Rodriguez1

JoshuaRodriguez
Ms.Sroka
Writing
24November2015
LiteraryDevicesEssay
MartinLutherKingJr.believedincivilrightsforallAfricanAmericansandwanted
equalityforallAmericans,nomatterwhattheircolorwas.Inthespeech,IHavea
Dream,MartinLutherKingJr.isfightingfortheequalityofAfricanAmericansand
wantssegregationtoend.HewantsallAmericans,nomatterwhattheircoloris,tobe
happyandjointogetherasanation.MartinLutherKingexplainshowtheAfrican
AmericansarebeingtreatedbadlybythepeopleofAmericaandarebeing
discriminatedagainst.ThespeechwasgivenonAugust28,1963,inWashingtonD.C.
Thisspeechisverypersuasiveandusesseveralliterarydevicestogethispointacross.
TwooftheliterarydevicesthatDr.MartinLutherKingJr.usesarepersonificationand
repetition.(MartinLutherKingIHaveaDreamSpeechAmericanRhetoric).
OneliterarydeviceMartinLutherKingJr.usesforhis
IHaveaDream
speechis
apersonification.Personificationis
theattributionofhumannatureorcharacterto
animals,inanimateobjects,orabstractnotions,especiallyasarhetoricalfigure
(Dictionary.Com).Dr.MartinLutherKingJr.wantedpeaceforallAmericansnomatter
whattheircolorwas.HejustwantedtheUnitedStatestobeasoneandnothave
segregation.Inthespeech,
IHaveaDream,
Onehundredyearslater,thelifeofthe
Negroisstillsadlycrippledby
the
manaclesofsegregationandthechainsof

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discrimination(MartinLutherKingIHaveaDreamSpeechAmericanRhetoric).Dr.
Kingshowspersonificationbystatingthatthechainsandmanaclesofsegregationare
physicallyhurtingtheAfricanAmericans.Thisisnotpossiblesincesegregationand
discriminationarentpeople,theyreideas.ThepurposeDr.MartinLutherKingJr.used
personificationinhisspeech,isbecausehewanted
t
oshowthelifeofAfrican
AmericanswerenotequaltothosewhoareAmerican
s
andthelawstheyhad,2
restrictedtherightsofthemaswell.

Theliterarydeviceusedhelpeddevelopthetoneof
unfairnessandinequality.Thishelpshisspeechbemorepersuasive.Therefore,
PersonificationisusedtopersuadethereaderandtoalsoshowAfricanAmericanshad
littletonorights.
Tocontinue,anotherliterarydeviceMartinLutherKingJr.usesisrepetition.
Repetitionistheactofrepeating,ordoing,saying,orwritingsomethingagainrepeated
action,performance,production,orpresentation(Dictionary.com).Hetriestopersuade
theaudiencethattheAfricanAmericanswillbefreeoneday,anditwillcomefairly
soon.MartinLutherKingJr.repeatedthephrases,letfreedomringandIhavea
dreamseveraltimesinhisspeech.(MartinLutherKingIHaveaDreamSpeech
AmericanRhetoric).ThepurposeDr.MartinLutherKingJr.usedrepetitioninhis
speech,isbecausehewantedtoshowthattheAfricanAmericanswillsoonbefreeand
notbediscriminatedagainstbecauseoftheircolorandrace.Healsowantedtogivethe
AfricanAmericanshope.Thus,Dr.MartinLutherKingJr.usedrepetitioninhisspeech,
togiveAfricanAmericanshopeandtoshowtheywillfinallyhavefreedomafterseveral
years.

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Toconclude,MartinLutherKingJr.usedliterarydevicestoconveythetoneand
themeofthespeech.Thetwoliterarydevicesusedwerepersonificationandrepetition
tocreateafeelingofunfairnessandinequality.MartinLutherKingJr.getsthereader
thinkinghardaboutthewordsstatedinthespeech.Thus,heshowsthathecaresalot
abouttheAfricanAmericansandwantsequalityforall.

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WorksCited
Dictionary.Com.
Dictionary.com
.Dictionary.com,n.d.Web.2Dec.2015.
<http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/personification>
Dictionary.Com.
Dictionary.com
.Dictionary.com,n.d.Web.8Dec.2015.
<http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/repetition?s=t>
MartinLutherKingIHaveaDreamSpeechAmericanRhetoric.
MartinLutherKingI
HaveaDreamSpeechAmericanRhetoric
.Web.2Dec.2015.
<http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm>