Bernice Bobs Her Hair

MLK Worksheet

II. Rhetorical Structure: Figures of Speech

1. alliteration: use of the same consonant at the beginning of each stressed syllable in a line of verse
allusion: An instance of indirect reference
metaphor:a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance
simile:A figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared, often in a phrase introduced by like or as

2. By using the term "5 score years ago" King alludes his speech to Lincoln's Gettysburg address. Considering all that Lincoln did to end slavery, this was a strong way to start the speech. Right away you know what he's going to talk about and it shows respect for Lincoln's actions.

3. In his speech, King also uses allusions by using quotes from the Declaration of Independence. He talks about the unalienable rights, which is a common allusion that many people use.

4. Alliteration: "color of their skin but by the content of their character"

5. Metaphor: "America has giventhe negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked 'insufficient funds'."

6. Simile: "justice rollsdown like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream"

7. a. Metaphor; also could be imagery
b. By using this figurative language he brings emotional appeal into his speech and by creating such a strong image so early on in his speech he hooks listeners in to wanting to hear what he has to say.
c. The infrence King makes is that there has not been enough progress made for the black people, and after 100 years it would be expected that they would have come a farther way, but due to circumstances beyond their control they are still treated as though they are still bonded to slavery.

8. Anaphoras: "Now is the time" and "With this faith"

9. Repetition is a great tool to use in a speech because it has so many different effects on an audience. One effect repetition has is that it brings more emphasis to an important idea that the speaker wants the audience to get, and so repetition helps an audience pick out what is really important to walk away with. Secondly, by repeating this phrase, "I have a dream" he slowly builds up tension in his speech and creates this unique feeling in a person listening that can only come from listening to a great speech, and with this feeling the audience walks away energized and feeling greatly empowered.

10. King uses many images in his speech that show how greatly he understands the art of speech-making. One image that personally grabbed me was when he said, "With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood". This one sentence had a huge effect on me personally because it appeals to the way I think. Comparing a united nation to a symphony not only left me with a great image, but helped me to grasp his concept by making a connection to music. Also, by using a verb like jangling, he is able to show an image that is both interesting and memorable. This one sentence is so beautifully spoken and grabs my attention and leaves me in awe of how amazing this entire speech is. I truly admire the way King speaks.

III. Understanding the Dream

1. Martin Luther King Jr. was a great speech writer and his "I have a dream" speech is one of the most memorable speeches given in American history. Being the great speaker that he was, he was able to eloquently relay his point through amazing use of figurative language, without losing many listeners along the way. Though beautifully writen, and spoken with great power, King was able to create a great speech with a point that was not too difficult to understand. His main point is that slavery was ended over 100 years earlier, yet black people are still treated as though they are below average citizens. He is saying that the time has come for black people to receive the rights they deserve, that they should be treated as any other group of people. His dream is that equality of all races and all peoples will come to America. Afterall, what is an "American", but the mixture of many different nations. We all come from different countries and backgrounds, so why should the Americans from Africa be treated differently just because their skin is darker? The answer is they should not be treated differently, and his speech is just one way he tries to convince people that the Civil Rights movement is neccesary, and way past due for the people of his culture.

2. Specific acts of injustice are: police brutality, not being allowed in certain motels and hotels, not being able to vote, signs that say "for whites only"- taking away the right to dignity, being jailed for no reason, and being moved from smaller ghettos to only larger ones.

3. The "American Dream" is often to referred to by many people and is not just one of Americans. Many immigrants have come, and still do come, in pursuit of this well known "dream", but what exactly is it? While the specifics are different depending on who you talk to, basically, the "American Dream" is to be free, to have rights that cannot be touched or taken away by another person. It is the right to have and choose your own job and not have your religion or race or class effect your position. It is the right to choose your own spouse and raise a family with as many children as you choose to have. The "American Dream" is to be able to pursuit happiness in whatever form you believe it exists. Basically the "American Dream" is to be and enjoy the freedom we are so blessed to have and well as to have and make use of the unalienable rights our forefathers layed out in our constitution so many years ago.

4. Naming specific states at the end of his speech was a good way to close the speech. By doing this he made the issue a little more personal and helped it to reach home for so many people. This also helped to build up emotional tension in a similar way as he did by repeating the phrase "I have a dream".

5. I am not completely sure if I would feel the same way about this speech if I had heard it in 1963, because it was a completely different time period. But considereing how much this speech can impact me today, even when things are far from how bad they were in the 60s, I believe that I would have been completely changed and touched by this speech had I heard it from King himself, in person.

IV. Relating to the Dream

1. In my opinion racism and predjudice are often confused and used in place of eachother. To me, racism is not only not liking a specific race of people, but rather it is having the power to degrade or put down a person or a group of a different race and doing so. If you do not have the power to put down someone of a certain race, then it is not racism, but predjudice.

2. a. I think at the time, the Klan did not realize that their efforts were counter-productive. The problem was that they just had so much hate built up and didn't know what to do with it so they just let it out in a violent manner. What they didn't realize though, was all their efforts did was gain sympathy for the black community, which is the opposite of what they wanted.

b. I think the black community was too smart to retaliate with violence. While I'm sure there were many people who would have liked to fight fire with fire, they knew that a violent retaliation would have only simply made things worse. Like King said, a nonviolent struggle was the only way to fix things, because they wanted to fix the relations between the races not create a bigger wall. If they had responded in a violent manner it would have just given the whites more things to hold against them and would have madethings worse.

3. I am sure that today's skinheads are quite dangerous, however, I think that there is no way that they could get enough followers to create the same chaos that existed in the 60s. We have come too far as a nation, we can't afford to go backwards. I think enough people understand that that kind of hostility can only create huge problems for our society, and especially at a time like this, our society can not handle that.