Anaphora in “I have a Dream” Speech to Advocate for Freedom and Civil Rights

The Central Themes: Freedom and Civil Rights

The central idea of Abraham Lincoln's Speech "The Gettysburg Address'" is honoring dead soldiers that fought for the United States' freedom. On the other hand, Martin Luther King's (MLK) "I Have A Dream" Speech is dedicated to the idea that all men should be equal and African Americans should have the same rights that whites do. I will write about how both speeches help develop the central idea of "Freedom/Civil Rights."

Similarities and Differences in the Message of Equality

There are many similarities and differences between The Gettysburg Address by Lincoln and the speech "I Have a Dream" Spoken by MLK.

One of the similarities in both speeches is that they both refer to the Constitution, "All Men Are Created Equal." They both want freedom and equal rights for everyone. They both refer to the idea that "All Men Are Created Equal," but their ideas and actions aren't the same. In King's POV, he wanted rights for African Americans that white Americans got and wanted everybody to be treated equally. In Lincoln's POV, he's just honoring dead soldiers that fought for the United State's freedom. King's and Lincoln's beliefs shape the central Idea (Freedom/Civil Rights). Both speeches have multiple meanings, and they both come back to the same central idea, "Freedom/Civil Rights".

Anaphora in "I Have A Dream" Speech 

In the speech "I Have A Dream" states the anaphora "We can never be satisfied" multiple times, Meaning African Americans can never be satisfied with the terms that the White Americans have made. In Abraham Lincoln's Speech, they said, "The brave men, who fought and lived or died, who struggled here, have made this land divine and hallowed." The soldiers led the country to freedom so it could be "Divine and Hallowed," but the nation isn't going the way that the soldiers anticipated it to go because if you look back at MLK's speech, African Americans weren't treated equally, and didn't have many rights.

Different Perspectives, One Goal: A Reflection on Freedom and Civil Rights

The Speeches "I Have A Dream" by MLK and "The Gettysburg Address" By Lincoln have many similarities and differences, but they both relate in some way. In the speeches, the objective of both of them is to explain what was going on throughout both timelines… In MLK'S speech, he talks a lot about how African Americans face difficulties because of the unfair rights they are given/have. In Abraham Lincoln's speech, he talks about the soldier's achievements and what they had to do for The United States to have its freedom. Both speeches talk about freedom and civil rights, but their ideas and perspectives are different.

References:

1. "The Gettysburg Address" by Abraham Lincoln
2. "I Have a Dream" Speech by Martin Luther King, Jr.

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