of the color of their skin. The “sunlit path” represents a worldview where people are born free and equal and while being human, they should be treated with dignity and respect. It’s analogous to suggesting we should transition from a miserable, unjust place to a pleasant, just place.

King compares issues with memorable similes:

“We can never 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.”

The simile here says Negroes (black people) in Mississippi not being allowed to vote is as unsatisfying as Negroes in New York feeling they have no reason to vote. Although the situations look different, King Jr. is saying that they make him and the others equally dissatisfied. Black voting rights not only give them the power but also the voice without this. He employs a simile to tie his examples of inequality across states and cities together.

The speech overflows with striking images that paint a scene:

“With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.”

Martin Luther King Jr. employs a powerful image while elaborating on hope. He paints a picture of words which is about people cutting and carving a stone of hope from a huge mountain of despair. Such visualization puts the listener in a position of carving out chunks of Godzilla sized rock manifestation of sadness and hardship. They have got a tiny gleaming stone which is the symbol of the idea that everything can improve somehow.

The imagery is used to illustrate the abstract concept of hope that otherwise would be hard to explain. This sends the message that even in the face of insurmountable problems faith helps to see the thread of hope as a precious stone in the rock. The imagery remains in the mind to take in King’s enlightening thought of overcoming darkness with light.

4- Allusion

King makes allusions to create resonant associations:

“One day…little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.”

King Jr. makes an allusion to unity and partnership. Allusion means speaking about something indirectly without mentioning it directly. The part where King mentions “little black boys and black girls” holding hands with “little white boys and white girls” refers to belief that all kinds of children, irrespective of race, can live in peace together. It provides a scene of the black and white children playing as siblings, happily. This message, therefore, captures King’s optimistic belief that point in time will come when racial divides will end and everyone will see each other as equals- like brothers and sisters.

5- Parallelism

Parallel structures provide a poetic cadence and rhythm:

“Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. 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…”

Martin Luther employs parallelisms in his speech to underline his message. Parallelism is where you repeat the same phrase structure or words. King begins three sentences the same – “Now is the time…”. Through exact repetition of that word he brings it to the attention of the listener. The reiteration of ‘Now is the time’ at the beginning of each sentence emphasizes King’s main idea. That is what he is telling us: these changes should now – not tomorrow or later but exactly then – take place. The parallelism emphasize the necessity.

6- Repetition

King makes repetition a powerful refrain:

“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.”

In the above excerpt, the repetition in his speech has been employed to emphasize his point about inequality. King repeats the phrase “We can never be satisfied” twice in the quote. This exact repetition of the line word-for-word draws the listener’s attention. He is repeating that phrase to stress that as long as Negroes face awful police brutality, he and others will continue to feel extremely unsatisfied. The repetition hammers home that this injustice of police violence against African Americans is wholly unacceptable.

7- Rhetorical Questions

King directly involves listeners by asking questions:

“When will you be satisfied? When will you be free?”

Here, the two rhetorical questions have been collided. When King says “When will you be satisfied? ” and “ When will you be free?”, he is not seeking for the crowd to respond. On the contrary, those questions indicate to the listener that he won’t feel satisfied or seem relax when he still lacks equality.

The rhetorical questions repeatedly suggest that people should realize that in effect the parliament is only reacting, refusing to listen or take any steps earlier as they are invited to wait instead. The question invites self-evaluation in terms of the current unresolved injustices in the land that can only be righted when African Americans attain freedom.

8- Anaphora

Repeating words at the start of consecutive phrases, known as anaphora, creates a sense of crescendo:

“So let freedom ring from…let freedom ring from…let freedom ring!”

The repetition of “let freedom ring” swells into a unifying call to action.

9- Alliteration

King’s alliteration gives words extra oomph:

“But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free.”

King Luther uses alliteration for particular point emphasis. Alliteration is when the words which are next to each other begin with the same sound. In this quote, King juxtaposes the words “face the tragic fact”. The repetition of the letter “F” in “face,” “tragic,” and “fact” is alliteration. Highlighting these words bolsters King’s argument by accenting a truth he wants the audience to face up to — that a century after the Emancipation Proclamation African Americans still did not possess equal rights and freedoms.

10- Biblical Cadence

His concluding message adopts a biblical style with language like:

“Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty we are free at last.”

King utilizes a biblical rhythm and repetition style when he proclaims “Free at last, free at last; thank God Almighty, we are free at last.” This type of repetitive pattern gives biblical cadence. It copies the way verses and lines are structured in religious works such as the Bible, with some kind of music rhythm. The phrase of ” free at last” being repeated two times here is an echo of lines in biblical psalms and hymns. It has almost like the those of music.

By incorporating the phrase “ Thank God Almighty “ he makes use of the sacred language. This endows his words with sense of finality, relief and joy stemming from a deep spirituality as he imagines his eventual liberation from human inequality and segregation. Thus, the biblical cadence leaves listeners feeling hopeful about the dream indeed, in the way church services motivate people to move through the flow, rhythmic delivery tracing biblical language.

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MLK’s “I Have A Dream” Speech: An Example Of Anaphora

Politicians and political figures often use anaphora in speeches to emphasize their points. One of the most famous anaphora examples comes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. King uses the anaphoral phrase, “I have a dream,” to start eight consecutive sentences:

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi … will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little 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!

King uses anaphora to highlight the difference between how things are and how he hopes they will be.

In fact, anaphora is a rhetorical device often favored by poets … and that’s why MLK Jr.’s speech lives among the greatest speeches.

Martin Luther King Jr. had an exquisite way with words. Learn about some of his most powerful words.

What is  anaphora ?

As a rhetorical device, anaphora is “the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of consecutive sentences, poetry stanzas , or clauses within a sentence.” Rhetorical devices—which include  metaphor and hyperbole —are used to make a point when you’re speaking. Specifically, an anaphora can be as short as a single word, such as I , when , or and . It can also involve several words, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s anaphoral phrase “I have a dream.” Anaphoral phrases are rarely longer than a few words (lengthy, repeated phrases can be confusing to readers). Fun fact: the opposite of anaphora is epistrophe , “a word or phrase repeated at the end of consecutive lines.”

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The purpose of anaphora

Poets use anaphora to establish a rhythm , structure a poem, or highlight certain ideas. Some poets use extreme anaphora as a stylistic choice. “Howl,” by Allen Ginsberg, does this. Almost every line in the first section starts with who . The second section repeats the name Moloch at the beginning of each line. The repetition gives the poem rhythm and makes it feel energetic.

Discover other advanced poetic devices and how to use them here.

Anaphora in everyday speech

Anaphoral phrases are pretty common in daily speech, too. People use them to express desires or needs. A petulant child might say, “ I don’t want to get out of bed. I don’t want to get dressed. I don’t want to go to school. I just want to go back to sleep!”

So, basically, we can all be poets … but we’ll probably never be as poetic as Martin Luther King Jr.

Be inspired by more of MLK Jr's enduring words by reading this quotes.

Trending Words

by Edgar Allan Poe  

In visions of the dark night I have dreamed of joy departed— But a waking dream of life and light Hath left me broken-hearted. Ah! what is not a dream by day To him whose eyes are cast On things around him with a ray Turned back upon the past? That holy dream—that holy dream, While all the world were chiding, Hath cheered me as a lovely beam A lonely spirit guiding. What though that light, thro’ storm and night, So trembled from afar— What could there be more purely bright In Truth’s day-star?

Meanings of A Dream

The poem “A Dream” by Edgar Allen Poe presents a speaker debating dreams and their impacts. The main idea of the poem is the truths and ambiguities of dreams.

Meanings of Stanza -1

In visions of the dark night I have dreamed of joy departed— But a waking dream of life and light Hath left me broken-hearted.

The speaker states that he has dreamed of visions at night in which he sees joy leaving him. He means that he is longer happy. It is unclear whether he has personified joy, but it seems that sorrow has become his fate. When he wakes up, he becomes brokenhearted after he faces the dream of “life and light.” He means that the reality of life during the day is another dream that has broken his heart. This stanza adds to the reality of dreams, the main idea of the poem.

Meanings of Stanza -2

Ah! what is not a dream by day To him whose eyes are cast On things around him with a ray Turned back upon the past?

The speaker presents a rhetorical question of the person who is dreaming about the past. Such a person does not dream about anything during the day. Instead, his eyes are always on the things around him with a glance at his past. Such a person could be a realist who never dreams but only imagines his past and leaves other things present around him. The use of emotions to present the situation of such a person with a question mark at the end of the stanza shows that the speaker thinks about the situation of such a person for whom a waking hour dream could be everything. This stanza contributes further to the main idea of reality and dreams.

Meanings of Stanza -3

That holy dream—that holy dream, While all the world were chiding, Hath cheered me as a lovely beam A lonely spirit guiding.

The speaker turns to himself and thinks about the holy dream, repeating it twice. He states that it happens at times that all the world is after you, and you cheer up after having a dream in which you see that there is a beacon of light in it. Or else, you see the light at the end of the tunnel, and only a lonely spirit is guiding you to victory during this dream. If it is the case, then it is a holy dream. In such a case, it does not matter what the world thinks. This stanza adds to the main idea of dreams and hope.

Meanings of Stanza -4

What though that light, thro’ storm and night, So trembled from afar— What could there be more purely bright In Truth’s day-star?

This stanza presents questions. If there is a glimmer of light far away that trembles during the stormy night, there is some thought behind it. But the speaker is unaware of it. The same goes for the purely bright start of Truth during the day. He means that there could be any thought, but it is unknown what such a thought could be in such a dream. The mystery of the dream the speaker has initiated at the beginning of the poem stays unresolved until the end. Therefore, this stanza further contributes to the main idea, which is dreams and the thoughts behind these dreams.

Summary of A Dream

• Popularity of the Poem “A Dream”: Edgar Allan Poe, a great American writer, and editor, wrote this poem. ‘A Dream’ is one of the best poems about thoughts and hope. It was first published in 1827 in Tamerlane and Other Poems . The poem speaks about the importance of dreams in the speaker’s life. It also illustrates how these dreams affect his life. It also deals with the bitter realities of life confronting a person.
• “A Dream” As a Representative of Sorrow: As this poem is about dreams, the speaker starts describing a bad dream he had the previous night. He dreamt that happiness had left him. He does not get scared of this nightmare because he knows that it is not going to harm his current depressed and dark life. For him, what really makes a difference is having good dreams about a happy life. Later, he expresses that he cannot interact happily with the real world around him. Everything around the speaker drags him into the past, where he might have experienced bouts of depression and acute pain. As the poem progresses, he recalls the dream he once considered holy. It guided him and helped him escape from the world of miseries. He compares his dream world with the real world. The speaker also believes that the walking dreams of his life are better than the ones he had at night.
• Major Themes in “A Dream”: Dream, sorrow, and challenges of life are the major themes of this poem. The speaker presents dreams and their impact on their lives. Throughout the poem, he develops the idea that bad dreams cannot scare a person whose current life is filled with misfortunes. The poem speaks about the tragedies and losses he faced in life. That is why these bad dreams do not surprise him. Surprisingly, these dreams about light and optimism worry him.

Analysis of Literary Devices Used in “A Dream”

literary devices are tools used by writers to convey their emotions, ideas, and themes to make texts more appealing to the reader. Edgar Allan Poe has used various literary devices to make his poems visual and appealing. Some of the major literary devices have been analyzed below.

• Assonance : Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line. For example, the sound of /i/ in “But a waking dream of life and light” and the sound of /ee/ in “Hath cheered me as a lovely beam”.
• Alliteration : Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession. For example, the sound of /w/ in “While all the world were chiding”.
• Anaphora : It refers to the repetition of a word or expression in the first part of some verses. For example, “the holy dream” is repeated in the first line of the third stanza to emphasize the importance of the dream.
• Consonance : Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, For example, the sound /n/ in “In visions of the dark night.”
• Enjambment : It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break . It continues in the next line or verse. For example,

“ Ah! what is not a dream by day To him whose eyes are cast On things around him with a ray Turned back upon the past?”

• Imagery : Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “I have dreamed of joy departed”, “While all the world were chiding” and “A lonely spirit guiding.”
• Personification : Personification is to give human qualities to inanimate objects . For example, ‘dream’ in the third stanza is personified as if a dream is a spiritual teacher who can guide him.
• Rhetorical Question : Rhetorical question is a sentence that is posed to make the point clear. For example, “Turned back upon the past?” and “In Truth’s day-star?
• Symbolism : Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal meanings. Dreams symbolize hope and sadness.

Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “A Dream”

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.  

• Quatrain : A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. Here, each stanza is a quatrain.
• Rhyme Scheme : The poem follows the ABAB rhyme scheme , and this pattern continues until the end.
• Stanza : A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are four stanzas in this poem, with each comprised of four lines in it.

Quotes to be Used

The lines stated below are useful for a speech while talking about the importance of good dreams and being positive.

“That holy dream—that holy dream, While all the world were chiding, Hath cheered me as a lovely beam A lonely spirit guiding.”

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The 2024 Pulitzer Prizes were announced on May 6 in New York City. Read our reviews of this year's winning works of fiction, general nonfiction, history, biography, and memoir and autobiography.

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I Have a Dream Speech

Martin luther king, jr., ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist noted for his embrace of nonviolent resistance, or the practice of achieving social change through peaceful demonstrations. During the summer of 1963, a “ sweltering ” season simmering with rage and volatility, King’s assertion that nonviolent resistance was the surest path to change came at a crucial moment in the long fight for civil rights. In his “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered at the March on Washington (one of the largest human rights rallies in America’s history), King extolled the potential of nonviolent action as a path to change, arguing that if the civil rights movement was to be a success, it needed to resist the temptation to meet violence with more violence.

King urged his listeners at the March on Washington to swear off violence and free themselves of violent impulses. “We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence,” King warned his listeners. “Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.” By claiming physical violence was the “degenerate[ed]” form of protest, King underscored the importance of taking the high road and ignoring the impulse to descend into chaos or cruelty. The concept of “creative protest,” or new and innovative ways of standing up collectively against injustice, was, according to King, the purest form of resistance because it was connected to the soul and the heart rather than the body. Physical violence, in King’s estimation, was common, unimaginative, and lowly. But coming up with other methods to protest—methods that would appeal not to fear or coercion but to growth and openness—would propel their cause. “Unearned suffering is redemptive,” King told his listeners at the march. By encouraging listeners to embrace their unearned suffering, King was reframing suffering as a positive experience, rather than one that should provoke a violent response. Many of the “veterans of creative suffering” he spoke to at the march had been faced with violence and survived—and now, King urged them not to emulate the violent tactics of those who hurt them, but rather to model more righteous and just behavior.

Though King denounced violence, he recognized and validated his listeners’ rage and encouraged them to channel that rage into meaningful nonviolent action. King urged his listeners to work tirelessly for the rights of Black Americans and to stir up “the whirlwinds of revolt” in order to “shake the foundations of [the] nation.” He didn’t want his vision of nonviolent resistance to turn the civil rights movement into one of complacency or languor—he wanted to remind his fellow Americans that they could be angry and noncompliant without resorting to “wrongful deeds.” Kung acknowledged the “thirst for freedom” among those at the march—but he warned them not to try to satisfy that thirst “by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.” He didn’t want them to turn to violence or cruelty—he wanted their rage to inspire them rather than keep them bogged down in animosity. Additionally, King praised the “marvelous new militancy” of the Black community and the civil rights movement. But he wasn’t approving of “militancy” in the sense of armed violence—instead, he hoped that the civil rights movement would be “militant” by remaining organized and united in the face of oppression. He wanted his listeners to remain thoroughly  devoted to change without growing frustrated and resorting to ugly violence when that change didn’t come immediately.

Throughout his speech, King implied again and again that it was nonviolent action and the dream of peace—not unchecked militancy or violence—that would allow freedom to ring out at last across America. King wanted to transform “the jangling discords of [his] nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.” He wanted to smooth the “rough places” in America and straighten the “crooked places.” He wanted descendants of slaves and descendants of slave-owners to “sit down together at the table of brotherhood.” King’s vision for a new America was not one that would be won through violence, coercion, or viciousness. True freedom, King asserted, could not be achieved by replicating the violent power structures that kept racism and segregation alive. In order to bring real change to America, King and his supporters would have to find a new way forward—one that radically rejected violent action as well as violent thoughts.

The Uses of Nonviolent Resistance ThemeTracker

The Uses of Nonviolent Resistance Quotes in I Have a Dream Speech

Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.