Martin Luther King's Speech Review

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1 Martin Luther King Speech Review Background of Martin Luther King Martin Luther King was a civil rights activist and a Baptist minister. He was born in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He went to a public school and joined college at the age of fifteen. His educational life was highly successful. He graduated with a degree in sociology form Morehouse College. In his studies, Luther Jr earned several awards, being valedictorian of his class and the student body president. He also earned a doctoral degree from Boston University where he met his wife Coretta Scott. Luther King Jr was elected to lead the Montgomery bus boycott that ensued from an arrest of a black passenger that refused to give up a bus sit. He gave the civil rights renewed energy …show more content…

The speech is quite optimistic as the author hopes that poverty and racism are vices that can easily be overcome. He points out alternative ways of dealing with injustice, violence, and social oppressions. This way, the author appeals to people’s rational judgment to choose peaceful ways of handling social issues. The value of peace dominates the author’s speech. He recognizes that the Nobel Prize is an honor to many other leaders that are spearheading the struggle to end “man’s inhumanity to man.” Thesis of Luther’s Speech The author expresses the struggle that the civil rights activists and other leaders in the world are making to end racial injustice, poverty, and militarism by adopting a more peaceful approach to violence and oppression. The author advocates for love and peace by appealing to faith and hope in people. Elements of a Strong …show more content…

He uses imagery to paint a picture of the brutal handling that people underwent while demonstrating peacefully in Alabama. Another imagery is used to show how the Civil rights Bill will develop into a “superhighway” of justice. He applies quotes from the Bible to instill optimism to people that are still struggling. The author chooses his words appropriately to affect a certain emotion. For instance, to illustrate the value of each person’s life, the author chooses to call this “the river of life.” Similes are used to compare peace and diamonds where the author shows how valuable peace is. An optimistic mood is used to show the writer’s faith and hope for a better nation. Words that illustrate a hopeful mood in the speech include “a brighter tomorrow” and “bright

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