I Have Dream by Martin Luther King Jr.
About the Author – Martin Luther King Jr.
“I Have a Dream” is a famous speech delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. at
the March on Washington. He was born on 15 January 1929 and died on 4 April
1968. His original name was Michael Luther King Jr., but later his father
changed both their names to Martin Luther King in honor of the German reformer
Martin Luther. He was an American Baptist minister and a great leader of the
Civil Rights Movement. He fought against racial discrimination and worked for
equality and justice for Black Americans.
Parents and Wife
His father, Martin Luther King Sr., was a Baptist pastor and an active
leader in the Civil Rights Movement. His mother, Alberta Williams King, worked
actively in church and social organizations.
While studying at Boston University, Martin Luther King Jr. met Coretta Scott
King. They married on 18 June 1953. She was a singer, social activist, and
supporter of the Civil Rights Movement.
Education and Achievements
Martin Luther King Jr. became a Baptist minister at the age of 19. He
completed:
·
B.A. in Sociology from
Morehouse College in 1948.
·
Degree in Divinity from
Crozer Theological Seminary in 1951.
·
Ph.D. in Systematic
Theology from Boston University in 1955.
He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and a Grammy Award in 1970.
Summary and Analysis of I Have a Dream
“I Have a Dream” is a historic speech delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. on
28 August 1963 at the March on Washington near the Lincoln Memorial. The main
purpose of the speech was to demand freedom, equality, and jobs for all
citizens of the United States.
Martin Luther King Jr., himself a Black American, spoke against racial
discrimination and injustice faced by Black people in America. Although the
Constitution promised equality to all citizens, Black Americans were still
treated unfairly, humiliated, and denied their basic rights. They had suffered
discrimination and oppression for many years.
In this speech, King appealed for unity between Black and White Americans.
He strongly believed in non-violence and peaceful protest. He advised Black
people not to hate White people because many White citizens also supported
justice and equality. He considered them brothers and fellow citizens.
According to him, both Black and White Americans should work together for peace
and progress.
Martin Luther King Jr. began his speech with the famous words:
“Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand
today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.”
Here he referred to Abraham Lincoln, who ended slavery in America.
Later, he said:
“But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free.”
This line shows that even after slavery ended, Black people were still not
truly free or equal.
He ended the speech with hopeful and emotional words:
“Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”
These lines express his faith in God and his hope that one day equality and
freedom would become reality.
Martin Luther King Jr. repeatedly used the phrase “I have a dream” to
express his vision of a future America where Black and White people would live
together with equal rights and mutual respect. He also referred to the U.S.
Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and religious teachings to
support his message of equality and justice.
Theme of the Speech
The main themes of “I Have a Dream” are:
·
Freedom
·
Equality
·
Justice
·
Brotherhood
·
Non-violence
·
Unity among all people
regardless of color, caste, or creed
The speech remains one of the greatest speeches in history and became a
symbol of the American Civil Rights Movement.
I Have a Dream (Text)
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow
we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree
came as a great beacon of hope to millions of slaves, who had been seared in
the flames of whithering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the
long night of their captivity. But one hundred years later, the colored America
is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the colored American is
still sadly crippled by the manacle of segregation and the chains of
discrimination.
One hundred years later, the colored American lives on a lonely
island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One
hundred years later, the colored American is still languishing in the corners
of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land So we have come
here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense we have come to our Nation’s Capital
to cash a check. When the architects of our great republic wrote the
magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they
were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.
This note was a promise that all men, yes,
black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of
life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this
promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of
honoring this sacred obligation, America has given its colored people a bad
check, a check that has come back marked “insufficient funds.”
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.
We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of
opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check, a check that
will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and security of justice.
We have also come to his hallowed spot to
remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is not time to engage in the
luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is
the time to make real the promise of democracy.
Now it the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation
to the sunlit path of racial justice.
Now it the time to lift our nation from the
quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time
to make justice a reality to all of God’s children.
I would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the
moment and to underestimate the determination of it’s colored citizens. This
sweltering summer of the colored people’s legitimate discontent will not pass
until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three
is not an end but a beginning. Those who hope that the colored Americans needed
to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the
nation returns to business as usual.
There will be neither rest nor tranquility in
America until the colored citizen is granted his citizenship rights. The
whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until
the bright day of justice emerges.
We can never be satisfied as long as our
bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of
the highways and the hotels of the cities.
We cannot be satisfied as long as the colored person’s basic
mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one.
We can never be satisfied as long as our
children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs
stating “for white only.”
We cannot be satisfied as long as a colored
person in Mississippi cannot vote and a colored person in New York believes he
has nothing for which to vote.
No, no we are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until
justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come
here out of your trials and tribulations. Some of you have come from areas
where your quest for freedom left you battered by storms of persecutions and
staggered by the winds of police brutality.
You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to
work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go
back to South Carolina go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the
slums and ghettos of our modern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can
and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you,
my friends, we have the difficulties of today and tomorrow.
I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply
rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live
out the true meaning of its creed. We hold these truths to be self-evident that
all men are created equal.
I have a dream that one day out in the red hills of Georgia the
sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit
down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a
state sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis
of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in
a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by their
character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day down in Alabama,
with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the
words of interposition and nullification; that one day right down in Alabama
little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white
boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall
be engulfed, every hill shall be exalted and every mountain shall be made low,
the rough places will be made plains and the crooked places will be made
straight and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it
together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I will
go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the
mountain of despair a stone of hope.
With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling
discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.
With this faith we will be able to work
together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to
climb up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God’s children
will be able to sing with new meaning “My country ’tis of thee, sweet land of
liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my father’s died, land of the Pilgrim’s
pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!”
And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.
So let freedom ring from the hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from
the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of
Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only that, let freedom, ring from Stone Mountain of
Georgia.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi and
every mountainside.
When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every
tenement and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to
speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and
Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the
words of the old spiritual, “Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we
are free at last.”
Glossary
Score: /skɔː/
a group or set of twenty or about twenty
Negro:
Black African People.
Emancipation
Proclamation: It was an order issued by
the US President Abraham Lincoln for equality of all citizens.
Momentous:
/mə(ʊ)ˈmɛntəs/ of great importance or significance
Decree:
/dɪˈkriː/ an official order that has the force of law
Manacles
/ˈmanək(ə)l/ two metal rings joined by a chain
Promissory
note: A promissory note is
a legal and a financial instrument
Unalienable:
/ʌnˈeɪlɪənəb(ə)l/ impossible to take away or give up
Hallowed:
/ˈhaləʊd/ greatly revered and honoured
Ghettos:
/ˈɡɛtəʊ/ a part of a city in which members of a minority group live
Wallow: /ˈwɒləʊ/ roll about or
lie in mud or wate
Interposition:
/ɪntəpəˈzɪʃ(ə)n/ the action of interposing someone or something
Prodigious
: /prəˈdɪdʒəs/ remarkably or impressively great
Textual Questions
Q1. Why has “I Have a Dream” been called the defining moment of the
American Civil Rights Movement?
Ans. The speech “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr. is called the
defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement because it inspired
millions of people to fight against racial discrimination and demand equal
rights for Black Americans.
The Civil Rights Movement aimed to achieve social and political equality for
African Americans. In this historic speech, delivered on 28 August 1963 at the
Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke against discrimination based on
color and demanded freedom, justice, and equality for all.
More than 250,000 people attended the gathering, making it one of the
largest peaceful demonstrations in American history. King reminded the nation
that even after one hundred years of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation,
Black Americans were still suffering from injustice and inequality.
Throughout the speech, he repeated the words “I have a dream” and expressed
hope that one day Black and White people would live together with equal rights.
He referred to the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and
religious teachings to support his message of equality and justice.
Martin Luther King Jr. believed in non-violence and peaceful protest. His
speech became a symbol of hope, freedom, and equality. Therefore, it is
regarded as the defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement.
Q2. What are the various kinds of injustices that were meted out to African
Americans in America?
Ans. African Americans suffered many kinds of injustices and discrimination
in America. Some of them are:
1. They were victims of police brutality and cruelty.
2. They were denied good jobs and employment opportunities.
3. They were not allowed to stay in many hotels and motels.
4. They were not paid equal wages for equal work.
5. They were forced to live in ghettos and poor areas.
6. They were denied good housing facilities.
7. They were not allowed to vote freely or participate equally in
politics.
8. Black children were deprived of dignity and self-respect.
9. Their complaints and grievances were ignored.
10. They were denied equal rights enjoyed by White Americans.
11. They could not easily access good hospitals and health services.
12. They were not allowed to study in good schools with White
children.
These injustices clearly show the racial discrimination faced by African
Americans in society.
Q3. Despite the injustice suffered by African Americans, King paints a
picture of an integrated and unified America. Comment.
Ans. Although African Americans suffered great injustice and discrimination,
Martin Luther King Jr. never encouraged hatred or division among people.
Instead, he dreamed of an integrated and united America where Black and White
citizens would live together peacefully.
In his speech delivered on 28 August 1963 near the Lincoln Memorial, King
emphasized non-violence, unity, and brotherhood. He advised Black Americans to
continue their struggle peacefully without hatred or revenge.
He believed that many White Americans also supported justice and equality.
Therefore, he called them brothers and fellow citizens. According to King, both
Black and White people should work together for the progress, peace, and
development of the country.
He strongly believed that all citizens should be treated equally without
discrimination based on race or color. His dream was of a well-integrated and
unified America built on freedom, equality, and justice.
Q4. Mention the list of dreams that King spells out in his speech. Which
one do you appreciate the most and why?
Ans. In his speech, Martin Luther King Jr. expressed many dreams for a
better and equal America. Some important dreams are:
1. “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the
sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will sit together at
the table of brotherhood.”
2. “I have a dream that one day the state of Mississippi will be
transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.”
3. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live
in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the
content of their character.”
4. “I have a dream that one day black boys and black girls will
join hands with white boys and white girls as brothers and sisters.”
5. “I have a dream that every valley shall be exalted and every
hill and mountain shall be made low.”
The dream I appreciate the most is that Black and White children will join
hands as brothers and sisters. Children are innocent and free from hatred. They
should grow together in love, equality, and friendship without discrimination
based on color or race.
Q5. King refers to his dream as one deeply rooted in the American Dream.
What does he mean?
Ans. Martin Luther King Jr. says that his dream is deeply rooted in the
American Dream because he believed in the basic ideals of America — freedom,
equality, justice, and happiness for all citizens.
In his speech, he repeatedly says “I have a dream” to express his hope for a
better future where all people, regardless of color, are treated equally. He
believed that all human beings are created equal by God and deserve the same
rights and opportunities.
King wanted America to fulfill the promises made in the Constitution and the
Declaration of Independence. He hoped that one day Black Americans would enjoy
the same freedoms and rights as White Americans.
Thus, his dream was closely connected with the true American Dream of
equality, liberty, and justice for everyone.
Exercise 2 – True / False
1. Helen undergoes a period of emotional agitation due to her
physical impairments. — True
2. In her childhood, Helen does not want to communicate with
others. — False
3. The parents are indifferent to the child. — False
4. The journey to the oculist is a difficult one for the child. — False
5. The absence of eyes in the doll is not noted by the child. — False
6. Miss Sullivan comes to the Keller home when Helen is ten years
old. — False
7. The narrator uses the word “light” for the eventful day of Miss
Sullivan’s arrival. — True
8. The first word that her teacher teaches Helen is “water”. — True
9. Miss Sullivan points to Helen’s heart in response to the
question “What is love?” — True
10. Helen learns to recognize words because Miss Sullivan speaks to
her loudly. — False
Exercise 3 – Match the Disabilities with Their Meanings
|
Disability |
Meaning |
|
1. Dyslexia |
(c) Difficulty in learning to read or interpret words,
letters and symbols |
|
2. Autism |
(e) A developmental disorder affecting communication and
social interaction |
|
3. Down’s Syndrome |
(b) A genetic disorder associated with physical growth
delays and intellectual disability |
|
4. ADHD |
(a) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder |
|
5. Achromatopsia |
(d) Colour blindness or inability to see colours properly |
Answers:
1 – C
2 – E
3 – B
4 – A
5 – D
Exercise 4 – Styles of Walking
1. To walk with difficulty — Hobble
2. To walk on the tips of one’s toes — Tiptoe
3. To move without a fixed purpose — Wander
4. To walk with long steps — Stride
5. To walk slowly because one is tired — Trudge
6. To walk noisily without lifting the feet — Scuffle
7. To go quietly or secretly — Sneak
8. To walk quietly while looking for something — Prowl
9. To move quickly and suddenly — Dash
10. To make a sudden forward movement — Lunge
Exercise 5 – Use of Expressions Beginning with “Out”
Expressions:
Out of the blue, out of the question, out at the elbows, out of this
world, out of bounds, out and about, out with it, out and out
1. What was so terrible that he couldn’t come out with it
in his usual candid manner?
2. The village is out of bounds to the soldiers in
the camps.
3. Out of the blue, a deer came in front of my
car.
4. Scuba diving without an oxygen tank is out of the
question.
5. What a restaurant! The food was out of this world.
6. It’s good to see old Mr. Shah out and about
again.
7. The news report was out and out fake.
8. I cannot help you because I am out at the elbows
these days.
Exercise 6 – Pandemic Vocabulary
|
Meaning |
Word |
|
1. Disease passing between humans and animals |
Zoonotic disease |
|
2. Rapid spread of disease within a short time |
Outbreak |
|
3. Pandemic limited to a geographical area |
Epidemic |
|
4. Spread among people with no known contact |
Community Spread |
|
5. Infected person showing no symptoms |
Asymptomatic |
|
6. Spread through respiratory droplets |
Droplet transmission |
|
7. Separation to prevent spread of disease |
Quarantine |
|
8. Immunity developed in a large population |
Herd immunity |
Grammar
Exercise 7
Change the narration from Direct to Indirect Speech
Mira said, “I am going home.”
→ Mira said that she was going home.Aisha said, “I have been to London.”
→ Aisha said that she had been to London.Seerat said, “My parents are going to Jammu.”
→ Seerat said that her parents were going to Jammu.She told me, “I can’t swim.”
→ She told me that she could not swim.He said, “I went on a picnic yesterday.”
→ He said that he had gone on a picnic the previous day.The mother said to the children, “How brilliant you are!”
→ The mother exclaimed to the children that they were very brilliant.The teacher said, “The earth moves around the sun.”
→ The teacher said that the earth moves around the sun.I said to her, “Honesty is the best policy.”
→ I told her that honesty is the best policy.Pinky said, “I didn’t have any breakfast this morning.”
→ Pinky said that she had not had any breakfast that morning.Kamal said, “I will paint a picture tomorrow.”
→ Kamal said that he would paint a picture the following day.
Exercise 8
Change the narration from Indirect to Direct Speech
Mrs. Shah said that she had lost her bag.
→ Mrs. Shah said, “I have lost my bag.”The man said that she was a college friend of my father’s.
→ The man said, “She is a college friend of your father.”Somu told the shopkeeper that he wanted to return the clock as it was defective.
→ Somu said to the shopkeeper, “I want to return this clock as it is defective.”The judge commanded them to call the accused into the courtroom.
→ The judge said to them, “Call the accused into the courtroom.”Salman said that he and his sister were going to the circus.
→ Salman said, “My sister and I are going to the circus.”Monty said that he hoped Pinky was all right.
→ Monty said, “I hope Pinky is all right.”The coach said that the players had to come for practice every morning.
→ The coach said, “Players, you have to come for practice every morning.”She said she was seeing her brother the following day.
→ She said, “I am seeing my brother tomorrow.”She asked me how they would get there.
→ She said to me, “How will we get there?”The guest requested them to give him a cup of coffee.
→ The guest said, “Please give me a cup of coffee.”
