Question

How does martin Luther king portray the appalling condition of Negro community?(I have a dream)

Answer 1

"I have a dream" is a very famous speech by Martin Luther King. The speech is of historic importance because it was made during the American Civil Rights Movement. The Blacks had been treated so badly for decades, that they were pushed to revolt against the White American mindset.

In this speech, King says that he dreams of a nation that believes in equality, where the 'colour of the skin' would not be a criteria to judge a person. The appalling condition of the Black community was based completely on apartheid and discrimination.

Just because the African- Americans were dark skinned, the White American population denied them many fundamental rights, including freedom. Blacks were often enslaved and made to live in terrible conditions, with meagre food and inadequate shelter. Those who desired to educate their children, could not send them to normal schools. There were instances of schools shutting down if a Black student was given admission there.

Unfortunately, even the law supported discrimination and segregation. Blacks could not even use the same public transport as Whites. Similarly, African-Americans were not hired readily. In fact, King himself was a lawyer who could not practice law because of discrimination. Black neighbourhoods in big cities were not maintained and when they raised their voice, they faced unnecessary police brutality.

All these factors put together made life extremely difficult for the Black

community. They desperately needed freedom from inequality. Martin Luther King Jr stepped up as their leader and through his speeches, brought attention to the plight of the African-Americans. This speech is one King's most well known speeches and paints a true picture of what the condition was and what it should be, in terms of equality.

(Please remember that the word 'Negro' should NOT be used. It is an offensive and disrespectful word. Instead, use the word 'Black'. )

Answer 2

Martin Luther King has portrayed the condition of Negro as crippled and still seeking freedom.

• I have a dream was a speech made during the American Civil Rights Movement. For decades, the Blacks have been treated so poorly that they have been forced to rebel against the American White mentality.
• The white American population denied them certain human rights, including liberty, only because the African-Americans were dark skinned. Blacks, with meagre food and insufficient shelter, were often enslaved and forced to live in awful conditions.
• They could not be sent to regular schools, who wished to educate their children. If a black student was denied admission, then there were cases of schools closing down.
• He further concluded that Southern Negroes were under the most severe pressures in the local community and endure cumulative embarrassment and sometimes, abuse on a daily basis, which deprives them of dignity.
• It was thus, that non-violent direct action is embedded in the local community and finds its most powerful expression. For the Negro is not in the minority in many Southern societies, but in the majority, and is capable of exerting immovable power.