- The sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality.
In those times the America has a civil war between Negros and whites. Martin luther king wants to say that there will not be peace and happy world until black and white will be equal and free. He doesn’t threat anybody but in a realistic way nobody is going to be calm if they cannot get what they deserve. Equality and freedom is a solution of happiness. He uses metaphoric language to explain his thoughts. In this sentence he talks to politicians. They are the ones who can provide the equality and freedom to all black and white people.
- This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
He talks about the “Constitution and the Declaration of Independence”, when they sign this it means all people will be free and have right of living. However they were not really equal, happy and free in their own countries. Martin luther king says everybody will be happy either whites or blacks. What he wants is a country full of peace, happiness and liberty. In this sentence he is talking to American citizens. His dream is about all American people who want to be happy and have a right of life.
- Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.
He is talking about how injustice and racism damage the American society. He uses imagery like quick sands to show how the whole nation is affected by the racism and injustice. He mentions that brotherhood will be the cure of all these problems. In this part we can see that his speech is very peaceful and positive according to everyone. That’s why he won the Nobel Peace Prize. In this sentence he talks to the whole American nation. His main point is to provide justice, brotherhood and to beat racism.
- I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
A persuasive speech includes some requirements to be effective. To affect a group of people, using children and their bad situation is one of the powerful way to be effective. Because children are known as innocent and the injustice about them cannot be acceptable. When people think about the children and their innocence, it would be very affective to make them do something. Martin Luther king uses this technique to affect people. Again, in this quote he talks to the politicians and nation, he wants to justice and a country where all people can live freely.