Topic: The dream of unifying black and white people to live peacefully together.

General Purpose: To convince the listeners that we can destroy racism by coming together and
showing the world that regardless of skin color, we can create a symphony and brotherhood
between us all.
Specific Purpose: Convince listeners to realize that blacks and whites living together is
beneficial for society.
Central Idea: Integrating races
Introduction: Being aware of the harsh racism all throughout America, especially the South,
Martin Luther King Jr. has a dream to bring people together and live in a nation where they will
not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. With countless uses
of repetition, MLK makes his dream for America very clear: to integrate and unify us as one. He
explains that blacks and whites should share the same experiences to unite us. Such as having
faith together, working together, praying together, and to struggle together.
Metaphors: ...with its governor having his lips dripping with words of interposition and
nullification. MLK is obviously comparing the governors words to interposition/nullification.
Similes: ...one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join
hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. This a simile used by MLK
to make the connection between races, comparing them to brothers and sisters. This is to show
the listener that we are more closely connected than we think we are, and from his previous
references to God in the speech, it is a common belief that we are all his children. Therefore, we
are brothers and sisters.
Personification: Let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let
freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado. These uses of personification are used
to show the need of freedom throughout the entire country of America, not just in a specific area.
Parallelisms: Although its often labeled as repetition, the quote I have a dream used
throughout the entire speech is a parallelism that is used for emphasis of his thoughts and
ideologies, and provides clarity. Parallelisms are identical in structure, meaning, or even sound.
This strategy is makes writing effective.
Antithesis: Couldnt find any examples of antithesis.
Alliteration: This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to
hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform
the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. The use of the
word faith is an example of alliteration, and provides emphasis on his own emotion that he is
experiencing.

Concrete words: Concrete words used in this excerpt of the speech are skin, hands, flesh, New
Hampshire, Colorado, California (and more examples of actual locations.) These concrete words
are to emphasize the realness and actuality of the situation. These words are used to not create a
metaphorical tone, but to give the listener the idea that this situation is real and authentic. We can
feel skin and flesh. Racism is hitting several areas of our country.
Generalizations: MLK employs a few generalizations in his speech to leave the reader open to
interpretation, to create their own feeling and emotion while getting a hint of his. Let freedom
ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes
of California. While these might be a bit detailed, hes explaining the general concept of
freedom within these states.
Ambiguous words: MLK states I have a dream that one day ever valley shall be exalted, every
hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain and the crooked places
will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it
together. This whole paragraph is loaded with ambiguous words to let the listener create an
image in their mind but also receive the general idea of the unification he wants. the crooked
places will be made straight is an open-to-interpretation statement that allows the reader have
their own ideas of that term.