Martin Luther King Jr. has been cited as an outstanding orator and a key player in the Civil Rights movement in the United States, paying the ultimate price of activism with his life. The speech "I have been to the mountaintop" is among the most famous of King's speeches most notably because it was his last and was followed by his assassination a day after delivering the fiery piece ( Reddick, 2018) . The speech was presented the Mason Temple, which was the headquarters of the Church of God in Christ located in Memphis within the state of Tennessee. The precise date of delivery of the speech has been cited as the 3 rd of April in 1968, where King used the meeting to call to action the fight against discrimination, especially at the workplace. Further, in advancing the fight against discrimination, King took the opportunity to advocate for a non-violent struggle citing that engaging in violence would lead to the authorities ignoring the main issue and focus on violence used by the protestors. It is worth mentioning that the audience in King’s speech is public servants who were sanitation workers in Memphis who had been striking over discriminatory practices ( Reddick, 2018) .
Language strategies used in the speech
King employs significant language strategies within his speech, which can be viewed as being effective in bringing out the intended meaning. First, King can be considered to be capitalizing on the use of repetition in his speech. Repetition is a literary device where a phrase or same words are used several times. In King' speech, repetition is evident where he says that “somewhere I read” ( Miller, 2011) . Even though King doesn’t explicitly say what document he has read, his repetition of this phrase is working to make clear that he is calling for the government to allow freedom of assembly, freedom of press, and freedom of speech. Further, repetition in the speech is used to emphasize the need for what King has "read somewhere".
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Another notable language technique that King capitalizes on in this speech is the use of metonymy. By using metonymy, the name of one entity is used to refer to another entity. Among the outstanding usage of metonymy in King’s speech is the utterance “dogs and water hoses will not turn us around”. The utterance refers to the Birmingham demonstration against segregation where protestors staged a peaceful demonstration but instead were attacked by police dogs and water cannons splashed at them. As such, the reference to dogs and water hoses does not precisely refer to dogs and water hoses as we know them but rather is an indication that there is nothing that can stand in the way of the protestors. I consider metonymy used by King as effective since it works to create a concrete as well as a vivid image of what the protest against discrimination will be like; showing that the black population will be relentless until they achieve their objective.
Delivery of the speech
During the delivery of the address, King employs numerous aspects of speech delivery. First, King speaks for engagement by using a variation of his volume which can be noted to have a significant impact on the audience since it shows how committed King is thus increasing his credibility on the topic of the day. The speech employs a vocal variety which King has mastered in his time as a fervent preacher. Applying vocal variety increases engagement that King has with his audience. Further, there is a notable speaking for clarity. It is worth mentioning that King ensures that his audience understands and digest the message that he is putting across by articulating every word clearly.
Overall effectiveness of the speech
King's speech can be argued as having a notable effect and impact, especially in the treatment of black Americans. While the constitution has entrenched the bill of rights, the speech worked to show that there are still disparities that are inherent within the society and mainly promoted by the government. As such, King works to remind his audience that the fight for human rights is a universal struggle. He admits that in that struggle the people have to go up the road of the fight for human rights together or go down together and as such, they should keep on moving however hard the struggle may become. Finally, the speech’s advocacy for nonviolence stands and emphasizes that nonviolence is the cornerstone of the modern struggle for freedom. King in the address provides potential solutions to the challenges that the black population is facing, thus making the speech act as a mirror for future speeches that have a similar purpose ( Reddick, 2018) . Speeches on issues that touch on the people’s welfare should not only be founded on pointing out the challenges that the people face but rather should be geared towards providing solutions to those challenges. Finally, King's speech is critical in contributing to creating an understanding of oratory art. The speech employs a variation of language strategies and aspects of speech delivery that are insightful. As such, one can learn how to stand out in the oratory art by understanding the techniques that King employs.
References
Miller, K. D. (2011). Martin Luther King’s Biblical Epic: His Final, Great Speech . Univ. Press of Mississippi.
Reddick, L. (2018). Crusader Without Violence: A Biography of Martin Luther King, Jr . NewSouth Books.
