But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

Question

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

Choose a paragraph from the speech to analyze. Explain why this paragraph is a powerful part of Dr. King's speech.

In your explanation, refer to direct text quotes as well as rhetorical devices such as imagery, repetition, and figures of speech.

Answer 1

The paragraph that begins with "But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free" is a powerful part of Dr. King's speech because it highlights the ongoing struggle for civil rights and paints a vivid picture of the injustices faced by African Americans.

In this paragraph, Dr. King uses imagery to describe the continued oppression of African Americans, painting a stark contrast between the "vast ocean of material prosperity" enjoyed by white Americans and the "lonely island of poverty" in which African Americans find themselves. This vivid imagery conveys the deep-seated inequality and segregation that still existed in America at that time.

Dr. King also employs repetition throughout this paragraph, with the phrase "One hundred years later" being repeated for emphasis. This repetition serves to drive home the point that despite a century passing since the Emancipation Proclamation, African Americans still faced discrimination and segregation. By repeating this phrase, Dr. King amplifies the sense of urgency and injustice that pervades the speech.

Furthermore, the use of the word "shameful" in the closing sentence of the paragraph is a powerful choice. This word carries a strong emotional weight, conveying a sense of moral outrage at the continued oppression of African Americans. By labeling the situation as shameful, Dr. King challenges his audience to confront and address the injustices faced by African Americans.

Overall, this paragraph is a powerful part of Dr. King's speech because it effectively conveys the ongoing struggle for civil rights, uses vivid imagery to highlight the injustices faced by African Americans, employs repetition for emphasis, and elicits a strong emotional response from the audience.