Question

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

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
What is the allusion in this excerpt?

Dr. King alludes to America as a land of equal opportunity.
Dr. King alludes to the horrors of bondage and enslavement.
Dr. King alludes to Lincoln's freeing of enslaved people.
Dr. King alludes to the Founding Fathers and America's core values.

Answer 1

Martin Luther King Jr. alludes to the enduring horrors of enslavement and bondage experienced by African Americans in his 'I Have a Dream' speech, highlighting how the promises of freedom and equality have remained unfulfilled even a century after the Emancipation Proclamation.

Step-by-step explanation:

In his “I Have A Dream” speech, Martin Luther King Jr. makes an allusion to the horrors of enslavement and bondage experienced by African Americans. The reference to "one hundred years later" is an indication of the time passed since the Emancipation Proclamation, designed by Abraham Lincoln to free the enslaved. King draws a parallel between the historical plight of African Americans during slavery and the continued struggles against segregation and discrimination long after the formal abolition of slavery. His speech underscores the deep disappointment felt by the African-American community due to the failure to attain the fully promised freedom and equality.

Dr. King also appeals to the collective conscience by illustrating the stark contrast between African Americans living in poverty amidst a wealthy society. This juxtaposition intensifies the sense of injustice and underlines the idea that the Negro at the time of the speech felt an exile in his own land.

Finally, by bringing these issues to the forefront in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial on the anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, King was not only alluding to the past but also challenging America to live up to its promise of freedom and equality. This challenge serves to highlight the continued relevance of the nation's core values and the need for action to achieve the American dream of equal opportunity.