King's Background
Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in
Atlanta, Georgia
Who was King’s audience for his “I have a Dream” speech?
Anyone who supports civil rights
Where did Dr. King deliver his “I Have a Dream…” speech?
in Washington D.C, at the climax of a march from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial.
What extended metaphor does King use in his speech?
a promissory note--a check that has come back marked “insufficient funds”
“…let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!” is an example of?
allusion
King was awarded ___ in 1964.
Nobel Peace Prize
What did the Supreme Court declare to be unconstitutional in 1956?
segregation of buses.
When did Dr. King deliver his “I Have a Dream…” speech?
on August 1963
Toward the end of his speech, Dr. King delivers a patriotic appeal by
quoting “My country, ‘tis of thee . . ..”
What is the tone of the speech?
uplifting and encouraging
What foreign figure was King influenced by?
Mohandas Gandhi
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference played a role in...?
coordinating the civil-rights movement
What is King’s argument / purpose for giving the speech?
King states it as a demonstration for freedom.
By linking the occasion of his speech to the Emancipation Proclamation and by using biblical language (reminding listeners that he is a minister), King defines his personal authority, thus helping to establish
his ethos or ethical appeal
What persuasive techniques is used in the following- “…the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity" ?
Metaphor to emphasize how African Americans were set apart from the rest of society by segregation and by their poverty.
What year was Martin Luther King, Jr. assassinated?
1968
Why did King travel to Memphis, TN, in 1968?
to fight for better wages for sanitation workers
What other seminal U.S. documents does King cite in his speech?
The Emancipation Proclamation [line 5], the Constitution [line 20], the Declaration of Independence [line 20])
What appeal is being used in the last sections King’s speech?
Pathos
“Five score year ago…” is an example of
Allusion
What is the name of MLK's wife?
Coretta Scott
Which president signed the first major civil rights act of this century?
Lyndon B. Johnson
What was the organizational structure of King’s speech?
Problem-Solution
In his speech, Dr. King uses words like "manacles," "chains," "bound" and "tied up" to allude to
both slavery and segregation
Name one example of parallelism in the speech.
lines 83–85: “Some of you have come”; lines 89–91: “Go back to”; lines 96–116: “I have a dream that one day”