Writing A Response Essay On I Have A Dream
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” is one of the most popular speeches taught in schools. The speech has inspired people to go after what they believe is right. It has also inspired people to learn more about the man behind it. Whether you have to write an essay in a language arts course or a history course, this speech provides plenty of opportunities for responses.
- Rhetoric and Style
- The Content of the Speech
- Does It Still Stand Today?
- Include the Necessities
Students can focus on the style of the speech, especially the rhetoric involves. It would be easy to focus on how King used deductive reasoning or logos as well as the way he included both inductive and deductive reasoning. There are several lines in the speech that can be used as examples to support whether he was looking at the issues of the day with logic or with emotion or a combination of both. The repetition near the end is also easy to focus on and so is the way that he incorporates the spiritual. This type of response essay would be appropriate to write for a language arts class.
Along with focusing on the style and rhetoric of the speech, the content of the speech is worthy of response, too. The way that King focuses on the problem and the need to solve it tugs at the heartstrings of everyone who listens to it. Focusing on the content would be an appropriate topic for a history class. When he refers to his dreams at the end of the speech, that content would also be appropriate to write about; especially, since he includes so many personal experiences and desires when it comes to freedom.
Another possible response topic would be arguing whether or not the speech is still viable today. Does it still apply to people who feel discrimination today? Or, has the speech had its time. If you do believe that it is still useful, who could use the words? The argument would need to be in the thesis, and you would need to supply plenty of examples and how they apply to people with dreams of freedom today.
No matter what argument you choose to respond to in an essay, it is important that your paper uses all of the necessary components. The paper will need an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.