In the 1960s March on Washington, prominent civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. During this time, much of the United States population fought for equality between races and faced many challenges in the process. For the Civil Rights Movement and those who fought for it, King’s speech served as a unifying call to action for the United States to finally grant equality for all its citizens. Through the use of allusion and anaphora in his “I Have a Dream” speech, Martin Luther King Jr. effectively conveys his message that the United States must grant equality to fulfill its duty to the people.
Throughout his speech, King alludes to patriotic texts, such as the Declaration of Independence and the song “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” to emphasize the importance of equality for all in the nation. For example, he tells of his hope “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.” This reference to a fundamental document from the founding of the United States shows that equality has been a basic right for all citizens of the country since its beginning, thus supporting King’s call for true equality. Later on, Dr. King states lines from the song “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”: “My country, ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrims’ pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.” By bringing up this song, he accomplishes two things. First, he shows that these civil rights activists truly love their country and are fighting to improve it. Second, he calls to attention the line “let freedom ring,” which reiterates his wish for freedom and equality.
All across Dr. King’s speech, he uses anaphora related to community to bring emphasis to the fact that equality is a right for everyone. When speaking about the abuses committed against the African American community, he creates anaphora in his repetition of the phrase “We can never be satisfied as long as…” His use of the word “we” and repetition of this phrase communicate to the audience that many people are joined together in this fight, and equality affects everyone. In a separate section, King repeats the phrase “to… together,” in which he describes various actions that people will be able to do with each other once the government grants equality. This illustrates how the community within the United States is divided without equality but could be united with it.
Martin Luther King Jr. also creates anaphora with his use of phrases that describe the possibilities for a future with freedom. In perhaps the most well-known part of his speech, Dr. King repeats the phrase “I have a dream” at each beginning of seven consecutive sentences. Through these, he describes the future he envisions where the citizens of the nation are free, showing that the country would be better if the government granted true equality. Additionally, King ends his speech with sentences all starting with “let freedom ring.” This anaphora emphasizes the United States’ potential for fulfilling its ideal of freedom if it granted everyone equality.
In the famous “I Have a Dream” speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the regular use of allusion and anaphora help magnify the message of equality for all in the United States. It is important to analyze these literary devices within the text because analysis helps the reader better understand why the speech was so effective and prominent. King’s repetition of “I have a dream,” for example, coined the title of the speech, and that specific section is also what most individuals know in the present day. By focusing on these examples of creative language, one acknowledges their intent and meaning, thus strengthening the reader’s appreciation of the speech overall.
