What Conservatives Can Learn From Dr. King
Teaching
Elephants to Talk Tip
By Matt Lewis
Jan. 14, 2005
One of the ways you and I can become better communicators is to study great speeches.
And whether you agree with his politics or not, one thing is for sure: Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream speech” is one of the best and most famous speeches of all time.
In this speech, King used several literary devices to stir the more than 200,000 people who were gathered in Washington to hear him speak. Here are a few lessons you and I can learn from him:
- Dr. King
uses metaphors: A metaphor is a symbol. In the “I have
a dream” speech, Dr. King uses the metaphor of a “bad check”
to describe the difference between the rights guaranteed by the Constitution
verses the current political realities. King says: “America
has given the Negro people a bad check.” By using a common
example (a bad check), Dr. King made used a simple example that everybody
could relate to.
- Dr. King
uses repetition: Repetition is where a specific word, phrase,
or structure in a speech is repeated several times. “I have
a dream” and “let freedom ring” are
repeated often during the speech. By repeating these lines, he is insuring
the audience will remember them – and is emphasizing their importance.
- Dr. King
paints a picture: As an experienced preacher, Dr. King understood
the importance of painting a visual picture for the listener. Instead
of simply saying racism happens everywhere, King talks about
the, “red hills of Georgia . . . snowcapped Rockies of Colorado
. . . and the curvaceous peaks of California.” By choosing
this word selection, King causes the listener to visualize and to realize
that there are no safe places.
- Dr. King
was optimistic: Great speakers are almost always optimistic
about the future. The very title of his speech implies that he has a
positive vision for a better future: “I have a dream that
one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its
creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men
are created equal."
- Dr. King stresses urgency: Great speeches call on people to take action…TODAY: “Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.” Obviously, it worked. This speech was a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement.
I don’t want to make light of the political and social ramifications of this speech. They were significant. However, from a purely technical perspective; you and I should study this speech to help further our conservative campaigns and causes.
The next time you write a speech, incorporate some of the devices that makes the “I have a dream” speech a truly great speech.
Listen to the Speech at: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/top100speechesall.html