Diction Terms
The language used in a textbook or by your teacher, for example.
Academic
An organized, consecutive series of words
Lists
"With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope."
What kind of language is MLK using here? (positive, negative, academic, slang, etc)
Positive, hopeful, etc. + figurative
The most popular school sports are:
- Cheerleading
- Football
- Baseball
What kind of syntax is used here?
Lists
"I had to wait in the station for ten days—an eternity" -Heart of Darkness by: Joseph Conrad
What figurative language is this?
Hyperbole
The dictionary definition of a word
Denotation
Horizontal marks indicating long pauses or interruptions.
Dashes
"This is the faith that I go back to the South with."
What are the connotations of "The South" as used in MLK's speech?
Racism, Struggle, Suffering, etc.
Who doesn't love a good story?
What kind of syntax is this?
Rhetorical question
"Hope is the thing with feathers / That perches in the soul" - Hope is the Thing with Feathers by: Emily Dickinson
What kind of figurative language is this?
Metaphor
(ex. Home = safe & warm)
Connotation
A mark indicating a short pause to seperate, list, or introduce items.
Comma
"Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities."
What does the choice to reference specific states show about MLK's use of effective language?
He is aware of/calling out the states with the most egregious injustices and bringing attention to them.
By calling out states by name he helps his audience feel seen and acknowledged.
"Government of the people, by the people, for the people"
What syntax is being used here? (Not looking at the punctuation)
Repetition (specifically tricolon)
Effective as it reinforces and connects differing ideas with a common message.
"While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, as of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door." - The Raven by: Edgar Allan Poe
What figurative language is being used here?
Imagery (specifically auditory)
The attitude that a narrator or author presents
(ex, formal, informal, serious, sarcastic, joyful, disgusted, etc)
Tone
A sentence asked to create a dramatic effect or reflection to make a point, not looking for an answer.
Rhetorical Question
"Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells"
Why does MLK intentionally use the words "narrow" & "fresh" here?
"Narrow" emphasizes how restricting/inhumane/uncomfortable the jail cells were.
"Fresh" makes it clear they came straight from jail to be present at the speech. He is aware of his audience and their dedication.
"-quickly swelling into one long, loud, and continuous scream, utterly anomalous and inhuman – a howl! – a wailing shriek, half of horror and half of triumph..."
What does the use of dashes do for the meaning/effectiveness of the text?
It emphasizes the main action, bringing attention to the scream's severity through "howl".
"The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude"- The Awakening by: Kate Chopin
What kind of figurative language is this?
Personification
Language that uses words in a non-literal way to create a more complex or powerful meaning.
Figurative language
Declarative, Imperative, Interrogative, & Exclamatory
(Statements, Demands, Questions, Emotions)
Sentence Types
"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood."
What tone is MLK using here?
Hopeful, optimistic, uplifting, etc.
Feed the cat.
Did you feed the cat?
What sentence types are used above?
Imperative
Interrogative
“No light, but rather darkness visible / Served only to discover sights of woe”- Paradise Lost by: John Milton
What kind of figurative language is this?
Oxymoron