Inspirational Dreams of Free at Last

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous speech “I Have a Dream” was delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 1963 as a symbolic statement for the location being a place of remembrance to Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was a civil rights activist and had signed the Emancipation Proclamation that freed all the African American slaves in the south in 1863. The location held significance in Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech when referring to how although slaves had been proclaimed free by law, there still many events and occurrences are taking place such as segregation and discrimination. With much of the cruel behavior exhibited by hostile whites, African Americans were still far from being free as any other man of equal rights were. This speech is an example of “language that inspired change” for the structure was well thought out in that it began with the struggles that African American have been having to face and the emotional and psychological affects that are caused. This was to depict the struggle and sufferings that were still present and very much alive in the current times. After, he follows through with the emotional affect of how younger generations are being tainted by the explanations for being denied the same opportunities as whites. After providing reason and purpose, King then creates a sense of urgency by stating that ‘the time is now” and there should not be another moment wasted on gradual actions.  With a historical event such as the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, King is able to gain credibility. Soon after, King uses that the “check has bounced” due to “insufficient funds” as an analogy for not receiving full value of freedom. This reminds the audience that African Americans promised a certain action to have already taken place. Therefore, there cannot be any further delays for what has already become long overdue. This speech changed the way people thought of civil rights because up until then, most people allowed for not direct action to take place with hopes that soon enough African Americans will receive their full credited freedoms as time continued. After bringing to view that there was still much to be done after already waiting one hundred years since it had become law, brought a sense of perseverance to the audience. By holding the speech at the Lincoln Memorial the audience can feel a sense of timelessness in which although years have passed by, there is still a struggle to finally gain what has been pending for so long. King begins to end the speech with what he imagines or dreams of what could be reality in the future if there is no more time wasted. A life in which everyone regardless or race, ethnicity, or religion will all be created equal. Martin Luther King Jr. envisions a dream in which all the people in the land will be equal and he leads the audience with a song of change with “Free at last.”