I Have a Dream

                The speech delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr. could not have been delivered at a better place than Lincoln’s Memorial.  He inspired change by simply stating the facts of what was defined as freedom in our country and where we actually were at the time.  There was some symbolism used by Mr. King to get his point across.  The subject of his speech directly connects to the location he chose.  It displays two men from different times fighting for the same cause.  Any other location would not have given the same effect.  By choosing Lincoln’s Memorial as the location and including powerful symbolism in his speech, Martin Luther King, Jr. was able to forever change the way people thought about civil rights.

                He begins his speech by talking about the Emancipation Proclamation, and the fact that it was passed one hundred years ago.  Mr. King states the facts about where the Negro man is today, and he is still not where he should be.  He is still suppressed, repressed, discriminated against, and not given equal rights.  You can see all of the frustration and will for things to get better among the audience and Mr. King.  Everyone collectively is expressing a desire for change, for equality, for true freedom.

                Mr. King used very clever and humorous symbolism to get his point across.  He begins by using the bad check example.  The bad check is the empty promise and lie about the freedom the Negroes are supposed to have in this country.  When they try to use their freedom and equal rights, which is the check, the check bounces.  The check ends up being no good because it does not give them its stated value.  He goes on to include the claim of justice in this country and using the justice bank as symbolism for it.  We all know the justice bank is good for the check, and is more than able to cash it, but for whatever reason they don’t.

                The location connects to the speech by being at Lincoln’s memorial, Lincoln whom passed the Emancipation Proclamation.  Lincoln and Mr. King were soldiers on the same battlefield fighting for freedom for the American people, even though they were in different times.

                It would have been impossible for Mr. King to have chosen a better location for his speech.  The fact that Lincoln fought for African Americans and went as far as to pass the Emancipation Proclamation puts Mr. King and Lincoln on the same team just in different times.  For Mr. King’s speech to have maximum effect and impact on the American people and the world, he had no other choice than to hold it there.  Because there he was able to say to the government that they are lying to the American people about the freedom we are all supposed to have.  Any other location would not have had the same effect, influence and power as Lincoln’s Memorial had.

                Mr. King did not really do anything that was out of the ordinary, we didn’t expose any secrecy of any kind.  Everyone already was faced with the truth of the lack of equality in our country.  What Mr. King did do is bring it to everyone’s attention to it and call for an end to inequality and discrimination in our country. He did so by choosing the most powerful location to get his message across, which was Lincoln Memorial.  Any other location would not have had the same effect because the fact is that no other man in history made as much of a contribution equality in our country as did Lincoln, making Lincoln and King soldiers on the same battlefield fighting for our basic right of equality.