1. Alliteration- repetition of initial consonant sound
Allusion- indirect reference to someone or something
Metaphor- all language that involves figures of speech or symbolism and does not literally represent real things
Simile- a figure of speech that draws a comparison between two different things, especially a phrase containing the word "like" or "as,"
2.“Five score years ago,” is an allusion to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, in which he says “Four score and seven years ago,” when he is referring to the independence of the United States. It was probably used because it points out parallels from Lincoln’s speech.
3. An allusion to the Declaration was the well-known phrase “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. An allusion to the bible is “and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh see it together.”
4. An example of alliteration can be found in the line “One day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression…”
5. An example of a metaphor can be found in the line “American has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds’”.
6. An example of a simile can be found in the line “No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until ‘justice rolls down like waters’”.
7. a. This is a metaphorical term.
b. This would be an effective way of moving his audience because those African-Americans who are listening with slave ancestors can probably relate and feel the pain those to which King refers.
c. King was inferring that the progress is taking too long to be made. He felt that, because slavery was over, people should no longer be discriminated against because of their skin color.
8. One example of an anaphora is the phrase “One hundred years later…” Another example is “We can never be satisfied as long as…”
9. One possible effect is that more blacks in the future could also possibly make changes, because they see that is not impossible to do. This phrase could also state the idea that racial equality in this country is nothing more than an optimistic dream.
10. There are a few of King’s images that jumped out at me as I was listening to and reading his “I Have A Dream” speech. “One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.” This particular quote caught my attention because he was making an indirect reference to slavery. This was 100 years after slavery was abolished, so the fact that King chose the words “manacles” and “chains” made me think that the effects of slavery were still in play. King also speaks of cashing a check that had insufficient funds. We as a people were promised Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, but blacks of the time were being deprived of at least one of these: Liberty. There was no liberty in the treatment of the African-Americans. This was a promise that was broken, so I loved the reference to a check that had insufficient funds. This describes the situation perfectly.
Understanding The Dream
1. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a great dream that changed the lives of many. He gave his “I Have A Dream” speech on August 28, 1963 during the march on Washington. King’s dream was for every person living in this country to have equality, regardless of race, gender, or ancestry. Slavery had been ended for almost one hundred years, and African-Americans were still treated unfairly. Blacks were still discriminated against, and still suffered from the unjustified and belittling act of segregation. King felt that hose who were treated unfairly should attempt to gain their deserved place in society, but to do so without mistreating anyone else, because King was an advocate of peace.
2. Some specific acts of injustice were “the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.” Also, “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.” and “Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.”
3. The “American Dream” that was mentioned in King’s speech is the freedom that all citizens in the United States want to pursue their goals through free choice and hard work.
4. I think he did this to be inclusive of all the states in the United States. He wants to make sure that all the states feel included so that there is a wider response to his message.
5. I do think that I would have been moved by King’s speech because I am of African-American descent. At this time, I would have been mistreated because of the color of my skin, so this message would have definitely moved me.
Relating to the Dream
1. My definition of racism is the mistreatment of an individual based on the color of their skin, or ethnicity.
2. a. Perhaps the extreme right-winged organizations chose violence because they knew that they had no real purpose and could not fight the blacks with words. This also may have made them feel more powerful than the blacks. They were probably trying to remind the African-Americans of their heritage and where their ancestors were only years before.
b. This is possibly because their leader, Martin Luther King Jr., was an advocate for nonviolence. They most likely knew that they were right and didn’t feel the need to retaliate violently.
3. I do not think that today’s skinheads are very dangerous. Granted, they could do some minor damage, but in reality they would quickly be overtaken, because there are far more in this world today who believe in equality than those who don’t. So they would definitely be outnumbered, and this fact would probably cause them not to try anything.
4. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his speech in 1963, and in 2009 it is safe to say that we are reaping many of the benefits of it, because so much has been accomplished in terms of assuring equality of all. On this day, January 20, 2009, our nation’s first black president was sworn into office. This is a feat that many never saw actually happening, and it goes to show that anyone really could become whatever they want in life. This is a prime example of the “American Dream” being lived out. Many of the issues posed by King in his speech have been fixed. For example, segregation is now illegal in America, so there are no more “Whites Only” toilets or water fountains. It is also now illegal to deprive someone of a job based on race or gender. Black men and women are now allowed to vote. This is a great example of the equality that we as a people have today. Everyone is given equal opportunity to do everything in this day and age, and personally, I believe that this is what makes this country “the United States of America”. Although we Americans have made great strides in fulfilling King’s dream, there are still some things that have yet to be accomplished. We have not completely filtered out all of America’s discrimination. Although it is illegal to deprive someone of a job based on skin color, it is still done without anyone’s knowledge save the person doing it. There is also still racism in the country.
Although many won’t admit to it, there are far too many people in this country who judge individuals based on the color of their skin, which is clearly disapproved of in King’s speech. We have made leaps and bounds from where we once were in terms of equality, but we have quite a while to go before we are where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted us to be.
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