Dear Dr. King,

In your speech “I Have a Dream” something that stood out to me most in your language was the use of repetition “we can never be satisfied… “(405) in response to those who devote civil rights asking “When will you be satisfied?” (405); as well as the metaphor, “we are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” (406) I felt this was powerful because it successfully provides a clear picture to the people who are unrealistic in the dire situation of the struggles that black people are going through including police brutality, far travel, unsafe, poverty stricken living conditions, and no one in power to fight for them.

The feature of metaphor exemplifies in your letter to Birmingham, on your explanation for the word wait “It has been a tranquilizing thalidomide, relieving the emotional stress for a moment, only to give birth to an ill-formed infant of frustration.” (2) I found it relates back to your speech explaining yet again the struggles of the black community in which their cry for help was constantly disregarded. The difference between your letter and your speech was that I noticed you sounded exasperated which is understandable considering the great lengths you underwent to promote peace and awareness for your people but in return you were put in a jail cell. Especially when you get critiqued and overlooked by these apathetic people who are in power. This is important to me because even today minorities, such as myself, I’ve had my fair share and witness of injustice, what’s fair for one race should be fair for all. Although we’ve come a long way, we’ve got more to go.