I Have a Dream: Symbols, Motifs, and Rhetorical Devices
I Have a Dream: Symbols, Motifs, and Rhetorical Devices
Parallel Structure
If Kanye had phrased his rant like this, he would have been using parallel structure:Now, I'm not saying that you didn't deserve this award, but I am saying that Beyoncé had one of the greatest vi...
Anaphora
Could you hand me the remote? Could you pass the chips? Could you turn up the volume? Could you scoot over? Could you not chew with your mouth open?Could you stop? We're all familiar with anaphora...
Allusion
Right at the start of the speech, MLK makes an allusion, or reference to history, recalling the Emancipation Proclamation (2.1). In historical texts as well as literature, specific references to ot...
Metaphor
Metaphor, a common figure of speech, is a comparison of one thing with another: happiness is a sunny day, loneliness is a locked door, coziness is a cat on your lap.This is probably one of Martin L...
Alliteration
Alliteration: an awfully acrobatic and awesomely activating articulation.Or, in a sentence that doesn't sound like it comes straight off the page of an ABC book, it's the repetition of a sound at t...
Dreams
First things first: what the hey is a motif, and how is it different from a symbol? We got you: it's a recurring symbol or metaphorical concept that stands in for a larger idea. In "I Have a Dream,...