FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE

On August 28, 1963 Martin Luther King Jr. addressed a nation that was severed in half by racial hatred and prejudice. For nearly a century the African American community had not been given the rights that they were entitled to after the end of the Civil war and subsequent amendments to the Constitution. Various African American leaders had continued the push for equal rights, but it seemed as though this ideal would ever come to fruition. The African Americans needed their message to sink into the hearts of the nation, and because of MLK this was accomplished. In his speech “I Have a Dream”, Martin Luther King Jr. tries to persuade white Americans to move beyond antiquated prejudices and accept African Americans as equals by using intense and vivid imagery.

MLK’s speech is loaded with powerful imagery that sinks into the memory of all who hear it. Dr. King uses this imagery in a variety of forms including metaphors that resound with verses from the Bible and carefully constructed sentences that pull at the audience’s heartstrings. In the beginning paragraphs of the speech Dr. King refers to the social injustices that still exist in America and how Black Americans are “sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.” This carefully constructed phrase brings the image of suffering slaves into the mind of the audience, thus making the current situation seem more drastically in need of change. Further in his speech Dr. King uses violent imagery to further grab the attention of the audience and bring the situation of Black America to the forefront of national thought. Dr. King says, “We can no longer be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by a sign that says ‘For Whites Only.’” The imagery created in this sentence is powerful in two ways: it evokes a scene of violence and it brings innocent children into play. The words stripped and robbed have very powerful and negative connotations and the way Dr. King uses them makes the audience picture a violent scene that most would think unlawful or simply evil. By creating these powerful mental images MLK’s message has extraordinary appeals to the pathos of his audience.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech, “I Have a Dream” showcases how when used correctly, vivid imagery can make a speech or written address memorable and powerful enough to move masses of people to action. Dr. King fills the minds and hearts of his audience with images of injustice and suffering, and consequently he is able to get through to them by means of their emotions. After sufficiently gaining his audience’s attention, Dr. King proposes a plan to change America and bring about the realization of the phrase, “All men are created equal.” The effectiveness of this speech is proved today by its popularity online and its continued use in classroom study of language and rhetoric.