Quang H. Pham
Discussion on MLK’s Speech
The “I Have a Dream” speech delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a truly historical
event, spoken during a time of uncertainty and unrest throughout the United States. It was a
defining moment of the civil rights movement, a campaign to end inequality and ensure liberty
and rights for all. Dr. King’s speech is a masterstroke in oratory skills, using parallelism and
allusions to the Gettysburg Address and the Bible, and it is considered one of the greatest
American speeches alongside Lincoln’s aforementioned Gettysburg Address and Franklin
Roosevelt’s Day of Infamy speech.
The primary organizational strategy that stood out to me was the way Dr. King
chronologically structured his speech. Speaking at the steps of the Lincoln Monument, Dr. King
made references to the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln’s executive order freeing the slaves
in 1863. Dr. King proceeded to continue to his present day, speaking how the US has not lived
up to its promise of “all men are created equal,” the poverty that people of color are enduring,
and the urgency for action to be taken. Dr. King then mentioned towards the middle of the
speech that “1963 is not the end, but a beginning,” alluding to the continued struggle and future
victory that he outlines in the most famous parts at the end of his speech.