Central Ideas & Purpose
What is the main message Dr. King wanted his audience to take away from his speech?
Answers may vary.
That African Americans must continue their nonviolent fight for civil rights and equality.
In the speech, what does King mean when he says African Americans were given a “bad check”?
That America promised equality but failed to deliver it.
Why does King refer to the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence in his speech?
Answers may vary.
Logos/Ethos
To remind the audience that those documents promised freedom and equality for all.
What is the “dream” King describes in his speech?
Answers may vary.
A vision of liberty, equality, and justice for all Americans, regardless of race.
**Daily Double Bonus**
King repeats the phrase “I have a dream.” What rhetorical device is this?
Repetition.
What kind of repetition?
How does King emphasize that African Americans are still denied their rights, even 100 years after emancipation?
Answers may vary.
By reminding listeners that segregation and discrimination still cripple Black Americans.
**Daily Double**
The word tribulations is used in the speech—what does it mean in context?
Hardships or difficulties.
What promise did those founding documents make that had not yet been fulfilled for African Americans?
Answers may vary.
The guarantee of unalienable rights such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
How does King’s dream involve children and future generations?
Answers may vary.
He hopes children will grow up free from racism and judged by their character only.
What rhetorical device is shown when King compares America’s promises to a “check” or “promissory note”?
Extended Metaphor; Analogy
**Daily Double**
What does King urge his listeners to do instead of responding with hatred or violence?
Answers may vary.
To protest peacefully with dignity and discipline.
What feeling is King urging his audience to avoid when he says not to “wallow in the valley of despair”?
Hopelessness
Why was it significant that King gave this speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial?
Answers may vary.
Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, and King connected his message to that legacy of freedom.
What vision does King paint of people of different races living together?
Answers may vary.
That former enemies will join hands in unity and brotherhood.
Which rhetorical device is used when King repeats the phrase “go back to” in a series of lines?
Parallelism
Why does King mention his children when sharing his dream?
Answers may vary.
Pathos.
To personalize his vision of a future where children are judged by character, not race.
What does King mean when he says “the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight”?
Injustice and discrimination will be removed, leading to fairness and equality.
**Daily Double**
How does King connect the struggles of his time to America’s founding ideals?
Answers may vary.
By showing that the fight for civil rights continues the nation’s original promise of equality.
How does King connect his dream to American values of freedom and justice?
Answers may vary.
By showing that his dream reflects the true meaning of the nation’s founding promises.
What kind of appeal is King using when he talks about the “horrors of police brutality”?
Pathos; Charged Language
What was the overall purpose of delivering the “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington?
Answers may vary.
To demand justice and equal rights while inspiring hope for change.
When King tells listeners to “meet physical force with soul force,” what does he mean?
To answer violence with nonviolence and moral strength.
Why would using references to “sacred” obligations and “creeds” strengthen King’s argument?
Answers may vary.
They make the promises of equality sound like moral and almost religious duties, not just legal ones.
**Daily Double**
Why does King use hopeful imagery in the second half of his speech?
Answers may vary.
To inspire his audience to keep believing that change is possible.
When King cites the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence to show that equality was promised to all Americans, which persuasive appeal is he using?
Ethos - Showing his credibility as a well read American
Logos - Logic and reason