Question

Read the excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr.’s "I Have a Dream” speech.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

King uses the "check” and "promissory note” metaphors to
teach a lesson about financial responsibility.
illustrate the idea of demanding what one is due.
provide information about American economics.
suggest ways to pursue the American dream.

Answer 1

- illustrate the idea of demanding what one is due.

Step-by-step explanation:

Metaphors are primarily employed to compare a complex and unfamiliar object or idea with a familiar object in order to elaborate it and make it simple, easy to understand, and relatable for the readers.

In the given excerpt, King employs the metaphors like 'check,' as well as, 'promissory note' to demonstrate the idea of justice that is due to so many people. He uses these metaphors in order to give a simpler form to the serious problem of discrimination and segregation faced by a number of Americans that is solved through the 'promissory note' mentioned in the Constitution that promises due justice to the ones who suffered it. He wants every individual to get equal rights of life, freedom, and joy.