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"I have a dream" is the title of Martin Luther King's most famous speech. Martin Luther King delivered this speech about half a century ago on August 28, 1963, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March to Washington for jobs and freedom. In this speech King to the whole world proclaimed his vision of the future of the United States of America, where the white and black population could co-exist as equal citizens of their country. The speech of Martin Luther King "I have a dream" and to this day is a universally recognized masterpiece of oratorical skill. Probably, many famous politicians have repeatedly reviewed it, polishing their rhetorical skills.
Oratory techniques
Let us also consider this famous speech from the point of view of using Martin Luther King special oratorical techniques that formulate the theses of his speech, turning his speech into a powerful agitation weapon. Style and format.
Martin Luther King, being a Baptist priest, delivered a real sermon speech. Of course, this was not a pure sermon, but the speech took place in a religious format, at that time so close to 300,000 Americans standing at the foot of the Lincoln Monument. Stylistics of speech is primarily dictated by the author's refusal of standard political slogans and an appeal to such a personal story about his dream. Preparation for the performance.
It should be noted that this speech was not spontaneous, to his speech "I have a dream" Martin Luther King prepared consciously and very seriously. In the course of his speech, the author occasionally used his notes, which helped him to utter an excellent emotional speech, without reservations or hesitation. His voice sounded so natural and confident that this confidence was instantly passed on to all present. Without careful preparation, it would be simply impossible to pronounce such contagious speech. Metaphors.
"We can cut the stone of hope out of the mountain of despair," "we can turn the uncomfortable voices of our people into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood." Metaphors made King's theses clearer, brighter, and were able to truly give his thoughts emotional shades of a real dream, to bring them to the very depths of consciousness and the hearts of listeners. Quotes.
King's speech abounds with allusions to the Old and New Testaments, the US Declaration of Independence, the Manifesto of the Liberation of Slaves and the Constitution of the United States. The author intentionally uses quotes from those sources that are recognized, both among his supporters and among the opponents, thus addressing his speech to both, increasing his chances of influencing listeners. Tempo and pause.
The most important role in this speech is played by the rate of pronouncing the text and logical pauses. They sing out every phrase of speech, every finished thought. The basic rate of speech is smooth, with a gradual tendency to accelerate, strengthen the emotional component, which warms up the crowd of listeners, ripping off loud applause and shouting approval. Lecture hall.
You most likely noticed on the background of King's speech nodding faces that reflect their confidence in the speaker, a true belief in his ideas. These persons act on our perception of the speech "I have a dream" subconsciously, using human inclination to conformism, unwillingness to go against the majority opinion. This oratorical device is used by many politicians, it has not lost its relevance to this day. Cyclicity of speech.
King's speech can not be called a typical sequential exposition of one thought. Pay attention to the fact that he repeatedly returns to certain theses of his speech. Common places are the repeated addresses of the speaker to his comrades from Colorado, Mississippi, Alabama, who echo the ideas already mentioned by the author earlier, return listeners to these thoughts, make us think again about the main things for King.