文体学分析i have a dream

1、A Brief Stylistic Analysis of '' I Have a Dream''Delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr. 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 Lin

2、coln memorial, hoping blacks and whites will live together equally one day.reviewing the whole speech in such context,we find out many stylistic features that are rare in other general public speeches,therefore,it deserves our exploration to exhibit what the stylistic characteristics of stimulating

3、speech are.The examination will be carried out in two perspectives,lexical,and semantic analyses.2.Lexical features Generally speaking ,a public speech possesses double traits of expression:It is formal as is required of written language,and it is yet not difficult to understand at the time of deliv

4、ery as is required of the spoken mode.1.1 Parallel infinitive phrases In this stimulating speech.Martin used many parallel infinitive phrases: to overlook ,to underestimate be able to work together, to pray together, to straggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, we

5、also found some parallel prepositional phrases such as ,live in,be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of ,is tied up, glory of . Martin Luther King uses parallelism words to create a strong rhythm to help the audience line up his ideas. 1.2 Use of first personal pronoun The second

6、lexical feature is that this speech uses many first personal pronouns. 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

7、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. (Pra.11)The use of first personal pronoun help to emphasis the emotion and make the audience feel that they are closely a

8、ssociated 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.2. semantic features2.1 Long Sentence1when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every sta

9、te 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.(pra.25) Long sentence are good to provide the detailed descripti

10、ons. 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.2.2 Short Sentence2W

11、e cannot walk alone. We cannot turn back.(pra.10) The two short sentences is very 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, an

12、d they must be positive and resolute. 2.3 Parallelisms3I 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 son

13、s 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

14、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 if their skin but by the content of their character.I have a dream today.I have a dream that one day down in Alabama with its governor having his lips dripping with the w

15、ords of interposition and nullification, 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 exalted, every hill and mountain s

16、hall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.(pra.14-21)4Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies o

17、f Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.(pra.23) Except the examples above, Martin 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 lan

18、guage. 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.2.4 Antithesis5Now is the time to rise

19、 from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.(pra.6) 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 expecta

20、tion to change the unfair situation to a justice one. 2.5 Repetition6No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."(pra.11)7And this will be the day - this will be the day when all of God's chil

21、dren will be able to sing with new meaning:(pra.23) Sentences above use epizeuxis to draw peoples 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 t

22、hey 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.2.6 Periodic Sentence8Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.(pra.2)9Go

23、 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.(pra.12) It drawing the listeners attention to the end of the sentence,

24、and it can be used to produce humorous and emphatic effect. The 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

25、 end of the sentence.2.7 Rhetorical Questions10There 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 bo

26、dies, 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 no

27、t be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."(Pra.11) 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

28、 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.2.8 Metaphor11Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come bac

29、k marked "insufficient funds". (pra.4) 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

30、 and the pursuit of happiness”, and failed to give the black people the riches of freedom and the security of justice.3 conclusion In conclusion,the analysis above roughly toughly touches some observable stylistic features of stimulating speech.stimulating speech shoulders the task of articulating t

31、he passing one's respectable personalities and admirable deeds.more often than not,it is delivered in a religious context and it is demanded to be brief,clear and convincing. Thus the sentence patterns are very well-organized, with repetitions, parallelism and contrasts frequently used. Secondly

32、, it should be emotional so as to be convincing, because the speaker should face the audience directly and his words should not only be orderly and informative but also be expressive and inspiring. Therefore, the stylistic devices such as similes and metaphors are often involved. Finally, in many ca

33、ses, written-conversational style is usually used with not very formal diction and not very complicated sentence structure. By putting such factors into consideration,we know that our analysis is far from being exhaustive.AppendixI Have a Dreamby Martin Luther King, Jr. August 28, 1963  &#

34、160; 1. I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.2.  Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree

35、came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of bad captivity.3. But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro i

36、s 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 societ

37、y and finds himself an exile in his own land. So weve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.4. In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, the

38、y 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 unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this prom

39、issory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."5. But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to be

40、lieve that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so we have come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. 6. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgen

41、cy of Now. This is no 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 promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to

42、 lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.7. It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate disconten

43、t will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end but a beginning. 8. Those who hope that the Negro 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 ne

44、ither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro 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.9. But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which

45、leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must ever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline.

46、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.10. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for m

47、any of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shal

48、l always march ahead. We cannot turn back.11. 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 bod

49、ies, 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

50、be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.12. I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left

51、 you battered by the 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 Georg

52、ia, 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. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, 13. I say to you today, my friends. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still h

53、ave a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.14. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live up to the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal.”15. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the

54、 sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.16. 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 o

55、asis of freedom and justice.17. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color if their skin but by the content of their character.18. I have a dream today.19. I have a dream that one day down in Alabama with its governor having his lips

56、 dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, 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.20. I have a dream today.21. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the r