Step 1: Respond to the following underlined question using concise, clear, and complete sentences.
According to a 1999 UW-Madison and Texas A&M survey, the I have a dream speech is "the greatest speech of the 20th century." Given the background story shared by Gary Younge, what is your reaction to this declaration? Be sure to use textual evidence in your comment.
Consider as you plan your response:
- According to his aides, King did not have an "I have a dream" section in his original speech draft.
- "King went to sleep about 4am."
- King continued to edit his speech even after he had received the "final" typed version.
- It was a sunny 87 degrees at noon in Washington on this day.
- King was the 16th item on the day's program.
- An estimated 250,000 were in attendance.
- The speech was broadcast on all three major television networks.
- King urged by his most trusted adviser, "Don't use the lines about 'I have a dream.'"
Helpful hints:
DO NOT start out by saying "I think," "I believe," etc!!!
DO make a claim in answer to the question, and then defend it with a mix of your opinion and text evidence.
You could begin like this: Given the background story shared by Gary Younge, the declaration of King's
"I have a dream" speech as "the greatest speech of the 20th century is ___________________________.
"I have a dream" speech as "the greatest speech of the 20th century is ___________________________.
Step 2: Read and reply thoughtfully and politely to a minimum of TWO other student comments.
To do this in an organized way, please hit REPLY under the comment you are replying to. DO NOT start a new comment as a reply. You can add to other student replies, as well, if someone has already done so.
Given the background story shared by Gary Younge, the declaration of King's "I have a dream" speech as "the greatest speech of the 20th century is extremely correct because King didn’t want to put the “I have a dream” part in the actually speech and changed his mind to get his point across. He was reading through his written text like a robot and not showing emotion, supported by this quote in the article, “..he was reading from his text, he stood like a lecturer.” Then after Jackson cried out “ Tell ‘em about the dream, Martin” he finally showed his true feelings. “ But from the moment he set that text aside, he took on the stance of a Baptist preacher”. This quote shows that once he put his text away he showed feeling and actually moved the crowd emotionally.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment because standing at a podium like a lecturer is not the best way to win over an audience and only when Jackson told him to tell him about the dream was King able to truly inspire his audience.
DeleteThis is similar to my perception of the statement because I said that he put a lot of time and effort into the speech. Also I mentioned how the process of him making it was just as powerful as the speech itself!
DeleteWe have similar points of view on his dedication and passion.
DeleteGiven the background story shared by Gary Younge, the declaration of King's "I have a dream" speech as 'the greatest speech of the 20th century is correct because despite Dr. King adding this section at the last second, they were truly inspirational words from an exceptional leader of the civil rights movement. According to Younge's article, King "walked to the podium, the typed final version was once more full of crossings out and scribbles.". This meant that Dr. King really valued and cherished his work and wanted to make it as best as possible for the civil rights activists. This supports that this speech was one of the most inspirational speeches of the 19th century.
ReplyDeleteI like the through use of evidence throughout this response.because it helps me build a better connection between the arrival and his response, and it gives me another way to analyse the artical as a whole.
DeleteI agree with this and you explained your feelings with great word choice. Such as "these were truly inspirational words from an exceptional leader"
ReplyDeleteGiven the background story shared by Gary Younge, the declaration of King's “I have a dream” speech as "the greatest speech of the 20th century is inspirational to not only Americans but many others too. In the article it said, “During the protests in Tiananmen Square, China, some protesters held up posters of King saying “I have a dream.” This shows that Martin Luther King Jr. not only affected the people of his own country with his great speeches but he affected other countries as well.
ReplyDeleteWhen you said many others I agree. This speech is known worldwide and everyone knows how amazing Dr. King was. Well done. #dab
DeleteI agree that his speech is one of the greatest speeches of the 20th century, because on that hot day King was 16th in line for the podium and when he started his speech he had little attention of the sun baked crowd of two hundred and fifty thousand people. As he went on throughout his speech though he started to use less and less of what he wrote and started to tell his dream, Jones said once King put his speech aside “he took on the stance of a Baptist preacher” and that “those people don't know it, but they're about to go to church.” Kings speech is veiwed as the greatest one of the 20th century because he did not just talk about what he wanted he told the spectators what he dreamed of what he wanted people to do what was right not what he thought was right.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you because the only way to intrigue an audience is to say what you truly mean and not just read off a script.
DeleteGreat job explaining how you said "he told the spectators what he dreamed of what he wanted people to do what was right". I think this is correct considering he's not telling them what he wants for himself, but for all
DeleteWe have the same view but I like the evidence you used! The use of "those people don't know it, but they're about to go to church,' in your response made me acknowledge that he really preached to that crowd!
DeleteThe consensus of society says that MLK’s “I Have a Dream” Speech is “the greatest speech of the 20th century,” which proves to be truthful. In Gary Younge’s article it shows how MLK strung together this speech; it shows how much attention to detail he had. He wanted to birth a speech that would truly make an impact. At the cost of whatever comes his way, for example the text mentions how MLK “went to sleep at 4 am” and continues to talk about his passion for this speech. Honestly the process of him writing this speech speaks just as much as the speech itself. The process shows how passionate he was about civil rights, and that passion was a catalyst to a fantastic speech.
ReplyDeleteI agree. MLK has indeed put a lot of effort into preparing and delivering his speech. MLK's efforts and passion for civil rights has make his "I Have a Dream" speech the greatest in the 20th century.
DeleteWe have the same veiw here!I like how you said that king wanted to "birth a speech that would truly make an impact" because that's exactly what he wanted to do!
DeleteWell stated. Your evidence and explanation truly show his devotion to his cause. Also, it was that passion that reflected in his work is what made his speech so great.
DeleteWell written and we have similar views on the dedication and passion Martin Luther King had for the equality of all men.
DeleteThe background story that was written by Gary Younge, shows that the “I have a dream” speech by Dr. King is, the greatest speech of the 20th century is most certainly the “I have a dream” speech. I knew of this speech ever since I was in 2nd grade because of its importance to the civil rights movement. I remember hearing the speech and it was hard to hear what he was saying, but it was very moving. The amount of work king put in was outstanding, “King continued to edit his speech even after he had “received” the final typed version.” He wanted to get his dream out to the African Americans and give them the rights that they have deserved for so long.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say that the amount of work that King put in was outstanding. For a man that got arrested over 20 times, he never gave up and he always fought for civil rights.
DeleteI think this was wonderfully put and that you touched on some very good points.
DeleteGiven the background story shared by Gary Younge, the declaration of King's "I have a dream" speech as "the greatest speech of the 20th century is astonishingly accurate, when king broke out into the second half of his speech he managed to captivate more than a quarter million people. If even one of us was able to do a tenth of that it would be truly amazing, though Euchner had said “guests in the adjacent hotel room to king heard him rehearsing the segment the night before.” Regardless of how spontaneous he was when he delivered the “I have a dream” on that day he managed to communicate to many people his ideas in a wonderful way, and that is how I feel about what is without a doubt in my mind the best speech of the recent past.
ReplyDeleteGreat comment but you don't talk about what the speech was about. And why it captivated people.
DeleteGiven the background story shared by Gary Younge, my reaction to this declaration is consensus. It is true that the I have a dream speech is "the greatest speech of the 20th century." This speech is the greatest in the 20th century, because it is well-known around the world. For instance, protesters in Tiananmen Square, China “held up posters of King saying ‘I have a dream’”. Furthermore, the phrase “I have a dream” is found in Israel, Budapest, and Sydney. In addition, King’s speech is “an all-American Speech.” King’s speech explains the social change that are going on in America. In other words, he is making the nation see that “The country was in more turmoil than it had been in since before the second world war.”
ReplyDeleteI agree because the speech was relevant to more than just Americans since it could be used all over the world.
DeleteIn Gary Younge’s short story, the declaration Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech being “the greatest the speech of the 20th century” is completely accurate because it was a speech for the whole country, not just African Americans. In the story it says that one of King’s most trusted aides said “The country was in more turmoil than it had been in since before the second world war… It wasn’t a black speech. It wasn’t a Christian speech. It was an all-American speech.” The story also mentioned that an adviser of his said that when he read from the speech in his notes “he stood like a lecturer”, but when he spoke freely and improvised, people were much more affected than before.
ReplyDeleteWhat was the speech about? Explain
DeleteI agree. The simile and metaphor used to describe MLK when he position from using his speech paper to not use it is powerful. It shows that the speech is indeed great, because MLK still manage to affect the audience and deliver the rest of his speech without needing the speech paper.
DeleteMartin Luther King Jr. was know for many speeches, but one stood out according to Gary Younge as “the greatest speech of the 20th century”. This speech is known as “I have a dream”. But does it really deserve the title given by Gary Younge?
ReplyDeleteTo start off King’s speech was an inspiration to many, not only made for the freedom that Blacks should deserve, but also stated to the “White audience about why they should support that freedom.” It showed how that the majority of people were affected. He showed these people that they need to stand up for what they believe in. And it worked.
In conclusion, King did a great job with his speech and is well deserving of the title of “The greatest speech of the 20th century.” And will continue to be so.
Given the background story shared by Gary Younge, the declaration of King's
ReplyDelete"I have a dream" speech as "the greatest speech of the 20th century. My reaction to this is confusion based on some remarks such as “Don't use the lines about i have a dream,’his advisor wyatt walker told him. “It’s trite, it’s cliche. You’ve used it too many times already” The reason i do not understand the thinking of this is because, saying MLK should not use one of the most powerful lines in american history to spread his “dream”. King at this time period was a “National political figure” this recognition was not given’ based on looks as half of the “National figures” Aka celebrities of today. MLK’s vision was famous his “dream” of equal rights was the diamond stone that everyone sought out to listen to.
MLK: Author of “The Best Speech Ever”?
ReplyDeleteAnthony Motkowski
According to an article by Gary Younge, Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech is claimed by many to be the prized horse. But, can this actually be proven. Martin Luther King’s speech was a noble one, empowering to the end. But really, only the end. The speech in the beginning was claimed “not powerful” and “had a sense of falling short” by live viewers. It also didn’t please everybody, as one woman pointed out fairly. “I discovered we had dreamers (speaking) instead of leaders,” she said. “In Canton, we never have time to dream.”
Another issue blurring equality in the votings is education, where many people only connect to Martin Luther King's speech. However, there are many other speeches that have stood the test of time on a golden podium. Patrick Henry’s “Give me Liberty or Give me Death” was iconic, and actually helped gain confidence of congress to bear arms against the British. Frederick Douglass was protesting slavery before MLK was born, speaking out of the hypocrisy of the American whites. Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address”helped move the nation into remembrance for the soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Even Reagan's speech as small as “Tear Down this Wall” held action, finally letting brothers and sisters of Berlin to hug again after a long and gruesome isolation. These speeches, unlike Martin Luther King’s, changed the issued in which they nationally addressed. So it’s only fitting that they sit among the best.
I'm sorry that one of these aren't from the 20th century, but you have to get the point. There were many more that made action happen, and that's only in America. The world has seen some 5 star speeches as well. Remember that Hitler guy, yeah. He was a horrible person, but still lead a unified nation to do the things he desired because he was so intellectual in his words. As Donald Drumph would say , Hitler "Has words. He has the best words!" Charles de Gaulle pleaded with the French people when all was grim to hold the lines against the German forces and never surrender. And lets DJ Khaled this with another one, where Ghandi (MLKs "teacher") gave a "Quit India" speech to the British and Indians,during a brutal war that he peacefully decided that both sides should simply back off each other. All these belong above MLK, making his a slim chance of even making the podium. And yes, they're all from the 20th century.
DeleteGiven the background story shared by Gary Young, the declaration of King’s “ I have a dream” speech as “ The greatest speech of the 20th century is correct, because even though in the text it says “ given the heat - 87F at noon - and humidity, the crowd's mood began to wane”. Which shows how with the weather conditions people weren't in the best mood to be standing around watching a speech. But the people still believed in Kings inspirational speeches and what he had to say even if they never heard him speak before. Because the the text says “All people could see was a speck. And they listened to it”. This shows how people could not even see King but they believed that this speech giving was worth waiting in the humid heat to listen to a dot give a speech. This was the greatest speech of the 20th century, because people believed that what king was going to say would make a change and mean something, which is why people sat around all day in the hot humid weather to just listen to someone speak and not even see him.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, people didn't care about the weather. They just wanted to hear MLK talk.
DeleteGiven the background story shared by Gary Younge, the declaration of King's
ReplyDelete"I have a dream" speech as "the greatest speech of the 20th century is very inspirational not only for African Americans but for people from different countries that came to hear the speech. King was the last speaker and people waited in the sun and humidity just to hear him. He walked to the podium with the final typed copy and it didn’t have the “ I have a dream” part because his aides said that it was “ trite” . King put aside the copy and he talked about the dream because that’s what he was known for. He didn’t need a piece of paper to express his feelings to the people.
Given the background story shared by Gary Younge, the declaration of King's
ReplyDelete"I have a dream" speech as "the greatest speech of the 20th century is completely accurate.Martin Luther King was continuously editing the speech which was a sign of extreme dedication.Even though he had a complete and perfect speech in the mind of his editors and advisers, he still took it upon himself to get on the "I have a dream" topic. He knew that this would be a much more powerful message and would speak to the people more than the written and revised speech he previously prepared for the audience.
Given the background story shared by Gary Younge, the declaration of King's "I have a dream" speech as "the greatest speech of the 20th century” is inspirational, as what Martin Luther king aspired his speech to be, ‘“like the gettysburg address”’, He hoped. The speech shook America's social and political views to their very core. Even today it is taught in our schools and has imprinted on America's history forever and was a large step towards civil rights for African-Americans. Because of this speech Martin was labeled “as the most dangerous negro of the future of this nation.” Meaning that because of this speech he had made the largest impact with the civil rights movement. It shows that a simple person with enough passion can make a change in the world.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the institutions of UW-Madison, and Texas A&M, the speech given by King on August 28th, 1963, is arguably but fairly claimed as the greatest speech of the 20th century, and I agree. A black man from Montgomery, Alabama given the qualifications by God to change the world, took grasp of his power, and spread it in the form of spoken love to millions around our nation, as he knew it was his responsibility to do.
ReplyDeleteOn the day of the speech, over 250,000 were present at the lincoln memorial. His speech would be broadcasted on the three major television stations (ABC, NBC, CBS)The people were getting frantic, waiting for this monumental speech to happen, and King was well aware of the pressure he had on his shoulders, and what to most ordinary men would feel like bricks, were pillows to him.
The speech King gave was a final draft, upon a final draft, with the “I have a dream” lines added despite rejection and encouragement from his advisers to not use the lines, as they were “Trite” or “cliche”, and “were used to many times already. What’s funny about this is that King had actually asked his advisers for advice on the speech. At first he took this advice into action, and in past speeches had refrained from speaking the lines. What the issue was, is he needed to express his dream and his vision to the people, not just name off problems, and on such a large scale platform, the lines would become necessary knowing their influence and meaning. Martin Luther King Jr’s dream was broad in the perspective that your race, your ethnicity, your income, your gender, should not depict your rights and judgement, but the values, and love that makes up your character. King dreamed of a planet free of racial discrimination, and he knew this dream must be released on a wide scale platform, for the entire world to witness.
Question 1: Since the speech is a huge part of history, it should be put in a museum so people can read and admire King’s work. In the video Raveling says “ I feel as if I am the speech’s defender”. This makes sense because he it was given to him by King. On the contrary him holding onto it is in a way selfish because he’s not letting the world see it. The article says “ Selling the speech would also cheapen the memory of that remarkable day” Furthermore if he won’t sell it for the money, he should donate it so everyone who wants to see it can actually read and see this historic piece of literature.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 2: Despite living a rougher life, Raveling has fulfilled the American Dream. In the article it tells you he grew up with his father not being around and his parents both dying while he was young. He enrolled in college in 1956 and played basketball all through his college experience. He fulfilled the American Dream because he became successful even though he didn’t have much growing up. For example, “ In 3 years on the varsity he pulled down 835 rebounds, 11th on Villanova’s all time list”. This shows he was successful because out of all players ever, he placed 11th on the list of best players. Another quote that shows that he fulfilled the American Dream is where it states “At this point in my life, what difference does it make? I'm not rich, but it's not like I’m poor either” The quote supports how he fulfilled the American Dream because it implies he has enough money to do what he wants and to be happy.
Question #1
ReplyDeleteI Think the speech should be kept by George himself until he finds what he believes is the right place for it to be kept. Because George acquired the speech from Dr. King himself by asking him for it. In the text it says “ Raveling said pointing at the papers “ can I have that?” King handed Raveling the speech”. This shows how Raveling got the speech handed to him so he should be the one to hold on to the speech and be able to be the owner of it until he finds the right museum for it.
Question 2
I think George has lived a version of the American dream in his life because he came from nothing as a child to going through civil rights movement then coaching college basketball teams, to working with Nike and having a son. One Quote says “ That enabled him to leave home at 14 and attend St Michael’s, a boarding school”. This shows how when george grew up he didn't have parents in his life. Another quote says “ Raveling was the first black coach Maryland had hired” “ Raveling, who at 34 became the coach of washington state”. This shows how raveling didn't just coach for 1 college basketball team he coached multiple different teams throughout his career. With these pieces from the article it shows how even though George came from nothing he still made a memorable life and did many things which is why he lived his own american dream
Given the background story shared by Gary Younge, the declaration of King's
ReplyDelete"I have a dream" speech as "the greatest speech” of the 20th century is very inspirational to many people. King used the “I have a dream” line to help express his feelings. MLK was known for his “I have a dream” speeches, and although Wyatt told him “it's trite” people stood in 87F to hear his speech.His speech affected many people and continues to affect people now.