remains to be one of the most important leaders in American history. He is prominently remembered as the leader of the Civil Rights movement in the 1950's and 1960's. The equality that exists among races in the United States today has a lot to do with him. He did not achieve that equality with his mere presence. He wrote powerful speeches and letters, and he spoke words of wisdom all along his journey. Two of his most famous pieces are the, "I Have a Dream," speech, and, "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." Although the speech and the letter were aimed at different audiences, both convey the same message. It was time for blacks and whites to come together, and live as one. Martin Luther King Jr. knew how to reach the audience he was addressing, through the use of different language tools.
The, "I Have a Dream," speech is a very persuasive piece, for good reason. This speech was given to an estimated 250,000 people at the March on Washington. It is still known as one of the most moving, and politically important speeches of all time. He realized he was addressing the people at the march, and the Americans watching it on TV. He knew it was his time to sway the biggest audience he would ever have. From the very start, he used raw emotion to draw people in to his every word. He also used inclusive language, so that he did not exclude any group from the words he was saying. Throughout the speech, he used the word, "we," thirty times. He did this to ensure that people know black injustice is everyone's issue, and not just an African American's issue.
The diction used in his speech was so graphic, it could paint a picture in anyone's head. He had a way of stimulating people's imaginations. King had a habit of pairing abstract words with concrete ones. An example of this in his speech is, "Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.
