Asked by: Marine Agafonov
books and literature fiction

What does the repetition of I Have A Dream do?

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The strongest way Martin Luther King Jr. uses anaphora is by repeating the title of the speech: “I have a dream.” Through this repetition he is able to portray what he envisions as a racially equal America. The repetition makes people think about their own dreams and allow them to be inspired my Dr. Kings dreams.


Thereof, what role does repetition play in the I Have a Dream Speech?

The repetition serves as emphasis. Since the speech was given orally, the repetition also helps the audience comprehend his points. It is often more difficult to just hear information than it is to read or have visual aids, so the repetition helps the audience track with the speech and King's tenets.

Furthermore, why is I have a dream so important? This speech was important in several ways: It brought even greater attention to the Civil Rights Movement, which had been going on for many years. After this speech, the name Martin Luther King was known to many more people than before. It made Congress move faster in passing the Civil Rights Act.

what words are repeated in the I Have a Dream Speech?

Consider these commonly repeated words:

  • freedom (20 times)
  • we (30 times), our (17 times), you (8 times)
  • nation (10 times), america (5 times), american (4 times)
  • justice (8 times) and injustice (3 times)
  • dream (11 times)

How does Martin Luther King use anaphora in his speech?

Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech, he uses anaphora by repeating "I have a dream" eight times throughout the speech. Dr. MLK Jr.'s use of repetition calls to the audience and persuades them to be the change.

Related Question Answers

Inderjit Arbizu

Professional

Is I Have a Dream an anaphora?

A classic example of anaphora comes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s “I Have a Dream” speech. King uses the anaphoral phrase, “I have a dream,” to start eight consecutive sentences: King uses anaphora to highlight the difference between how things are and how he hopes they will be.

Qiang Hentzschel

Professional

What is the metaphor in I Have a Dream Speech?

I Have a Dream: Metaphor. Metaphor, a common figure of speech, is a comparison of one thing with another: happiness is a sunny day, loneliness is a locked door, coziness is a cat on your lap. This is probably one of Martin Luther King's favorite rhetorical devices.

Samad Knuffmann

Professional

How is I have a dream persuasive?

In Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, King relies on rhetorical strategies such as analogies, parallelism, and restatement to help persuade his audience. Through analysis of the text, it is quite evident that his use of analogy, repetition, and restatment was intentional and effectual.

Cristobalina Jenk

Explainer

What are the main points of the I Have a Dream Speech?

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" leaves the door open for a continual journey of racial progress—it doesn't cap things off with 1963. "I Have a Dream" portrays racial equality as a fulfillment of the promises of America's Founding Fathers and documents.

Darcel Olaondo

Explainer

What made Martin Luther King a great speaker?

Connection – In his speaking, King allowed himself to have an almost symbiotic connection with his audience. They drew their energy from each other and he was very tuned into the level of energy in the room. That connection made the event more than a speech. It made it an experience that moved people to act.

Angila Beknazar-Yuzbashev

Explainer

Who was the audience of the speech I have a dream?

The intended audience of "I Have a Dream" is white people. In his speech, Martin Luther King Jr.'s allusions were meant to connect with the white people that listened to his speech. Martin Luther King's audience when he gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech is all of society, Negroes and whites alike.

Americo Kreyenschmidt

Pundit

Why does Martin Luther King use rhetorical questions?

Martin Luther King's Rhetorical Questions in "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" Martin Luther King Jr. poses numerous rhetorical questions throughout the "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." He used rhetorical questions as a means to address issues that had not been publicly spoken of.

Avilia Albelda

Pundit

What is a anaphora sentence?

Anaphora is a figure of speech in which words repeat at the beginning of successive clauses, phrases, or sentences. For example, Martin Luther King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech contains anaphora: "So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Taira Santarena

Pundit

What is example of anaphora?

Anaphora is a rhetorical term for when a writer or speaker repeats the same beginning of a sentence several times. Writers and speakers use anaphora to add emphasis to the repeated element, but also to add rhythm, cadence, and style to the text or speech. Examples of Anaphora: 1. I am awake.

Nalaya Ossorio

Pundit

What is anaphora in speech?

Anaphora Definition
In writing or speech, the deliberate repetition of the first part of the sentence in order to achieve an artistic effect is known as Anaphora. Anaphora, possibly the oldest literary device, has its roots in Biblical Psalms used to emphasize certain words or phrases.

Lutz Pujol

Pundit

What is Dr King's purpose in giving this speech?

King's purpose was to highlight the ways in which America persistently failed to live up to its promises. In a way, it is a stinging critique of the nation's most important documents—including the Declaration of Independence. His speech concludes that, without change, the words that we hold sacred are empty rhetoric.

Delores Ciner

Teacher

What does King mean by I have a dream?

Originally Answered: What does king mean by I have a dream? He meant that he hoped people would be seen and judged by others as individuals and not by the color of their skin. He was stating what would be the ideal situation, if people weren't prone to ignorance and prejudice.

Josemaria Jungeblut

Teacher

What is the importance of anaphora?

Anaphora serves to emphasize certain ideas, which can stir up associated emotions and appeal to the audience in order to inspire, convince, or challenge. By adding rhythm to a passage, anaphora also allows for pleasurable reading which is easier to remember.

Chunlei Ridaoui

Teacher

What effect does King's anaphora create?

The anaphora drives the point home that this injustice has been a part of American history and society for the entire century prior to the speech, and intensifies the feeling that King's call to action will, and must, change this history.

Lucas Garisoain

Teacher

What rhetorical device did King seem use most?

D. Martin Luther King, Jr. made many speeches over the course of his life. However, his most famous speech, the so-called "I Have A Dream" speech, is dominated by one particular rhetorical device: anaphora.

Jialiang Baistryutchenko

Reviewer

What rhetorical devices are used in Martin Luther King's speech?

Rhetorical Techniques Of Martin Luther King's “I Have A Dream” Speech
  • Alliteration.
  • Allusion.
  • Antithesis.
  • Litotes.
  • Metaphor.
  • Parallelism.
  • One More Thing We Learn About Rhetoric From Martin Luther King, Jr.

Aia Ziercke

Reviewer

Can dreams tell your future?

Of course, they can be an indication of the person's current mental state or a reflection of recent events, but there is no evidence to prove that they can predict the future. However, what dreams can do is spot remote associations with possible events in the future.

Cecelia Wittmeyer

Reviewer

Why is I have a dream so powerful?

This speech was important in several ways: It brought even greater attention to the Civil Rights Movement, which had been going on for many years. After this speech, the name Martin Luther King was known to many more people than before. It made Congress move faster in passing the Civil Rights Act.

Emiliano Corbella

Reviewer

What does pursuing your dreams mean?

Belief is a powerful thing, and the pursuit of a belief is to manifest it into reality. To pursue something implies that it already exists. Which means your choice to pursue is, in itself, the creation of the dream you are grasping for. Pursuing your dreams means rejecting the claim that something is impossible. 3.