Dear Dr. King

One feature of your speech “I Have A Dream” that i found was the most powerful was your use of repetition throughout the speech, especially in your quotes “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character (pg. 406)…..I have a dream that one day every 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” (pg. 407). The reason is because it gives insight of how you believe that just because something might not happen, since a dream is basically just a figment of imagination, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.Plus the way you say it makes it clear that people should work hard to make the “dream” come true.

I have also noticed how you use repetition in your letter from “Letter of Birmingham Jail”  by repeating “unjust and just laws” (pg. 3). Although I noticed how you say it in a more stern tone of voice than how you did in your speech, giving more insight of how disappointed you are with the government in how they made laws unfair for colored people, making them feel inferior to white people. I feel that this is important because using a different tone of voice and repetition gives people more of an understanding of your point that the unfairness needs to end.

Dear Dr. King,
In your ‘I Have A Dream” speech, metaphors were one of your most powerful aspects. The way you use metaphors entertains the reader and grabs their attention. One metaphor in this speech states, “let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred” (pg 405). This is a powerful aspect because it makes readers want to interact and be a part of the cause. It draws the reader in and explains the difficult situations they had to face in an interesting way. Metaphors allow the reader to see things in a figurative point of view instead of the literal meaning behind it. The use of metaphors make reading a bit easier to understand.
In the “Birmingham Jail” letter Dr. King does not continue his use of metaphors as much. Instead he decides to go into depth of the problems Negro’s faced. Dr. King is more upfront about addressing these situations in order to grab the readers’ attention. He makes sure that the person reading has a good understanding of the just and unjust laws. He tries to make the reader see the Negro’s point of view and convince others to stand up for one another in order to bring everyone together. True peace can not be obtained until we are able to accept and love one another. This is important because even though metaphors give an understanding of the situation, you still need to be aware of the literal meaning and what is actually happening.

Dear Dr. King,

Throughout your efforts to gain racial equality, using religion provides a strong argument in your speech, “I Have a Dream.” Religious allusion allows those of a different belief to relate to your situation, and other Negro’s as well. By doing so, it creates the idea the we are all born equally and should not be distinguished by the color of our skin. In your speech, you also describe how we all share the similarity that we are all born under a creator, referring back to your speech where it states,” We will be to speed up that day when all of God’s children , black men, white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics will be able to join hands.”(Pg. 408) Providing this statement, and referring to us people, as “God’s Children,” allows me to realize that if we are supposidely created equally, coming together, or “Joining hands” if you may, will create a stronger message in the fight to end segregation.

On the other hand, in your letter from “Birmingham Jail”, it is quite differently worded in my opinion, although you are still composing the same point which is gaining racial equality. In your letter, I found your language to be much more aggressive and up front, such as providing the point that a Negro is treated with such disrespect for no apparent reason. For example, when you state,” When your first name becomes nigger, and your middle name becomes boy (however old your are) and your last name becomes John.”(Pg. 2) This statement provides the idea that all blacks are not referred to by their own name as a sign of disrepect. Although both the letter from “Birmingham Jail” and the “I Have a Dream” speech consist of the same concept, I believe the Letter was much strongly worded in the reason being that it was meant to be read by eight white religious leaders of the south, whereas the the speech was being read for the people, especially Negros.

Dear Dr.King
One powerful aspect I found in the speech was the use of repetition throughout. One use of a metaphor “One hundred years later” in response there was little to no change “(404) one hundred years later, the life of a Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.” This quote tells about believing in change but there was a change and it wasn’t really applied to all. This is a powerful aspect because throughout history even with slavery law banned African Americans still are held down of their rights. That repetition was repeated numerous times because it was a way to tell that we had something but never put to its potential. The quote explains “I have a dream” because Africans were broken of their rights and that in Dr. king speech he has a dream that African Americans are to be equal with all races.
Relating to the letter you wrote in Birmingham jail is quite different because the explanation of the black man and how it is dangerous. The repetition is similar to the letter in my perspective because as you were writing this letter you are imprison which shows the racism and showing of non-change. Trying to fight for change is a step but as quoted “one hundred years later” there isn’t no change for African Americans. The language in the letter is similar because both give aspects of what is wrong and how there can maybe be a change.

Dear Dr. King,

One of your most powerful aspects of your “I have a dream” speech was the repetition of the words “one hundred years later”. The repeated pattern shows that nothing has happened in over one hundred years. The police brutality, and the racism is still the same over the years. Dr. King wants thing to change and for the black community to make a stand for themselves. The same problem is occurring for the past hundred years. This is a powerful aspect because it shows nothing happened for the hundred years and Dr. King is sick of it, wants the white people and the black people to be equal and stop the violence.

I noticed the language of the “Birmingham Jail” is rather different from the “I have a dream”  speech. This writing sounds more aggressive and it gives you a picture in your head about what was really going on during that time. When it says “its ugly record of police brutality” this could give you a picture of what is happening to the black people during that time. It gives a picture of sadness In the black community because of the police brutality and degrades the people. It degrades because since they are separated they feel less of a person and more like an animal. The police would abuse them for fun like they would do to an animal. This is similar to the “I have a dream” speech because you want to change what is going on in the world.