Comparing Booker T. Washington's Speech And Abolition Of Slavery

Throughout history there has been an ever present struggle for the equality and justice of all men, more specifically, the equivalence of African-Americans to the White Men and abolition of slavery. To help these movements, speeches, essays, and stories have been published making huge strides in the brawl for equal opportunity for African-Americans for hundreds of years. Among these writings, include pieces that have gone down in history as being extremely controversial, inspirational, and powerful such as the I Have a Dream speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Atlanta Compromise Speech by Booker T. Washington, and Fredrick Douglass’s Plymouth County, Mass Speech and his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas. All the speeches have
Martin Luther King Jr.'s in his I have a Dream speech. Like Washington, Martin Luther felt the need for a peaceful revolution which can be seen in the lines: "Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul..." whereas in Douglas's slave narrative he takes a more physical approach. Another difference between Martin Luther's speech and Douglas's slave narrative is the way Martin Luther writes using repetition seen in the lines:"I have a dream that one day...i have a dream today...i have a dream...". Douglas on the other hand doesn't repeat any specific word of phrase to achieve his point. Some similarities include the appeal to humanity and way to feel bad for one and also a desire and hope for freedom. The plea to humanity can be seen i Martin Luther's speech in the line "...the negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality" depict how terrible things were for African-Americans making people feel bad for them. Also, in Douglas's narrative in the lines "I scarce had strength to speak. He then gave me a savage kick in the side, and told me to get up. I tried to do so, but fell back in the attempt. He gave me another kick, and again told me to rise" he achieves to make one feel sorry for him and for all slaves through the way he describes how slaves were treated. In addition, both pieces display a longing for freedom. "I have a dream that this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed" is a line spoken by Martin Luther depicting his own thirst for liberty. Douglas expresses his own longing for self-determination in the line: "It recalled the departed self-confidence, and inspired me again with a determination to be free". Through many varying and alike methods of writing and speaking tactics Martin Luther and Douglas set African-Americans closer to the ultimate goal of equality for