It is hard to disagree that there are numerous historical examples of how words can be a powerful instrument of influential and moral people who want to inform or persuade others. One such speech is I Have a Dream by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered in 1963. In this address, King mentions segregation, poverty, discrimination, and social isolation, which means that this speech is of particular value to African Americans.
Overall, two paragraphs especially inspire me as a Black woman. One of them is the third passage that ends with the following words: “a shameful condition” (King, 1963, para. 3). This description refers to social segregation and discrimination, and this is why I find this section to be extremely important for the improvement of African Americans’ lives. It pleases me and gives me hope to read this passage because it highlights that, while everyone around is rich in money and rights, Black persons still experience poverty and inequality. Even today, almost sixty years after the speech was delivered, the fight for African Americans’ freedom and rights is not finished, and since this is stated in the passage, I find it valuable.
Second, I am inspired by the fifth section because it gives me hope. Its last three words are “security of justice,” and this is what Black women need (King, 1963, para. 5). We have to receive equality, and the world has to treat us justly. In the paragraph, the speaker states that the world still has these moral qualities and values, and it is our time to finally use them. I feel stronger and more powerful thanks to these lines, and I, as a Black woman, begin to believe that someday our rights and freedoms will be secured.
Reference
King, M. L. (1963). I have a dream. Marshall University. Web.