King does not use many similes, but he uses a lot of metaphors. The use of many metaphor compared to usage of similes are showing a higher form of skill and intelligence. The usages of his metaphors also are requiring greater ability on the part of the audience to perceive the hidden messages, the insight into persons, things or ideas that are implied. Dr. King’s metaphor usage serve us to animate and civilize what is inanimate and they do give us more space for our imagination and make his speech more magnificent, imposing and impressive and is what makes him known as one of the greatest speakers and rhetoric’s to listen …show more content…
Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. The whole theme of “I have a dream” as mentioned earlier was a metaphor. The dream that he had was not really a full dream he had, it was more like a vision. Dr. King was not actually sleeping to have this “dream” he was looking in to what he would like to see, something that is not, but he can form the very image of what could be, in his mind. A big metaphor for his vision and the way he would like to see society behave in the near future, at the moment of the speech. Within this huge metaphor of “I have a dream” he has very many metaphors that are bigger and include other things to paint that image in your mind.
A very notable feature in this speech is the usage of excessive metaphor. Dr. King goes right into the metaphor usage in the first two paragraphs. In the beginning paragraph Dr. King mentions the Negro people as having the Emancipation Proclamation as being a great beacon light of hope to them. In the same sentence he goes to say that the Negro slaves had been, “seared in the flames of withering injustice.” The ending sentence of the first paragraph, “It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity,” is very nicely played out in rhetoric and metaphorical