Excel English: 3rd Quarter
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Prose: written or SPOKEN language in its
ordinary form
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SPEECH: formal address delivered to an
audience
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RHETORIC: the art of effective or persuasive
speaking or writing, especially the use of
figures of speech and other compositional
techniques
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Articulation: CLEAR and distinct speech
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Cadence: rhythm or flow of speech
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Connotation: what a word suggests or
implies beyond its literal meaning
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Inflection: rising and falling in the pitch of a
voice.
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Pause: momentary stop to give additional
emphasis
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Projection: Directing the voice so it can be
heard at a distance (speaking loudly)
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Parallelism: Repetition of a
grammatical structure, sound and
meaning
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Repetition: Repeating a word/phrase to
add a sense of balance and rhythm
(anaphora)
Reform movements
in the United States
aimed at abolishing
racial discrimination
 freedom, respect,
dignity, and
economic and social
equality
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American Baptist clergyman,
activist and prominent leader
in the African-American civil
rights movement
Youngest person to receive
the Nobel Peace Prize (1964)
for his work to end
segregation and
discrimination through civil
disobedience and other nonviolent means
assassinated on April 4, 1968
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Delivery of the speech
on August 28, 1963,
from the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial
during the March on
Washington for Jobs
and Freedom, was a
defining moment of
the American Civil
Rights Movement.
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http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=PbUtL_0v
AJk
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Allusion: reference to a well-known
Metaphor: direct comparison
Repetition: to say again for emphasis
Parallelism: repetition of phrase
Dichotomy: contrast between two things
that are opposed or entirely different
Alliteration: first consonant repeated
Juxtaposition: place or deal with close
together for contrasting effect
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Lonnie Rashid
Lynne Jr.
Hip hop artist and
actor
Considered the
“thinking man’s”
rapper
criticized the path
hip-hop music was
taking
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“I Have a Dream”
Personification
Allusion
Alliteration
Dichotomy
Refrain
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44th president of
the United States;
the first African
American
previously served
as the junior
Senator from
Illinois
Nobel Prize
recipient 2009
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Addresses audience: “My fellow citizens”
“humbled” and “grateful”
Invokes the past: “We the People”
Addresses crisis then motivates for
solutions—NOW: “Today I say to you”
 Directly addresses the country: “But know this,
America”
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Overarching phrase: “And yet at this
moment—a moment that will define a
generation…”
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“This is the..” corresponds to MLK’s “Now is
the time…”
Invokes scripture and God
References the progress made in civil rights:
(paragraph 34) “…why a man whose father
less than 60 years ago might not have been
served at a local restaurant can now stand
before you to take a most sacred oath.”
Two Histories
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Poetry in America
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African American People
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Cultural background + infusion of the history
of a people
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determination to express something about
that history
African American
cultural movement of
the 1920s-30s
 Literary recognition
 Artistic expression of
the African American
experience
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wrote novels, short
stories, plays, and
poetry
insightful, colorful
portrayals of black life
in America from the 20s
through the 60s
wanted to tell the
stories of his people in
ways that reflected
their actual culture,
including both their
suffering and their love
of music, laughter, and
language itself
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Speaks to black experience; suggests that
black AND white experiences are part of the
HUMAN experience
Variation: difference of condition
“Place in the sun”: freedom
Symbolism:
 Sun/day: white
 Night: cool, tender, black
Color was a
landmark of the
Harlem
Renaissance
 careful, traditional
style that
celebrated black
beauty and
deplored the
effects of racism
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Subjective w/traditional rhyme scheme
Paradox: “Diverse yet single”
Metaphor: “A little tent…All his little own.”
Personification: “Joy may be shy”; “Sorrow
never scorned to speak”
Universal suffering: “Not me alone”
Allusion: Christ/”My sorry must be laid/On
your head like a crown.”