A speech can only be as great as the reason for which it is delivered: momentous occasions make speeches epochal. Consequently, Obama’s Inaugural Address, Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, and Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream are all consequential addresses as their themes are consummately significant. Obama’s Inaugural Address, delivered to the American people on January 20, 2009, seeks to convince a disheartened, emasculated nation that it will weather its crisis in spite of those who “fear that America’s decline is inevitable” and comport itself valiantly as a nation so that future generations will be able to say that their ancestors “carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely” (391, 396). Similarly, Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, delivered to the Union on March 4, 1865 but intended too for the Confederacy, strives to convince an effete, warring nation that the outcome of the American Civil War is God’s will; that it must “strive on to finish the work” of the war and “bind up the nation’s wounds” afterwards; and that it must do all it can to “achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace” with itself and all nations (467).
Likewise, King’s I Have a Dream, delivered on August 28, 1963 for all Americans—regardless of skin color, informs America that the Negro can no longer endure “the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination” that it has for generations and that America must end its strife with itself or end itself with strife (481). Though all the speeches have pivotal themes—especially Lincoln and King’s, only King’s words inspired action directly. The inaugural addresses’ words did not inspire action per se; rather, subsequent policies did. Since it was the only speech to instigate action directly and since it evoked the largest popular reaction of the three, before I read the speeches I imagined that King’s I Have a Dream would be the most effective. After reading all of them, it is decidedly clear that King’s is the most effective. It artfully employs repetition, consummately appeals to emotion, eloquently demands change, and thereby effectively delivers its message of freedom.
Both Barack Obama and Martin Luther King adroitly utilize repetition in their addresses to engage their audiences, but King’s employment of repetition is more effective than Obama’s. King exclusively repeats emotional phrases, while Obama repeats relatively unemotional ones and under-repeats the one emotional one in his speech. The most frequently repeated phrases in I Have a Dream are “I have a dream” and “let freedom ring” (484, 485). Both are emotional phrases that deliver ocular or aural frissons; when you read or hear them, you shudder. These are some of the most heartfelt lines ever uttered:
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four 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.
I have a dream today. (King 484)
Even the most despicable racist must be moved on some level after reading or hearing those sensational words. On the other hand, Obama repeats phrases that are unpoignant:
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West—know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist. (Obama 394)Though his words are substantial and his message is clear, Obama’s use of repetition does not have the same chilling effect that King’s does. To give him some credit, Obama did have one phrase that was particularly moving:
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn. (Obama 392)
Regrettably, he repeated “for us” only three times. King repeated “I have a dream” three times as many and “let freedom ring” twice as many. In short, King’s I Have a Dream excels Obama’s Inaugural Address primarily because the former is more passionate and applies repetition more skillfully than the latter.
While King eloquently quotes lyrics, President Lincoln’s bible verses only serve to perplex his audience; and Lincoln’s speech is unemotional. Ideally, a quote is included within a work because it accentuates and augments the author’s message while concomitantly alluding to another work that has significance to both the author and his audience. King’s two quotes do just this:
My country, ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring. (485)
Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last! (485)
Both emphasize and expand King’s message; both add emotion to an already emotional speech. Contrastingly, Lincoln’s bible verses, while clearly significant to both author and audience, serve only to confuse those who are not well versed in verses. With its antediluvian language, this verse is a compositional nightmare: “Woe unto the world because of offenses! for it must needs be that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh!” (Lincoln 466). Try saying that one ten times fast! Instead of adding to the speech, the verse detracts from it. Also, Lincoln’s address is in effect devoid of emotion. This is probably due to the President’s conviction that the nation had no time to waste and therefore did not have time to listen to emotionally appealing yet largely impertinent words. Regardless, King’s emotional appeals and use of poignant, comprehensible quotes make his speech more effective than President Lincoln’s.
King’s I Have a Dream is decidedly more effective than either inaugural address. It is a masterpiece with universally heartfelt emotional appeals and eloquent employment of repetition and quotes that contains a momentous message. It directly inspired millions to demand nothing less than equality; it has continued to inspire for nearly a half century; and it will indubitably influence future generations. Because of his speech, King’s dream materialized.
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