Preview

Voices: African American and Martin Luther Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
783 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Voices: African American and Martin Luther Essay Example
Everyone is born with a voice, but the power to convey the purpose and meaning is a characteristic of a distinctive voice. In history many voices have been heard but from them, only the distinctive voices have the ability to change, alter and shape society. Examples of these prominent voices are Martin Luther King and Severn Suzuki who ‘silenced the world for 5 minutes’. Through the use of techniques and symbolism such as metaphors, persuasive tones and religious context the activist are able to convey their meaning and purpose to the world.
The purpose of Martin Luther King, "I have a dream" speech was to unite both white and coloured people. Martin Luther was an African American, so he felt the discrimination between blacks and whites firsthand. He wrote the speech in hope that the people listening would be able to feel the pain that the African Americans were going through, and they did. Martin Luther played a major role in stopping discrimination.
Severn Cullis-Suzuki was only 12 years old when she spoke before the UN earth Summit in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. A child speaking before adults representing all the countries in the world, yet her speech was anything but childish. It was an astonishing advice and an appeal to everyone to help stop the destruction of the earth’s resources. She spoke of deforestation, chemicals in the air, the waste and greed in our society, and the wanton destruction of animal and plant species that can never be brought back to life again.
In August 1963, Martin Luther King electrified America with his momentous ‘I Have A Dream’ speech, dramatically delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. His soaring rhetoric demanding racial justice and an integrated society became a mantra for the black community and is as familiar to subsequent generations of Americans as the US Declaration of Independence. His words proved to be a touchstone for understanding the social and political confusion of the time and gave the nation a

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Martin Luther King, Jr., a Civil Rights Activist of the 1950s, delivered the “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963 to advocate for equal rights for all ethnicities and to convey the message that unity is essential to the strength of society. Martin Luther King, Jr. starts his speech by uniting the audience under a similar belief that, “all men would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the…

    • 1057 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream (1963)” speech, he addresses the idea that in order to fulfill the premise that “all men were created equal,” the people of the nation must work together to move past the injustices inflicted on African Americans in order to ultimately grant them their civil rights. King’s claim is supported by first repeatedly alluding to historically renowned milestones in the fight against oppression and illustrating numerous metaphors to create an emotional connection with his audience. King’s “dream” that he frequently mentions is the nationwide unification to work toward a common goal in order to bring integration of all races and coexist without oppression. By establishing his goal, he creates an earnest tone for the people of America working toward cutting the “manacles of segregation and chains of discrimination.”…

    • 714 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the most prominent aspects of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s movement toward racial equality was that it was nonviolent. Dr. King held peaceful protests, marches, and even boycotts in order to support his cause. Motivated by Dr. King's reliance on nonviolence, Cesar Chavez authored this untitled article with the goal of promoting nonviolence and helping those in need. Chavez uses a variety of rhetorical devices in order to achieve his goal. By using juxtaposition and appeals to the reader, he develops a surprisingly strong argument.…

    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    One of the most memorable and prolific speeches of the twentieth century was delivered on August 28, 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in our nation's capital. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of a dream in which the social norms at the time would shed away and life would take the form of the America originally envisioned by its founding fathers. It was this speech that portrayed the struggles of African Americans and the struggles of America as well. Furthermore, "I Have A Dream" expresses the need for the social acceptance and equality for not only African Americans, but also people of all gender, race, and religion.…

    • 3998 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    MLK/Mockingbird Analysis

    • 945 Words
    • 4 Pages

    “I have a dream today… From every mountain side, let freedom ring.” These were the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. During the time period set in To Kill a Mockingbird and when MLK lived (1930-1960), racial discrimination and prosecution were sewn into the culture of the south of the United States. The Civil Rights Act through the 1950’S and 60’s was meant to reverse this thinking of hatred and prejudice towards African-Americans. This movement became “the nation’s latest attempt to perform in the South an exorcising of its original sin, and it turned out our most epic moral drama since the Civil War itself” (Marshall Frady, 2). One of the most prominent leaders in this act was Dr. King. This reverend became one of the main reasons segregation ended throughout America. During the March on Washington on August 28th 1963, he gave a speech entitled “I Have a Dream.” The importance of the “I Have a Dream” speech was that it brought greater national attention to the Civil Rights Movement, shined light upon MLK and his nonviolent philosophies, and influenced thousands to come together without racial division.…

    • 945 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    On August 28, 1963 all eyes were on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as he took the stage and spoke before a crowd gathered just outside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.. Nearly 250,000 people came to hear the great civil rights icon deliver his "I Have a Dream" speech at the March on Washington for jobs and freedom. Dr. King's words were nothing short of awe-inspiring when he stood before those gathered to march for freedom and justice as a beacon of hope. A prominent figure in the civil rights movement and a most eloquent speaker, King's words are certainly those that will carry the spirits of those seeking righteousness.…

    • 350 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the words of Robert Kennedy, “Few will have the greatness to bend history, but each of us can work to change a small portion of the…acts [which] will be written in the history of our generation.” Small steps often lead to great changes, and so it was with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, pioneers in the fight for racial equality. These two great leaders had the same goal, to achieve racial equality; however, they went about achieving that goal with two very different approaches. Dr. King’s message in his “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington in 1963, was one of optimism and hope that the broken promises of the American government would one day be fulfilled. His hope was to achieve racial equality through integration rather than segregation. Dr. King grew up in a very loving and stable home where both his grandfather and father were…

    • 439 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the 1960’s racial injustice in America was at an all-time high, and African Americans faced brutality daily. On August 25, 1963, at one of the largest civil rights demonstrations in history, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C, facing more than 250,000 people, renowned civil rights activist, Martin Luther King Jr., declaimed his views on the injustices that African Americans were facing during the civil rights movement,. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech I Have a Dream, King addresses the racial injustices and brutality happening in America and through his use of rhetorical appeals, repetition, allusions, and alliteration, King expresses the need for change in both black and white citizens, and that both sides must…

    • 149 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    August 18th, 1963, 250,000 people are gathered in Washington around the Lincoln Memorial statue in anticipation waiting to see what a hardworking young baptist minister has to say to the world. Martin Luther King slowly walks on stage and waves to the roaring crowd. He is ready to make a speech that would supposedly change the world forever. The speech he delivers is titled I have a dream, which challenges the racial perception of many Americans. He reminds the American people how one hundred years ago Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation and how even years before that our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence.…

    • 1208 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    He was a preacher, activist and the top leader in the African American civil rights movement. He is repeatedly presented as a heroic and brave leader in the modern history of American liberalism. Martin Luther King Jr is most well-known for his speech known as “I have a dream”. It is about not being segregated or discriminated against and to have equal rights between all people of our nation, whether they are black or white or red. Dr. King intended to draw in both white and black audiences through his unforgettable speech. Today it is known as one of the greatest speeches in…

    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was able to motivate his listeners through the brilliant use of…

    • 1213 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “ I have a Dream” speech to hundreds of people at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C revealing the ideals of the current world and encouraging his audience to envision his dream of a new America where segregation and discrimination were abolished. To do this King intelligently chose words, phrases, references that appealed to his audiences commonalities such as religion, their common struggle, and their desire to make the nation great.…

    • 362 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963 at Washington D.C. in front of the Washington Monument. Dr. King gave his to help promote the idea that all men should be treated equally. He developed his speech by saying that “100 years later, we must face the tragic fact that the negro is still not free,” (King). Another way he shows that the African Americans are not free yet is by saying “One hundred years later the Negro is still languishing in the comers of AMerican society and finds himself an exile in his own land,” (King). His goal throughout his speech was to show how the African Americans were still not free and how that this is not the end of their fight for freedom, but the beginning. His speech was intended…

    • 163 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    On August 28, 1963, America was gifted with Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, given from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Throughout his entire speech, the crowd was heavily moved and it was apparent from the way that they clapped in admiration. The speech was a highlight in the movement of freedom and equality based on the turnout, and show of support of the movement during the speech. The intended audience was far surpassed with over three-hundred thousand people from all ethnicities gathered in Washington to hear the historical speech.…

    • 907 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his I Have a Dream speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963. He spoke about Civil Rights and the rights guaranteed by the Declaration of Independence for all citizens of this country, regardless of race, creed, or color. He said he hoped to see a day when “… children will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Dr. Martin Luther King saw segregation as “one of the root causes of the unfulfilled…

    • 1609 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays