Martin Luther King, Jr., "I Have a Dream..."

Questions to Ponder

We’ve all heard this speech—or portions of it, anyway—but few of us have had the chance to analyze it in detail. You might begin your analysis by numbering the paragraphs—and noticing the break that comes between paragraphs eleven (“I am not unmindful . . .”) and twelve (“I say to you today . . .”). It’s the second half of the speech that has become immortal—the second half that we hear over and over again. Can you see why? How would you describe the differences between the two halves? What happens as we move from paragraph eleven to paragraph twelve?
King used the words “freedom” or “free” twenty-five separate times in his “Dream” speech. How does King seem to understand the meanings of these words? Do the words take on new meanings as the speech goes on? What, ultimately, is “freedom” in America? And what is “equality”?
Though King’s speech was delivered at a specific place and time—the March on Washington in August of 1963—it was also addressed to the nation as a whole. How does King approach the task of speaking to such a large group? Where does he challenge his listeners, and where does he comfort or console them? How do you suppose the speech was received by the following groups: Northerners? Southerners? Liberals? Conservatives? Whites? Blacks? Churchgoers? Nonbelievers?

Resources

Web links

The King Center, "the official, living memorial dedicated to the advancement of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."
The Martin Luther King, Jr., Papers Project at Stanford University
American Rhetoric, includes mp3 and transcript of "I Have a Dream"