A Genre Analysis of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” and Its Use in the Asian EFL Classroom
In this paper, the author discusses the particular discourse features of Dr. Martin Luther King's historic speech, "I Have a Dream," delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C., in 1963. The paper first begins with a brief description of the context, including the location, temporal setting, and the social and cultural circumstances in which the speech was delivered. Second, the author provides a discourse analysis of the specific literary and rhetorical discourse features that are unique to Dr. King's speech. The analysis focuses on genre, linguisitic structure and cohesion within the text.
The many historic milestones of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, life are examined in this informative biography. Examining the civil rights leader’s life from his birth in Atlanta, winning the Nobel Peace Prize, the march to Selma, his "I Have a Dream" speech”, and his assassination.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was only 25 when he helped organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott and was soon organizing black people across the country in support of the right to vote, desegregation, and other basic civil rights. Maintaining nonviolent and peaceful tactics even when his life was threatened, King was also an advocate for the poor and spoke out against racial and economic injustice until his death?from an assassin?s bullet?in 1968. With clearly written text that explains this tumultuous time in history and 80 black-and-white illustrations, this Who Was? celebrates the vision and the legacy of a remarkable man.
