I think there is one point in this speech where Dr. King uses words to make an effect so powerful that any human who hears it can’t not be affected by it. “We have waited .for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God- given rights. The nations of Asia and Africa are moving with jetlike speed toward gaining political independence, but we stiff creep at horse-and-buggy pace toward gaining a cup of coffee at a lunch counter. Perhaps it is easy for those who have never felt the stinging dark of segregation to say, "Wait." But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six- year-old daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people; when you have to concoct an answer for a five-year-old son who is asking: "Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?"; when you take a cross-county drive and find it necessary to sleep night after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel will accept you; when you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading "white" and "colored"; when your first name becomes "nigger," your middle name becomes "boy" (however old you are) and your last name becomes "John," and your wife and mother are never given the respected title "Mrs."; when you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what to expect next, and are plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you no forever fighting a degenerating sense of "nobodiness" then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait. There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair. I hope, sirs, you can understand our legitimate and unavoidable impatience.”
If this speech were being broadcast this is the part I can see being repeated over and over again on various news stations. I think this section of the speech has such a power effect because it takes the reader or listener and directly places them in the shoes of black person of this time period. Even though plenty of years have passed since this speech was written, this portion of the speech still does to people what it did the day it was written. It lends a new perspective to what is being said. No longer is the letter just a series of complaints. At this point it has turned into a personal experience.
Dr. King does a great job explaining the difference between a just and unjust law. “How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal .law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distort the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority.” This portion of the speech is great because he explains the difference between the two kinds of laws. This does two things. First, it teaches those who don’t know the difference between just and unjust laws and secondly, it compares thwtwo so that it is easy to see which is right and wrong. It makes a much better point than if he were to just say that the laws are unjust. Explaining the difference in the two only emphasizes his point.
One of the strongest attributes this letter has is that Dr. King seeks to answer any questions that may be thrown at him. He does this in the beginning of the letter when he is establishing his reason for writing and throughout the letter. This does a great job emphasizing the point of the letter. It shows his concern with effective communication and getting his point across. He is out to explain himself, his beliefs and his motives to anyone who is willing to challenge them. He isn’t afraid to listen to the other side or answer questions.
Dr. King does a terrific job closing his letter. He says “If I have said anything in this letter that overstates the truth and indicates an unreasonable impatience, I beg you to forgive me. If I have said anything that understates the truth and indicates my having a patience that allows me to settle for anything less than brotherhood, I beg God to forgive me. I hope this letter finds you strong in the faith. I also hope that circumstances will soon make it possible for me to meet each of you, not as an integrationist or a civil rights leader but as a fellow clergyman and a Christian brother. Let us. all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.”
This letter makes a very peaceful closing. The tone of the letter clearly conveys that Dr. King is not out to create riots or cause problems. He creates controversy, as it is needed, in a very peaceful and classy way. The closing of the letter summarizes what Dr. King is all about.
Although I am a big fan of Dr. Martin Luther King, his speeches do have some room for improvements. The number one problem I see in this speech is its length. Dr. king is very good at making his point by using example after example to explain himself. There are a few parts in this speech where you can completely edit out a few paragraphs because they simple restated what the last paragraph said. If this speech were broadcast, I could see its length being a problem. Viewers would tend to be bored by his constant reiteration.