I Have A Dream
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On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King gave a moving speech entitled "I have a dream" to over 200,000 people. Dr. Martin Luther King is the master of expression and use of biblical imagery. King's father and grandfather were both reverends so he grew up in a very religious home and learned from a very early age the language of the church. King was ordained into the Christian ministry and then later he served as Pastor of Nexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. His leadership in the Southern Baptist Church provides a link between the content of his speech and the Word of God. Throughout the speech, he uses a variety of biblical imagery to help portray his message, connect with the crowd and stir a mixture of emotions. In his use of this sacred language, he makes the audience feel as if he is speaking through God.
One example of King using biblical imagery would be in the words 'valley of despair', compared to psalms 23 and it's reference to the 'valley of the shadow of death' even though the words are not identical to those in the biblical passage...