Speeches

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses two famous speeches in the United States calling for freedom: Thomas Jefferson's "Declaration of Independence" and Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream". The paper compares the two speeches from a structural point of view and describes the differing content. The paper explains the different audiences targeted by each speech.

From the Paper:

"The intended audience affected how each man wrote his statement. Jefferson used elaborately structured language, because his message was to the upper class and royalty of England. For instance, his opening sentence starts, "When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another ...". This sentence contains seventy-one words. By comparison, King's audience was the entire United States. His opening sentence is only seventeen words and immediately refers to the main issue directly by mentioning the Emancipation Proclamation. Jefferson's speech continues with complex vocabulary and extremely long sentences, while King' speech is almost like poetry in some places, creating clear images and using language that is easy to understand and to listen to. This is why we call it the "I have a dream" speech. That simple sentence resonates in the speech and communicates his intent very clearly."

More papers on Speeches:

• Essay # 4170 : "Hate Speeches: The Right to Freedom of Speech"
• Essay # 54927 : "Medea's Speeches"
• Comparison Essay # 1023 : "The Speeches of Jesus and Stephen in the "Book of Luke"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: