“I Have a Dream” Speech

After the freedom rang for all African Americans from the Emancipation Proclamation, America still suffered from racism, a prejudice so deep that lasted for the next hundred years. African Americans were oppressed by the Whites, earned lower wages and were treated unfairly. Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist during the Civil Rights movement. This piece is one of the most prominent speeches that King delivered. Martin Luther King Jr.‘s  electrifying “I have a dream” speech was delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963. On this day, Martin Luther King Jr. inspired thousands through his vision of freedom and equality for all races("Martin Luther King, Jr."). Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech fought for the freedom of the Africans Americans and was able to liberate them from a nation filled with social injustice and lead them towards a brighter future without oppression based on skin color.

The “I Have a Dream” speech uses numerous different types of literary techniques. One major literary device King used in his speech is repetition. For example in paragraphs 16 to 24 he repeats “I have a dream….” 8 successive times ("American Rhetoric: Martin Luther King, Jr. - I Have a Dream.").  Other phrases such as “Let freedom ring…” is also used multiple times ("American Rhetoric: Martin Luther King, Jr. - I Have a Dream."). In addition, King alludes to other famous works to evoke a sense of awe.  King began his speech with “Five scores ago…” This is an allusion to the famous Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln. Other works that he alluded to are the Bible and the Declaration of Independence.   Furthermore, in this speech, King repeated words that related to the theme of the speech. King used the word “freedom” twenty times in the entire speech. In addition, King provides specific examples to stress his main points.  In this speech, the example Mississippi is used four times. This is not accidental because Mississippi was an extremely racist state that would arouse a strong sense of emotion.  These are all techniques that King used in this glorious speech that marked the beginning of the end of public discrimination in America.

The “I Have a Dream” speech demonstrates how King fought the oppression that the African Americans faced during this time period. African Americans were publically discriminated against. They were not allowed to work in certain jobs, and they earn lower wages than the Caucasians that work with them ("Martin Luther King, Jr."). This period of racial oppression is clearly reflected in the “I Have a Dream” speech.

“Speechless”

ShirinNeshat is the author of a series of photographed self-portraits call “The Women of Allah”. These portraits often contained guns and other symbols of oppression with messages written on her skin. These self-portraitsattack the traditional customs in Middle Eastern countries of oppression of women. In “Speechless”, the gun represents oppression, which, in this piece silences the woman symbolizing the oppression women face in Middle Eastern Countries. In some parts of the Middle East, women legally do not have equal rights(Zabel, Igor). This may have spawned from Islam which has been historically resistant to women’s rights. However, since the nineteenth century men and women have been fighting for women’s rights largely due to Western influence. Nevertheless, these laws of oppression have been kept because of the large influence of both the Quran and the traditional values that numerous men still hold (Zabel, Igor). Neshat is one of the advocates against the oppression of women. She uses her art to attract attention to this problem from both Western society as well as the Middle East. ShirinNeshat has become globally accomplished especially in the West for her work.

Using black and white photography, Neshat emphasizes a sense of sadness in her self portrait. The expression on her face and the gun all contribute to a feeling of solemn sadness. The gun pointed towards her silences her. She can only express her opinions by her facial expression. Neshat expresses her opinion of oppression by writing on her face in the photograph. The writing is a literal representation of what she was trying to express with her expression. In this piece, her message is blunt and simple; she is fighting for the women whose voices are oppressed.

Neshat stands up against the oppression of women in the Middle East. Her art is globally renowned for her messages against oppression and discrimination against women. She has become an extremely influential advocate for women’s rights.

Burmese Monk

“Burmese Monk” is a print by Shepard Fairey, a street artist, who brings attention to civil rights struggle in Burma. In 1962, the democratic government was overthrown by the army. Since then, the people of Burma have been suffering some of the worst violation of civil rights. Later the State Peace and Development Council removed all civilian administration (" Human Rights - About Burma - Burma Campaign UK."). This Council started its reign by massacring thousands of democratic protestors in Rangoon. Murder, rape, torture, and other gruesome forms of abuses have been reported by the United Nations in Burma (" Human Rights - About Burma - Burma Campaign UK.").  Children have taken the worst toll because they are the victims of both military abuse as well as emotional abuse acting as family members. These infringements of civil rights are still happening today. Burma’s generals suppress all forms of expression using extreme methods such as media censorship (" Human Rights - About Burma - Burma Campaign UK."). In addition, laws are enforced regarding public protest, allowing authorities to put protestors in prison for up to twenty years (" Human Rights - About Burma - Burma Campaign UK."). Freedom of assembly and association are denied in Burma. Political parties are monitored and often harassed and put in prison (" Human Rights - About Burma - Burma Campaign UK."). Many have died in the harsh conditions of the Burmese prisons. Furthermore, freedom of religion, as well as labor unions is banned. The generals attacked mosques and churches to promote discord within the minorities. The oppression of civil rights in Burma is severe but remains one of the least infamous countries that oppresses its people(" Human Rights - About Burma - Burma Campaign UK."). In this print, Shepard Fairey tries to bring to attention the situation in Burma.

                “Burmese Monk” is a print done by Shepard Fairely in 2008 using stencils. This piece, is done by using 3 different layers of stencils with a completely yellow background. Fairey uses a simple black red and yellow scheme in the print. This evokes a strong sense of emotion in its viewers and attracts the viewer’s attention by the sharp contrast between the yellow and black. Fairey created a contrast on purpose in order to attract more viewers to question the subject of his painting. In addition, the paint uses the color scheme of red yellow and black. This color scheme was first used in soviet propaganda posters generating a sense of communism. Through this piece, Fairey wants to bring to attention to the story of oppression in Burma.

Liberty Leading the People

Eugene Delacroix painted “Liberty Leading the People” in 1863 to celebrate the French Revolution as well as to act as a propaganda poster for the revolution. The French nobility oppressed the peasants giving them no say in the government and did not care about their daily necessities. At this time, France was on the verge of bankruptcy after assisting America in its war for freedom. Louis XVI taxed the French proletariat heavily ("Causes of the French Revolution."). However, the French nobility hardly paid any taxes. This heavy taxation slowly progressed to be worse and worse to the point where peasants could not afford bread("Causes of the French Revolution."). In addition, the French peasantry’s voice was so limited by the government, the nobility was able to suppress their need for bread. After facing many years of oppression, fueled by the success of the American Revolution and the “words of equality” from authors such as Voltaire, the French peasantry rose up against Louis XVI ("Causes of the French Revolution."). The revolution brought the end of the reign of Louis XVI but marked the beginning of a new ruler Napoleon. Eugene Delacroix wanted to glorify the people that were able to rise up against the authority for their equality.

                “Liberty Leading the People” is an oil on canvas painting, by Eugene Delacroix in 1863. Delacroix used vivid colors in painting which brightening the hues and darkened the shades. This provides a contrast that emphasizes the main subject, a lady leading the people.  In this case, Delacroix depicted Liberty as a goddess with a robust figure holding the iconic flag of the revolution. The goddess is raised by a pedestal of dead and wounded on the ground, further giving the figure prominence. In the background, figures represent all of the classes. The upper class is represented by the man in the top hat, and the peasants represented by the boy holding the pistol. Eugene Delacroix uses vided colors to glorify the people who fought for their civil liberties in the face of oppression.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army is the great school of Mao Zedong thought

During Mao’s reign as Chairman of China, he used propaganda as a major force of influence. This propaganda poster was created after the Great Leap Forward where Mao put millions who opposed his ideas in to concentration camps around China in order to further progress China ("PLA and Cultural Revolution."). He used methods practiced by the Nazis and Lenin. During this time, Mao had just restored order to China after a period of internal struggle ("PLA and Cultural Revolution."). This piece propagandizes Mao’s thought, claiming that the army is Mao’s school of thought. Methods such as media censorship are still practiced in China to brain wash people.  This piece demonstrates one of the methods the government used to change the way people thought.

                This poster is a part of a series of propaganda posters spread throughout China after the Great Leap forward. In the poster, Mao is the main figure whose thought is being glorified. There are three different types of people underneath Mao, the soldier, the army officer, and the worker. This represents the vast majority of the people in China at that time. Each of the men holds red pamphlets called “Little Red Book”. The men are painted so that they all look as though they support the ideals behind the pamphlet. The “Little Red Books” were passed out during this time to propagandize Mao thought. Furthermore, there are millions in the background holding up flags that support Mao thought. This piece demonstrates a method of how the government oppressed the people by brain washing them.

                China has always been using methods in order to suppress independent thought. This is one of the many forms of oppression that the founding fathers of China used to control the people to establish order.

Works Cited

"  Human Rights - About Burma - Burma Campaign UK." Burma Campaign UK - Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2011. <http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/index.php/burma/about-burma/about-burma/human-rights>.

"Causes of the French Revolution - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causes_of_the_French_Revolution>.

"Martin Luther King, Jr. - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.>.

"PLA and Cultural Revolution." Chinese Posters. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2011. http://chineseposters.net/themes/pla-cultural-revolution.php.

"American Rhetoric: Martin Luther King, Jr. - I Have a Dream." American Rhetoric: The Power of Oratory in the United States. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2011. <http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm>.

Zabel, Igor. "Women in black - Islamic fundamentalism in the photographs of Shirin Neshat - Asian Art Documentation." Main Page - Asian Art Documentation. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2011. <http://adocumenta.org/index.php/Women_in_black_-_Islamic_fundamentalism_in_the_photographs_of_Shirin_Neshat>.