Language and Identity

"I Have a Dream"
Comprehension

Due Friday, October 15

Please write complete, thoughtful answers in your best English and handwriting. Answers of a few words are too short!

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Name ____________________________________

1. What was the Emancipation Proclamation (first paragraph)?

2. In whose "symbolic shadow" (first paragraph) was King standing? Why is this important?

3. King's message was one of hope rather than despair. What are some examples of words, phrases, or ways of speaking that tell you that he was hopeful or that identify him as a person with profound hope?

4. In your own words, what was Reverend Martin Luther King's "dream"?

5. In the last paragraph, King quotes an old spiritual (spiritual = religious song of African-American origin). In this quote, "freedom" is a metaphor for what?

6. How does King's speech -- both the sound of his voice and language and the content of the speech -- reflect his identity? (Use the worksheet you did when you researched information about King's and Kennedy's backgrounds, the text of his speech, and the audio of the speech linked to the class website.)

7. What is your personal reaction to the "I Have a Dream" speech? Additionally, can you relate King's words to your life or to contemporary society in any way?

8. What is one of your favorite sentences in the speech and why do you like it?

9. What questions do you have?