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liz_morgan73's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to this book and audio is the best way to take in this book I think, you hear his own voice giving the speeches and each chapter's introduction is done by amazing people as well.
reneetdevine's review against another edition
5.0
I listened. I highly recommend listening. It is amazing to hear MLk speak. He is so inspiring. The introductions for each speech were a great touch.
racheladventure's review against another edition
4.0
This reading has given me much to think about. I think most are half formed thoughts and fragmented responses that I will have to wait till class to really flesh out, but there are certain things that I could definitely identify as I read Dr. King’s speeches. These are just a few of the main observations I made.
First, I think that it is really important to look at this speeches as just that—speeches. There is a certain rhetoric about speaking and it does not always translate exactly when you print it on a page. I think that these were meant to be heard, and not necessarily read, in order to get the whole impact. This book tries to do a good job at translating the oral medium into print by adding different italics or parenthesis that contain the response of the audience, but there is something much different about reading about a clap and hearing about it or participating in it. I think that something helpful for me would be to go and try to listen to some of these speeches to get a more enriched experience.
Just by way of observation, there are several tactics that Martin Luther King, Jr. does to let us know this is supposed to be heard and not just read. Like his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, he seems to use repetition for emphasis and aesthetic value. For example, in “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” the repeating phrase is “If I had sneezed” (221), and “Where do we Go from Here” is “Let us be dissatisfied” (196). He uses this rhetoric device at the end of the speech as a way to pump people up.
Another thing that I noticed throughout the reading was that there was a lot of religious symbolism in the messages he talked about. Through many of the speeches, the image of the Israelites fleeing Egypt was used. He had no problem mentioning God, Jericho Road and the Good Samaritan (218-219), and there was clearly an appeal to the religious listeners to open their hearts to what he was fighting for.
Something else that I think is worthy of mentioning is the fact that there were plenty of great speeches Dr. King made that seem to go completely overshadowed by the “I Have a Dream” speech. We never get a chance to hear about these others, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be exposed to them. I can’t help but wonder why this is the case though.
One of my favorite speeches, maybe even more so than “I Have a Dream,” was “The Birth of a New Nation.” I have a lot of personal strings attached to this because it is all about the liberation of Ghana from the British Empire, and how that applies to the human rights movement. Having spent the summer in Ghana and looked at how their nation was both flourishing and struggling since their liberation fifty years ago, I was captivated by what Dr. King had to say. I have seen the slave Castles on this exploited “Dark Continent” (18). I have stood inside the slave cells and felt the horror of what happened there on the Gold Coast. I am glad that Dr. King reminded us that “Ghana has something to say to us” (29). I know that it has certainly said something to me.
Another great part of this speech was the commentary on nonviolent resistance, or “positive action” (31). Like Gandhi and others we are studying, this is something I am thirsting to know more about. Dr. King, however, reminds us that like Ghana’s example, “freedom never comes on a silver platter” (33). We have to be willing to do something about it. It is up to the individual to make the difference.
First, I think that it is really important to look at this speeches as just that—speeches. There is a certain rhetoric about speaking and it does not always translate exactly when you print it on a page. I think that these were meant to be heard, and not necessarily read, in order to get the whole impact. This book tries to do a good job at translating the oral medium into print by adding different italics or parenthesis that contain the response of the audience, but there is something much different about reading about a clap and hearing about it or participating in it. I think that something helpful for me would be to go and try to listen to some of these speeches to get a more enriched experience.
Just by way of observation, there are several tactics that Martin Luther King, Jr. does to let us know this is supposed to be heard and not just read. Like his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, he seems to use repetition for emphasis and aesthetic value. For example, in “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” the repeating phrase is “If I had sneezed” (221), and “Where do we Go from Here” is “Let us be dissatisfied” (196). He uses this rhetoric device at the end of the speech as a way to pump people up.
Another thing that I noticed throughout the reading was that there was a lot of religious symbolism in the messages he talked about. Through many of the speeches, the image of the Israelites fleeing Egypt was used. He had no problem mentioning God, Jericho Road and the Good Samaritan (218-219), and there was clearly an appeal to the religious listeners to open their hearts to what he was fighting for.
Something else that I think is worthy of mentioning is the fact that there were plenty of great speeches Dr. King made that seem to go completely overshadowed by the “I Have a Dream” speech. We never get a chance to hear about these others, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be exposed to them. I can’t help but wonder why this is the case though.
One of my favorite speeches, maybe even more so than “I Have a Dream,” was “The Birth of a New Nation.” I have a lot of personal strings attached to this because it is all about the liberation of Ghana from the British Empire, and how that applies to the human rights movement. Having spent the summer in Ghana and looked at how their nation was both flourishing and struggling since their liberation fifty years ago, I was captivated by what Dr. King had to say. I have seen the slave Castles on this exploited “Dark Continent” (18). I have stood inside the slave cells and felt the horror of what happened there on the Gold Coast. I am glad that Dr. King reminded us that “Ghana has something to say to us” (29). I know that it has certainly said something to me.
Another great part of this speech was the commentary on nonviolent resistance, or “positive action” (31). Like Gandhi and others we are studying, this is something I am thirsting to know more about. Dr. King, however, reminds us that like Ghana’s example, “freedom never comes on a silver platter” (33). We have to be willing to do something about it. It is up to the individual to make the difference.
shieldbearer's review against another edition
5.0
A must read for every American. The Reverend Doctor King's words are eloquent. Even today, some of the things he says would be considered 'scandalous' or 'sacreligious' by many. However, the Reverend Doctor's words are never more relevant than they are in this day and age, and there's more than enough material here for an American to engage with and learn from.
justkellyann's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
alisarae's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to the audio version, which I highly recommend, because it has original recordings of Dr. King's speeches and introductions recorded by their original writers (for the most part). We read snippets from these speeches, but of course they are much more powerful in context. Dr. King's commitment to peaceful action and love for your enemies is still so necessary to hear today. Super encouraging.
worldlibraries's review against another edition
5.0
It's obvious this man had a touch of the divine. Each sermon is on a great moral question that needed attention - on issues that haunt America to this day: racism, inequality, dignity for citizens, excessive militarism.
During our current absence of moral leadership at the presidential level, I suggest my fellow citizens substitute these addresses for our current leadership vacuum.
The optimum way to experience this set of sermons is to listen to the audio while you read along. His voice reaches right down to your soul. It's fascinating to listen to his cadence, resonance, and crescendos.
An added bonus is various civil rights leaders give great context in introductions to each speech.
This man is America at her finest.
During our current absence of moral leadership at the presidential level, I suggest my fellow citizens substitute these addresses for our current leadership vacuum.
The optimum way to experience this set of sermons is to listen to the audio while you read along. His voice reaches right down to your soul. It's fascinating to listen to his cadence, resonance, and crescendos.
An added bonus is various civil rights leaders give great context in introductions to each speech.
This man is America at her finest.
oliviastormyeadon's review against another edition
4.0
five stars for dr. king's speeches, but four stars overall for the editors. first of all...why would you add your thoughts on his speeches in there? should've been half the pages without your thoughts and opinions. and second of all...why would you keep [applause] in the book every time people applauded dr. king? no need to transcribe that. anyway, i've been to the mountaintop was my favorite.