I Have A Dream

1) alliteration- repetition of initial consonant sound

Allusion- indirect reference to someone or something

Metaphor- all language that involves figures of speech or symbolism and does not literally represent real things

Simile- a figure of speech that draws a comparison between two different things, especially a phrase containing the word "like" or "as,"

2) “Five score years ago” is an allusion to Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, in which he instead said Four score and seven years ago in reference to the Independence of our nation. It was most likely used because it draws parallels from that speech, in which Lincoln invoked the principles of human equality espoused by the Declaration of Independence and redefined the Civil War as a struggle not merely for the Union, but as "a new birth of freedom" that would bring true equality to all of its citizens; this was the ultimate goal of King’s marches and nearly all of his speeches.

3) One example of allusion, though not exactly indirect, was “and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.” An allusion to the Declaration of Independence was made in the familiar phrase “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

4) An example of alliteration can be found in the line “ We can never be [b]satisfied[/b] as long as our children are [b]stripped[/b] of the [b]self-hood[/b] and robbed of their dignity by [b]signs stating[/b].

5) An example of a metaphor is found in the line “quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality.”

6) Simile- “…and we will not be satisfied until “justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream”

7) This is an example of a metaphor. This would be an incredibly effective method because the memories of black bondage were still fresh in the minds of not only the country, but specifically in the hearts of the grandchildren of slaves. This is also a way of reminding them that segregation is only a step up from slavery, if that, and that they were still held back by the ‘chains’ of Jim Crow.

8) The phrases ‘let freedom ring’ and ‘go back (third page, first paragraph after the picture)

9) For one, the repetition of ’I have a dream’ draws attention to the fact that the idea of racial equality in America was still just, in fact, a highly optimistic dream, far from being realized. Secondly, it was sort of like a call to arms, to motivate and inspire others to make this dream become reality.