I Admire Strong People

I would like to note that these reading assignments I've done for this week have been quite inspiring. I have found a great respect for these two people. These American heroes devoted their lives for other people and for their rights for generations to come. I have really grown to respect them – the more I read about them, the more fascinating they became. I commend these heroes for their passion, perseverance, and character.  I found myself reading their biographies and the things they have done; I've been staying up late watching documentaries and waking up early to read about Martin Luther King Jr. especially. Wow! I came to realize what people can do with incredible passion, it changes the world. Not only did their efforts change the world, but their speeches have been widely accepted as rhetorical masterpieces.

Martin Luther King Jr. and Sojourner Truth were undoubtedly catalysts in providing freedom and equality in America. Their speeches are familiar to most Americans. These speeches of change widely influenced the masses and had a great impact in American society and literature. Today, it is recognized as a masterpiece of rhetoric. I will be analyzing "I have a dream" by Martin Luther King Jr. and "Ain't I a Woman" by Sojourner Truth and making a comparisons between the two in terms of style, subject matter and the use of rhetoric.

Firstly I would like to note the similarities in the contentions made by the two speakers. Martin Luther King Jr. argued that the current state of Negroes were limited and he called for racial equality and an end to discrimination. Sojourner Truth proposed the similar argument of equal rights towards blacks, and especially women. Both did a amazing job on using repetition as a tool of persuasion. Both used anaphora (a rhetoric device, using the same introductory words repeatedly in neighboring clauses) to emphasis their points. Repetition is a strong tool to use, especially when you are trying to deliver your point with greater emphasis. Martin Luther King used anaphora constantly throughout his speech, this makes the speech more memorable and compelling. Just to illustrate how repetition makes anything more memorable- we've all listened to the radio and we have our favorite songs. What part of the song is most memorable? It's not the verses usually, but the repeating chorus that repeats two or three times throughout the song. The chorus of a song is very memorable, it's what we remember the most; we are comfortable with repeating lines for greater emphasis. Sojourner's speech “Ain't I a Woman?”, also had great use of repetition that got the crown on her side with her roaring voice and passion.

It is amazing what passion can lead to. These two great activists saw the world as it is and did not sit there silently. Their voices roared with passion and drew the world to a change. They shared the emotional difficulties they had faced, the police brutality, daily discrimination, and feeling of inferiority. They related to their audience with religion, and brought people together, and opened their eyes to reality.

They are really inspirational characters that literally changed the world. I am disgusted by racism; black or white, blue or purple, we're all the same. I've grown to admire these heroes of America. I feel blessed from what they have done, I am forever grateful for their efforts to bring our nation to one. For my life and my future kids and all my loved ones. Life is good.