Martin Luther King Jnr. "I have a dream" (1963)
Martin Luther King: "I Have a Dream," 1963 (with subtitles)
"I Have a Dream" is a public speech that was delivered by American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington DC for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963, in which he called for civil and economic rights and an end to racism in the United States. Delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., the speech was a defining moment of the civil rights movement and among the most iconic speeches in American history.
Warning: audio-video sync problem.
SOURCE: Rare Facts (2017), posted on YouTube, Duration: 6:46 mins, URL: https://youtu.be/vP4iY1TtS3s
Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech analysed by Nancy Duarte
Nancy Duarte analyses Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech using principles from her book, Resonate. Mapping the speech to her “presentation form”, Duarte reveals the magic that makes it memorable.
SOURCE: Posted on Vimeo (2011), Duration: 5:37 mins, URL: https://vimeo.com/18792376
Context/Background
Delivered by: Martin Luther King
Date: August 28,1963
Location: Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.
Word Count: 1682
Minutes: 16:22
Readability score: Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease 67.5
Grade Level: 9.1
Rhetorical device used: So many elements in this speech are figurative: metaphors, allusions, alliterations. The speech is lyrical and King incorporates lyrics from "My Country 'tis of Thee" to create a new sets of verses. The Refrain is a verse, a line, a set, or a group of some lines repeated usually in a song or poem.
The most famous refrain from the speech: "I have a Dream, today."
In the late 1950's, Martin Luther King, Jr. became a leader in the civil rights movement working to end segregation. On August 28, 1963, King, delivered his famous, "I Have a Dream" speech to more than 200,000 people at the March on Washington.
Dr. King advocated non-violent protests and shared his belief and hope that all people could be treated as equals regardless of their race. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Tragically, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated four years later on April 4, 1968.
In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill designating the third Monday in January as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a federal holiday honouring Dr. King. Many people celebrate the holiday by volunteering in their communities as a way of honouring the civil rights leader by giving back.
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| Biography of Speaker | Imagery in "I Have a Dream" | King's Speech: What you don't know. |
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| Close Reading Activity | Review: "I Have a Dream" speech | Audio file & Transcript |