Dear Mr. King,

I undoubtedly found your speech “I Have A Dream” one of true inspiration, however, what I found most powerful and intriguing was your religious allusion. Your knowledge and/or familiarity in the realm of politics was a strong factor in proving that you were a proud American but you also went the extra mile in making reference to religion, particularly the Bible. In your speech you reiterated the famous words “I Have A Dream” and you made it a point to incorporate this thought provoking statement, “All men are created equal” (406). In using the word “created” you were in essence helping many to see that there is a Creator. You also stated the expression “Glory of the Lord” and referred to everyone as “Children of God” (407). The point being that whatever our diverse make-up we all originate from the same Creator. This was a powerful approach because many who would hear your speech were those from the south where racism was prevalent. People from the south also highly esteemed the bible and as a result should had known better than to judge one’s skin color.

Your Letter from Birmingham Jail was a testament of your bravery and determination. Despite the harsh conditions of prison, you remained intent in reaching many hearts by means of religious allusion. Since you continued to allude to the bible I learned that you are a man of concrete faith. I appreciated your use of the biblical example of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who were willing to stand up for what was right despite the consequences of being thrown to the lion’s (3). Similarly, you were exemplary in standing up for what was right no matter the consequences.

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.

Dear Mr.King,

One powerful aspect of your speech was your repeated use of repetition throughout. However, the most important and effective use of repetition in my opinion was “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed…I have a dream that every valley shall be exalted…together”(406-407). This was the climax of the entire speech. Your repeated use of “I have a dream” drove home the point that this is not something definite, like a plan. It stems from ambition, and you basically told your audience that the only way to achieve this dream is to act now and act together. I believe that when people are told of a plan, they assume it is definite and therefore many people will not act on it, thinking they play a small role. An example of this would be voting for our Presidents. Millions of people decide not to vote, thinking his/her role is insignificant. Where as an election like this past one, we saw they every single vote would have had a significant impact.

I noticed you also used this repetition strategy in your Birmingham jail letter. Your explanation of the daily struggles of black people and how white people do not experience the same experience, going from seeing “vicious mobs lynching your mothers and fathers at will” to name becoming “nigger boy John”(2), I believe really helped show these oppressors why blacks and their movements could no longer “wait”.