Forty years ago, in the heart of this country's capital, an assembly formed near the Lincoln Memorial, a memorial to the author of the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared all slaves in the Confederacy "free forever". Just as Lincoln did in his time, another man raised during the time of the early sixties, to lead the Civil Rights Movement. The speech, I Have a Dream, given by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was not long nor complex in fact it was simple, However, the truths that were said, the feelings that were provoked and the power of Dr. King's diction impacted those in the audience and will forever resonate throughout all generations of time to come. Throughout his speech Dr. King uses descriptive metaphors to help express the needed changes and goals for America in those early stages of the Equal Rights Movement.
To begin with, while the majority of the crowd was African-American there were other ethnic backgrounds present that day, for the message Dr. King gave was for all people. Dr. King addresses this diversified group in a manner that all would be able to understand even if they came from different backgrounds. Dr. King emphasizes the needed changes and goals for America in his persuasive speech. For example, when he states, " we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt." He is using this descriptive metaphor to emphasize that they will no longer tolerate injustice. (King).
Furthermore, Dr. King's use of metaphors was an effective tool to speak to this large and diversified group, since it made the concept more easily understood by his audience. Several biblical references were made to relate the struggle of equal rights using such words and phrases as "exalted" and "the cup of bitterness". The people listening to Dr. King were mostly religious; people that held their beliefs sacred, which ultimately helps relate the message of Dr. King to this group, making him be like a preacher towards his audience.