Assignment:
An exercise for evaluating effective writing techniques by providing a technical review of the "I Have a Dream" speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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This speech is not an attempt to sway opposing viewpoints. It is, instead, a vision statement and direct call to action for individuals already on board with the ideal of racial equality. This is a masterful piece of rhetoric, written to be delivered with all the passion and fire a Southern preacher can bring to pulpit. As I read through the speech again and again, I find myself even more deeply in awe of this work. I have always held the greatest respect for Dr. King’s message and feel that this work is the crowning achievement of his talent for inspirational speechwriting.
Verbal cues such as “fifty score years …” hearken directly to a famous speech made by the very man he lauds for ending slavery, a man popularly acknowledged as one of the country’s greatest statesmen. By using terminology and phrasings that echo Lincoln’s address, Dr. King psychologically lends to this speech the authority of that author and his vaunted political position.
Early in the speech, Dr. King calls to the hope of emancipation’s promise, and then dashes it soundly with words that paint a most desperate but highly generalized picture of situations “then” and “now”, thus giving listeners a rally point for the call for action that is to come. He sprinkles words associated with discomfort in places to bring forth the discontent that the listener should feel if they disagree with (at the time) current legal policies and uses concepts of light and water to reiterate concepts related to hope, faith, and burdens eased.
Dr. King states intent of the founding fathers as uncontestable fact, even though no man alive at the time the speech was written could have first-hand knowledge of the words bandied about during the drafting of our governing document. Stating the viewpoint in this way sets all further arguments on a foundation that can make opposition seem unduly unreasonable when attempting to present arguments for their interpretation. This is a very common tactic in political speech writing, and this use of it is remarkably well-phrased.
He uses big words, words that many people in his audience might not fully understand. This has the potential to alienate some listeners, as this is the language of the establishment, not of the common man. It is the manner in which Dr. King delivers his speech that keeps the listener personally invested. Not only does this lend additional authority to his delivery of this speech, it also provides a direct example of his corollary message of community improvement through self-improvement. It encourages trust from “the common man”; trust that Dr. King is educated and on-par with the people who can legislate the changes his audience would like to see.
He restates the plight in a way that the listening Everyman can easily relate to, starting with “bad checks” and cashing in on what is owed, continuing with the urgency of immediate action and attention, and following with a vision of negative consequence if the hoped for objective is ignored, even speaking of impending revolution if the call for national justice is overturned.
At this point in the speech, Dr. King turns from third person (“the Negro”) to mutual first person (“we” and “my people”). The speech is at a turning point as he takes the focus from what is owed to the greater community to what that self-same community must avoid if they wish to win the objective. He has stirred up the masses, empowered them with faith in his belief and their own effort, and now needs to remind them that the goal cannot be accomplished if they allow themselves to be provoked to violence. Dr. King is aware that his message faced heavy opposition and that the movement toward equality would be crushed outright if his listeners could not hold true to the idealized vision.
Three simple sentences within the book ends of “cannot”, “must”, “cannot” reiterate this point. Bookends, or the sandwiching technique, are another powerful tool in the hands of effective parents and political speechwriters alike. When properly used, this technique can drive home a speaker’s message as firmly as iron spikes into rail beds. He verbally demonstrates many activities that must become universally unacceptable if the end goal is to be achieved, situations that must be universally overcome. He solidifies the community by giving so many broad examples and gives his listeners further opportunity to relate to his message – to call it their own – by calling out state and city names, locations in which many of his listeners do business and live.
Dr. King then begins the part of this speech that thrills my word-loving soul. He uses another technique of reiteration (repeatedly starting sentences with the title phrase) to bind together his conceptualized victory conditions and to drive home the group unity of his listeners. Phrases become shorter as he delivers song quote and follows it up with another round of location identity. Vocal tone and strength are key here as he brings the speech to its climax.
He closes this brilliant work by restating the ideal, the message of tolerance and universal brotherhood and peaceful fellowship that stood as the hallmark of his life’s work. Dr. King grounds his closing by quoting another work of “victorious faith”, leaving his audience pumped up with positive feelings that should carry them forward in seeing the great work done.
Had Dr. King’s speech been a letter instead, it would likely not have as deep an impact. It would surely have been more conversational, more direct thought from one person to another instead of being a compilation of rhetoric and inspirational tools. It is appropriate to believe that the passion of his message – the deep belief he held and preached in the promise of this ideal – would shine through had it been “just” a letter, but the message delivered would likely be one much more personal, much more relevant to the situation of a single life, than the speech stands as given.
Had Dr. King’s speech been a magazine article intended for publication in that era of our country’s history, the message would surely have lost most, if not all, of its intended meaning. The message would have been diluted by the media prejudices and policies of the time, or parceled out in chunks to inflame or terrorize the “right-thinking” political majority.
On the morning the speech was given, I think Dr. King must have gone through and thought many of the things anyone else does on mornings of important presentations. Breakfasting with his wife and speaking fondly with his friends, checking his pockets to ensure that he had everything he would need – his speech notes, a sermon-delivering luck piece, etc. It gives me pause to think of this great man doing such ordinary things as asking Coretta, for the hundredth time, if his tie was on straight or to hurry with her hair so they would be on time. It lends a feeling of realism and poignancy to the impassioned crescendo delivery that just feels right for me.
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The only work directly referenced in this post is the audio and text copy of the speech at the instructor provided link (http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/Ihaveadream.htm). All conclusions and opinions regarding the technical qualities of this speech, as stated in this post, are entirely my own.
Thank you for your consideration of this review.
Sharon Yarbrough
Freshman, Georgia Perimeter College
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