Martin Luther King
January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968
Amazing Facts!!
Graduated from high school at
15…college at 19!!
He went on to earn a Ph.D. in
systematic theology in 1955!
In 1964 King won the Nobel Peace
Prize.
Time Magazine's
"Man of the Year"
(1963)
Did You Know??
King wrote five books in addition to
many letters, essays, and speeches.
Martin Luther King’s birth name was:
Michael Luther King Jr.
King's efforts were not limited to securing civil
rights; he also spoke out against poverty and war.
Tribute
• A spoken or written expression of:
– Admiration
– Respect
– Gratitude
– Recognition
“Martin Luther King” by Raymond
Patterson
He came upon an age
Beset by grief, by rage-
His love so deep so wide,
He could not turn aside.
His passion, so profound,
He would not turn around.
He taught this suffering Earth
The measure of Man’s worth.
He showed what Man can be
Before death sets him free.
Rhythm
• Rhythm is the pattern of stressed and
unstressed syllables.
• You should be able to hear a “beat” in the
reading.
You should be able to hear a stressed/unstressed
pattern in words that are more than one syllable.
For example, the adverb forcefully has the first
syllable stressed, and the other two syllables
unstressed:
force´ful ly.
FORCE fully is the correct way to say this
word.
FORCE = the stressed syllable
fully = the two unstressed syllables
If you said forceFULLY, the word would sound
wrong.
The stress can change if the words
changes.
photograph
photography
photographic
How do we find the stressed syllables?
• Dictionaries show us the stressed syllables in
many different ways. Example: Amazing
• Accent marks.
a·maz·ing
• Lower cased unstressed/higher cased stressed
uh-MAY-zing
Watch the pattern of the beats.
The stressed beat is the louder one,
and the line goes higher.
Rhythm
He came upon an age
Beset by grief, by rage
Let’s tap out
the beat while
we read!!
He came upon an age
Beset by grief, by rageHis love so deep so wide,
He could not turn aside.
His passion, so profound,
He would not turn around.
He taught this suffering Earth
The measure of Man’s worth.
He showed what Man can be
Before death sets him free.
Rhythm
How many beats do you count in each line?
How many stressed syllables is that?
How many unstressed syllables?
Paraphrase
To understand the meaning of a poem, you can
paraphrase or restate parts of it.
For example: “He came upon an age/ Beset by
grief, by rage.”
Paraphrased: King was born in and grew up in a
troubled time.
There is more that we can add to this! 
Paraphrase
Let’s paraphrase the rest of the poem.
The first couplet has already been done
for you.
“He came upon an age
Beset by grief, by rage.”
Paraphrased:
King was born in and grew
up in a troubled time.
Add to the paraphrase.
Consider:
When did King
become an adult?
What was going on in
our country at that
time?
What type of troubles
did our country face?
His love so deep so wide,
He could not turn aside
His passion, so profound,
He would not turn around.
He taught this suffering Earth
The measure of Man’s worth.
He showed what Man can be
Before death sets him free.
Connection
• How are this poem and the tribute written by
Alice Walker similar?
• What did the two subjects of the tributes have
in common?
Questions Pg. 722
Reader’s Response: Do you think that the poem
captures the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr.?
Thematic Focus: What clues to Martin Luther
King Jr.’s personality can you find in the poem?
(How do we know what type of person he was?)
Questions Pg. 722
1.Describe the age into which King was born.
2.What are two personal qualities that King
brought to this age? (According to the
poem)
3.What did King teach this “suffering Earth”?
Questions Pg. 722
1. What does the poet mean by King’s “passion so
profound”?
2. In your own words, explain the phrases in lines
8-9 that describe King’s achievements.
3. Would this poem be suitable for an epitaph, an
inscription on King’s grave? Explain.
4. If King were alive today, what are causes for
which he might be fighting?
Extension
• Why might Patterson have written this poem
as a tribute?
• What makes the writing of King so powerful?
• How did King’s oration style emphasize the
power of his words?
– Pay attention to the pauses, rhythm, flow, and
emphasis in the following excerpt from a speech
of King’s.
Excerpt from King’s Last Speech
• "I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed
me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked
over. And I've seen the promised land. I may
not get there with you. But I want you to
know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to
the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm
not worried about anything. I'm not fearing
any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the
coming of the Lord."