by Nathan Perkins

Created on: January 16, 2009   Last Updated: January 19, 2010

In considering the speech that Martin Luther King brought before the steps of the Lincoln Memorial I was, mostly impressed. In fact it led me to say, I have a dream to some day be able to write and speak with the power, authority, boldness and influence of Martin Luther King. The impact of his words are historic.

My assignment was to consider the speech as only that a speech. This left me wondering if that can even be done in any situation where a speech has a purpose and is not simply written for consideration.

Much of the power of King's address was in the situation and the passion felt in that situation. Certainly the time consumed in preparing for such an incredible speech flowed from the sense of importance the moment brought. Certainly the energy and emption within the actual presentation was also an outflow of the purpose. But I will attempt to set these and other such influences aside as I consider the speech as a simple speech.

Within the body of the speech is imagery that evokes a response. Some images were bleak and call for reformation. Some were the images of a better day that called for the renewal of hope. Each image was built on simple direct analogy. What King illustrate he illustrated in brief phrases.

The length of the phrasing is also something that I have not heard in modern day addresses. King presented and powerful, message with useful language and linked throughout to an impassioned point but somehow energized it even further by presenting it in a meter of bite-sized morsels of information.

The hearers can not be discounted in any speech. I must imagine how each word was ingested, digested and received. As I read with this in mind I thought about each idea as it was presented in a rhythm. I read a portion. It built with emotion and impact as I read it. Then I was given a breather of reflection as he drew a picture of a desirable future. Again, I he brought a rhythmic point that built with passion and leveled allowing consideration.

There was, by no means, and fluff in his address. Each phrase and each characteristic filled a purpose. There's no certain way to know how much of the purpose of meter and flow came intentionally and how much flowed from his natural talent and passion. I will assume for simple speculation there was a balance of both. First, his passion for the cause would not allow him to leave any "T" uncrossed or an "I" un-dotted. But I also believe the ordination of his magnum opus. Some of the magic just happened.

Insert all the elements of it being a real speech with real purpose, real hearers and the zeal of a real speaker and all those other things I should discount to consider this speech as a simple example of narrative, and the enchantment spilled into powerful influence. In reality it started with a dream.

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