从文体学分析i-have-a-dream演示教学.doc

从文体学分析i-have-a-dream

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Analyze “I Have a Dream”
1. Introduction
“I Have a Dream” is a very famous speech of the great leader of American civil rights movement, Martin Luther King. In 1963.8.28, he gave this speech to the people in front of the Lincoln memorial, hoping blacks and whites will live together equally one day.

2. Text structure
At the beginning, Martin Luther King first told the importance of “Emancipation Proclamation” signed by President Lincoln one hundred years ago. However, there still remained many unfair and injustice among the black and white people. Then, he encouraged the black people to fight to change their status, rather then remaining silence and passive. At last, the speakers used “I Have a Dream” to bring out the theme which was not only the speaker’s dream but also all the black people’s.

3. Vocabulary
In this speech, big words are often used in complex structures, and there are many unfamiliar words and abstract words, etc. Beside, this speech uses many first personal pronouns. We (us) come many times, which almost cover every sentence of the speech.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The use of first personal pronoun (We) help to emphasis the emotion and make the audience feel that they are closely associated with the speaker and what he said. The first personal pronoun contains the listener as well as the speaker, and show that they are in the same situation.

4. Rhetorical devices
4.1 Long Sentence
And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village 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 Negro spiritual.

Long sentence are good to provide the detailed descriptions. And the sentence above shows that when the freedom ring from all the places, then all kinds of people in this country can join together equally and enjoy the happy moment. Also shows the speaker firmly believe that one day his dream and their dream will come true eventually.

4.2 Short Sentence
We cannot walk alone.
We cannot turn back.
The two short sentences leave a direct, clear terse effect, so that it creates certain atmosphere, and leave a deep impression on the listener. And also express the determination that they must go and fight for themselves, they can not drawback, and they must be positive and resolute.

4.3 Parallelisms
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 on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners 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 injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

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.

Except the examples above, Priest King used many other parallelisms in this speech. Patterned and in rhyme, it was good to read. And the uses of parallelisms also expressed strong feelings and strengthened the force of language. When the listeners heard the sentence begin with “I Have a Dream”, listeners would felt inspired and passionate. The strong emotion of the speaker can also influence the listeners because they can felt it. The other parallelisms also have those functions.

4.4 Antithesis
Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.

The sentence above used antithesis to make the contrast more prominent and effective. The contrast between desolate valley of segregation and the sunlit path of racial justice have showed the eager expectation to change the unfair situation to a justice one.

4.5 Repition
No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

Sentences above use epizeuxis to draw people’s attention to it or to emphasis the emotions. Such as the first sentence, the “no” appears two time, shows the strong emotion that the black people will not satisfy until they finally find and get what they need---justice and freedom. And the second sentence “this will be the day”, shows the firmly believe that the day the expected will come eventually.

4.6 Periodic Sentence
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

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 northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

It drawing the listener’s attention to the end of the sentence, and it can be used to produce humorous and emphatic effect. The fires sentence above, the major idea is signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The major idea of the second sentence is this situation can and will be changed. The listeners can the important point and know what the speaker wants to say at the end of the sentence.

4.7 Rhetorical Questions
There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. 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 a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro 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."

Rhetorical question can express very strong emotions or to emphasize a particular aspect or to increase the persuasive power. And the rhetorical question above, have parallelism sentences to answer the question, which express the strong emotion of complain that they will not satisfy until the situation have changed to be a fair one for the black people.

4.8 Metaphor
Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds".

A metaphor is a comparison of two unlike things. Metaphor expresses “A is B”. “a bad check”, in the sentence above implied the America failed to give the black people the promise that they would be guaranteed the “unalienable rights” of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”, and failed to give the black people the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

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