MLK questions

2. The quote “Five score years ago” is an allusion to the sixteenth United States President, Abraham Lincoln, and his Gettysburg Address. This introduction was an appropriate and strong way for King to introduce his speech because, (A) his “I have a dream” speech was given in front of the Lincoln memorial in honor of his fight for justice, equality, and peace un a nation that stands divided by skin color. (B) Lincoln’s fight for overall harmony serves as a stepping-stone for Dr. King’s uphill battle with racial acceptance and civil-rights. Dr. King faces the same challenges with battling a government that denies freedom to a group of certain individuals because of the color of their skin, just as Lincoln did before King’s time, and it is referring to King finishing the battle Lincoln started before his assignation. (C) It was a powerful speech that captivated millions of Americans during Lincoln’s time and remembered by most as a legendary introduction by a legendary man.

3. In King’s speech, his allusion to the Declaration of Independence was:

“Unalienable rights” of “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

In King’s speech, his allusion to the Bible was:

“And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.”

4. An example of alliteration:


5. An example of a metaphor:

“Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check that has come back marked insufficient funds”

6. An example of a simile is:

“No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until “justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream”

7. The figure of speech within the sentence in the second paragraph is metaphorical.

With this sentence making reference to slavery, it serves as an appeal to pathos to many in King’s audience because many can relate to such horrors in their modern-day era of racial segregation. With segregation being as emotionally, physically, and mentally destructive as slavery, many African-Americans can communicate with the lasting effects of the different mediums of brutality and relay similar instances to their own lives where they were “bound” and “crippled” by an incident because of their fight for freedom. With King making reference to one of the darkest times in American history, emotional attachment to the Negro's past and how things have not changed since the time when they were in chains is established because it reflects on the struggle for equality and freedom that has yet to come.

The inference King was making about the progress of African-Americans to enter mainstream of American life was that not much has changed in the way African-American are respected in society since the liberation of slaves a hundred years prior. King infers that the same brutality and injustice done unto his ancestors has yet to be addressed; but instead has taken into a new form of fashion masked as segregation.

8. Examples of anaphora are:

“We will not be satisfied”

“Let freedom ring”

9. The two possible effects upon King’s audience in repeating, “I have a dream” are:

The hope that King plans to make his dream a reality where blacks and whites can be together in harmony and all racial tension will wither away.

That, if not King, his successor will take the stand and make his dream come true to where is dream becomes reality and equality and justice is for all.

10. The image and dream I found most appealing and powerful in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I have a dream” speech was the vision where he creates this utopia of harmony and peace within a racially divided nation. This image leads me to believe that maybe in time blacks and whites can sever the racially led boundaries that keep them apart and come together to unite as one nation of American people. I am a young Black woman and I, honestly, have some amount of prejudice against people of other nationalities because of my upbringing. Being a young woman in a world filled with the constant daggering of the “white is right” mindset soon begins to wear and tear on one’s willpower to stay neutral and unbiased in a world where everything is categorized. It begins to settle and simmer deep inside of the subconscious and make one feel inferior because they do not fit into a certain category classified as “right”. For Dr. King to in vision a world where I can lift my head and display it proudly while not being judged for the color of my skin really brings me to wish and pray for that vision to one-day become a reality.

11. King’s dream was an overall message of equality and acceptance for all. Although his message is a large dedication to blacks and their everlasting struggle for freedom, but he diversified to where he spoke to everyone in general about coming to term with a situation while finding a resolution. He was a man dedicated to having tranquility in a land that was once fueled on hatred and hostility. His message was to simply put the past behind you and take a step foreword towards a brighter future where there is no color line to separate us all.

12. Specific acts stated in King’s speech against African-American were:

Police brutality

Lack of civil rights

Slavery

No/limited voting rights

13. The American dream is the ultimate portrayal of success. When you accomplish the American dream, you have immense wealth, social and economic status, family, good friends, and have respect from influential leaders that help guide the nation.

14. Towards the conclusion of King’s speech, he cites different states across the United States to symbolize that his message will spread and all the inequality that is occurring in the nation will be resolved. It also justifies the reasoning that segregation is not just occurring in the South, but in the North as well. Across the nation, Blacks are being mistreated and Dr. King cites these few states as an example to testify that change will come to every square inch of this nation.

15. If I were in the crows listening to King’s speech, I could honestly say I would have cried. For me to be a black woman and have the privilege to personally relate to the struggle for equality in a world where “white is right” with a powerful Black leader is an honor in itself. Despite being in the presence of one of Americas most prominent figures, the tears would have rolled down my face because of his message. Dr. King was so passionate and not passive about gaining his freedom where it was due, so I would think I should do the same. My ancestors literally fought to get me here so the least I could do was honor their struggle and gain the liberty they dreamt off while in chains.

16. Racism is where a certain group of people do not like another group of people and begins to discriminate against them because of what they are who what they look like.

17. Organizations such as the Klan used violence as a scare tactic to influence blacks to stay in their rightful “place” in mainstream society. With violence as their main weapon of mass destruction, Black individuals would think twice before doing anything that would become profitable in their corner because of what they see and hear about the Klan and their ghastly violent deeds. Each African-American would consider and weight out the options before conducting any acts of liberation for the safety of themselves and their families. Although much of the world gained sympathy for the African-American population because of the Klan’s mass murders, it still did not stop the hooded radicals from slaughtering thousands of Blacks while, ultimately, weakening their minds into questioning if freedom was worth all the blood shed.

18. The Black community withstood such violent acts without retaliating because they were following the morality of their peaceful leader, MLK. He stood for non-violence and peace, and was set on the idea that with no acts of violent retaliation, the war and quest for freedom would be accomplished because, eventually, their oppressors would tire out and give in.

19. I believe today’s skinheads are just as dangerous as the ones before them because they have that same mindset of supremacy. As a young black child, a skinhead will always be a skinhead, no matter what generation or lineage. If they stand for white supremacy and feel blacks are inferior to all, they are just as dangerous as the ones that wore the bed sheets and killed my ancestors.

20. King’s dream has been fulfilled since his assassination because the United States of America has its first Black president, Barack Obama. King’s dream of acceptance and overcoming the obstacles of racism has now become a reality that many, including myself, never thought would happen. For a black man to rise from despair in chains to becoming the head of the very nation that once confined him speaks in volumes. This monumental election as truly shown that America has come to accept that African-Americans are apart of this country and are here to stay and leave their mark on society as a whole. King’s message on peace and equality finally reached from the halls of the Lincoln memorial to the walls of the white house.
Although King’s dream has now become a reality, there is still much work to be done on restoring the nation’s ability to be “color-blind”. Many races are still feeling the tight tension of hatred and hostility and the threats on Obama’s life during his two-year campaign has shown that. There is still racism in America and still injustice within its boarders. Despite the fact that we have a Black president, the war for racial equality has yet to be won. We are still considered inferior and unworthy of being labeled “American”. No matter who are spokesperson is, we are still seen as a slave.