I Have a Dream
“I Have a Dream” was Martin Luther King’s speech given on August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. The focus of the speech was about the dreams of every Black people living within the American society, such as freedom, equality, and justice, among others. He touched on all elements affecting the Black people during his time, a time rife with discrimination because of color and creed. Throughout that period, Black people were not allowed to mingle with the White people because the Blacks were commonly regarded as slaves. During his speech, he reminded every Black people not to distrust the White Americans because he believed that they will soon realize their destinies are intertwined no matter how much separation and distinctions are given to each race at that time.
During his speech, Martin Luther King, Jr. was able to get the audience’s attention with the words he used, including the intonation of his voice and the strength of conviction by which he spoke. Several times his voice rose to emphasize words such as “I have a dream”, which he repeatedly said at the beginning of his sentences. He also repeatedly mentioned other key phrases such as “we can never be satisfied” and “let freedom ring”, all of which pulled strings at the hearts of the audience. He also used the pronouns “we”, “our”, “you” a lot which gave the feeling of belongingness and inclusivity as it portrayed the fact that King also belongs, feels, and experiences the same things that the audience experiences. His use of specific examples through geographic references such as Mississippi, New York, Alabama, Georgia, and California, among others, helped in grounding the message even more as the audience was able to relate to the speech because they are the ones affected by oppression, injustices, and discrimination. Mentioning these places was done on purpose to evoke the strongest emotions from the audiences. His speech was even made even more effective with the use of hand gestures, which complemented the strength and conviction of his voice and delivery. In delivering the conclusion, after presenting his “dreams” to the people, he ignited the hearts of the people by saying, “this is our hope”, which again gave the people the feeling of belongingness, that they are not alone in this plight. In terms of improvements, King was already an accomplished speaker and was able to communicate his message well, thus, there is no need for further improvement on his part.
The Ballot or the Bullet
“The Ballot or the Bullet” was Malcolm X’s speech given last April 3, 1964 in front of a crowd of more than 2,000 people, including his enemies who specifically went to hear him speak. His speech focused on voting rights for Blacks who found themselves in the midst of politicians trying to get their votes of confidence. He also talked about racial inequality and segregation in America and how the conditions of the times must change in order for true progress to happen.
As a speaker, X displays his passionate side as he convinced the people the importance of change now. His voice was powerful and his words were strong. His temperament changed all throughout the speech, which was a good strategy in building up his points and intensify his words. Additionally, X used humor to reach out to others in the audience, which helped in building rapport between him and the audience. He also used humor to keep his audience interested and hooked on every word he uttered.
X was confident in his speech as he cited various reasons why change must happen. He showed different emotions during the speech where his voice also became louder and forceful when he wanted to express his ideas. He was inspirational in his approach and was a very effective speaker. He used compassion in his approach as he ignited the spirit of nationalism on the audience.
Based on this speech, I do not see anything that he should change or improve on because his manner in delivering the speech was passionate, interesting, and compelling – enough for people to sense a feeling of belongingness and act on their own volition for change to happen.
