Many political speeches in America have been full of inspiration. The “I Have A Dream” speech was delivered by Martin Luther King Junior on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial when about a quarter of a million people gathered in Washington to match for equal employment rights and freedom (I Have A Dream Speech, 1963) . In this speech that was crafted in the final moments of the convocation, flowing like a poem, Luther exposed what it meant to be free and equal in one of the greatest of all civil rights meetings. Quoting the perspective of equality that was initially coined by Abraham Lincoln regarding the foundation of America, King connected democracy and biblical principles, citing Psalm 30:5 which describes weeping as only enduring for a night and that joy comes in the morning. King’s historic inspirational speech was a typical example of a revolutionary speech delivered to rally people to fight for their rights.
The speech picked heavily from other literary texts by other renowned speakers. Many other activists had explored the evil nature of slavery and discrimination including Frederick Douglass who, in his soft speech titled "The Meaning of July for the Negro", used the Bible to link America’s founding documents and journalist accounts (Douglass, n.d.) . In King’s quotation of Douglass, he also alludes to the speech by Keith Muller who authored Voices of Deliverance, a book that explores how the Bible and the American Declaration of independence instill extreme slavery (Muller, n.d.). This was in line with his recent Letter from Birmingham City Hall in which he explored the suffering of black people, using the symbol of twenty million negros smothering slowly in an airtight container of power ("Letter from Birmingham Jail", 2021) . In the "I Have a Dream" speech, King's reference to a lonely island of poverty refers to the famous poem by John Donne (2021) that discusses the oneness of people by portraying how “No Man Is an Island.” Drawing inspiration from the situation of fellow negros in the united states, King pointed to a notion of exile while borrowing significantly from the biblical story of Israelites under captivity in Egypt as is recorded in the book of exodus. In the “I Have a Dream ” speech, Martin Luther King is moved with compassion at the sight of the suffering to which black Americans were subjected and therefore gives an emotionally moving speech to expose the evils in the society. To him, the blacks compared to the Israelites in exile in Egypt.
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When penning down the song “Glory”, John Legend holds a similar perspective to Martin Lither King's speech "I Have a Dream." Common and John Legend’s song is not only a movie track for the film Selma . Instead, the song is a source of hope for a society that is ailing from historical injustices (Legend, 2021) . The song recognizes that even with the struggles fought by Martin Luther King Jr. and the other activists that worked with him, justice has not been fully served to all Americans and there is a need to reconsider the continuing battle. This is especially needful in a society that suffers rampant police brutality. Black people started the war for justice during the Civil Rights Movement and are continuing to fight a war that seems unending. The song, therefore, implies that the war has overstayed and there is a need that Blacks keep their hope high and chase after their dream to see a full serving of justice. The mentioning of Fergusson in the song demonstrated recent happenings in the county and how people feel about the incompleteness of the ‘justice’ served to Michael Brow. Whereas some personalities have disobeyed social norms to seek justice for their people, the consideration of Fergusson sheds light on the rampant police brutality. Consequently, marching for justice never ended in Selma or the Civil Rights Movement because racism and societal injustices are still outstanding. Discrimination against blacks is still a major area of concern and until such ends, people must continue to struggle to attain more freedom and equality.
Equality is not a mere contract but a covenant meant to last. Shakespeare points to the ultimate discontent of the negros when he asserts that, "Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this sun of York" in his play “Richard III.” The troubled relationship which exists between the brothers in the play – Richard and Edward – is a symbolic representation of how blacks and whites conflict in their priorities and this often hampers the development of good relations (Shakespeare, n.d.) . Amidst Shakespeare’s Gospel-studded language, King calls for an awakening, believing that only a radical awakening of blacks will bring the needed reformations and justice to the forgotten community.
King’s consistent quotation of biblical passages points to his strong belief in faith and the role of scripture in formulating grounds for justice. When he delivered the speech in 1963, it is possible that the audience was more confidently versed with the bible than today’s secular community that is led by liberalism. While quoting the old testament prophets like Jeremiah and Amos and exposing the suffering of the people, King uses new testament references that he used in the 1959 sermon “Unfulfilled Hopes”. In the reference, King quotes Apostle Paul and directs the people to go back to the old days and hold onto the hope they once had.
Thomas Jefferson wrote in the declaration of independence that he held the truths declared by my King to be true. Inasmuch as Jefferson was a slave owner of the time, his statement would later form a basis for King’s argument, in line with Lincoln’s Gettysburg speech, to form a basis for a movement that pushed for the amendment of the constitution, the national document that permitted injustice and division by legalizing slavery and slave trade which believed slaves were fractions of people ("Declaration of Independence", 2021) . According to Garry Orefield, the constitution lacked moral power to justify the blocking of the expansion of slavery and later emancipation ("Still Segregated", 2021) . King’s inspiration, judging from the references made, therefore, was one of passion for freedom and equal rights.
According to the speech “Carpe diem. Seize the day" by the Dead Poets Society, everyone has the freedom to make choices that define them and their fate. According to this philosophy, one must always draw inspiration from within or without to 'seize the day in whatever capacity ("Carpe diem. Seize the day." - Dead Poets Society", 2021) . Martin Luther King Jr. seized the day on the fateful day he delivered the I have a dream speech to multitudes that had come in large numbers to oppose injustices done against blacks. Drawing inspiration from his desire to see an equal America n which everyone was considered human, King sought to express his dream to all and rally masses to push for equal rights.
A sampling of texts to include in the analysis herein was done mainly purposively – a selection of texts that meant the thematic intention of the essay. Primarily, purposive sampling was deemed fit for the analysis because it provides the analyst freedom to select only relevant texts and avoid too many unnecessary texts. The texts were first selected from those discussed in class after which more texts covering a similar theme were considered. These additional texts were mainly searched online using keywords like "I Have a Dream”, “Independence,” “Civil Rights Movement,” “Slavery,” “Martin Luther King Junior,” and “racism.” However, this sampling method is prone to selective bias. Such arises because, in the purposive selection, it may be difficult to limit the author's preferences. Therefore, to minimize bias and improve objectivity, the number of texts to be included in the analysis was not limited. Instead, all texts that met the thematic focus of the essay were considered.
Overall, inspiration in texts can be noted from several viewpoints. These may include the context or circumstances behind the text, the tone used in the text or speech, as well as the use of textual references in the presentation of the text. King, in his moving speech "I Have a Dream," as can be observed from his tone, references, and circumstances, drew inspiration from the prevailing circumstances and sought to inspire masses to be radical about seeking equality in a nation that considered black citizens as secondary. Examined in the context of similar texts sampled online, it was notable that Martin Luther King Junior drew inspiration from circumstances surrounding America’s political scene. Similar texts of the time also drew similar inspiration and sought to champion equality.
References
"Carpe diem. Seize the day." - Dead Poets Society . Youtube.com. (2021). Retrieved 10 April 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi0Lbjs5ECI.
Declaration of Independence . HISTORY. (2021). Retrieved 10 April 2021, from https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/declaration-of-independence.
Donne, J. (2021). No Man Is An Island Poem by John Donne - Poem Hunter . Poem Hunter. Retrieved 10 April 2021, from https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/no-man-is-an-island/.
Douglass, F. (2021). The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro . Pbs.org. Retrieved 10 April 2021, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h2927t.html.
I Have A Dream Speech. (1963). [Video]. Retrieved 10 April 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vDWWy4CMhE.
Legend, J. (2021). Glory . Youtube.com. Retrieved 10 April 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUZOKvYcx_o.
"Letter from Birmingham Jail" . The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute. (2021). Retrieved 10 April 2021, from https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/letter-birmingham-jail.
Muller, K. (1992). Voice of Deliverance (1st ed.). Free Press.
Shakespeare, W. Richard III: Entire Play . Shakespeare.mit.edu. Retrieved 10 April 2021, from http://shakespeare.mit.edu/richardiii/full.html.
Still Segregated . Black Culture Connection. (2021). Retrieved 10 April 2021, from http://www.pbs.org/black-culture/explore/march-on-washington/web-series/episode-3-equality-in-education/#.UhzbymSjBHe.
