Name: Aaiza Mushfiq STUDENT ID: SP21-BSPH-0016 Subject: English Grammar Topic: Critical Read and Annotation

NAME: AAIZA MUSHFIQ
STUDENT ID: SP21-BSPH-0016

SUBJECT: ENGLISH GRAMMAR
TOPIC: CRITICAL READ AND ANNOTATION
"I Have a Dream" is a public speech that was delivered by American civil rights
activist and Baptist minister, Martin Luther King Jr., during the March on
Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963. In the speech, King called
for civil and economic rights and an end to racism in the United States.
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest
demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. When he is using the word
“demonstration” he is talking about rally or gathering of people, which took place
in Washington DC.
Five score years ago a great American in whose symbolic shadow we stand today
signed the Emancipation Proclamation. In this text the author is talking about
President Lincoln. “Five score years” means 100 years and it is used here because
Lincoln used it himself. When talking about the “symbolic statue” MLK is
referring to Abraham Lincoln and giving him respect because when he was giving
the speech he was standing in front of Lincoln’s statue. “Emancipation
Proclamation” was a treaty that was signed to free Americans, specifically the
African American slaves.
This momentous decree is a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves
who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. This text is a statement in
which the author is talking about the injustice and torture the African American
suffered.
It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. But 100 years
later the Negro still is not free. “It came as joyous daybreak” is a metaphor about
light that is shining in darkness. When talking about “long night of their captivity”
MLK refers to the slaves that are captured.
One hundred years later the life of the Negro is still badly crippled by the
manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. Here “manacles of
segregation” refers to the black Americans which were kept separate in handcuffs.
Even though slavery had been illegal in 1963 for a hundred years in US, there was
still this idea of segregation especially in South having two of everything ‘white’
and ‘black’ version in schools, public services and restaurants etc. In most of these
places only white people were allowed.
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 in exile in his own
land. So we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition. Here the author
says that in this wealthy nation the black Americans are living in a small place full
of poverty, where they have been kicked out, separated and treated badly in their
own country. He later says “we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful
condition” which means we have come here today to see what’s wrong.
In a sense we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects
of our Republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the
Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every
American was to fall heir. Here ‘promissory note’ is a cheque he switches the light
metaphor now referring to bank. MLK is using this as a metaphor to describe the
ideas that are in the constitution. "Declaration of Independence” here refers to
customs because he is saying these are the documents that have authority in their
country.
This note was a promise that all men—yes, black men as well as white men—
would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness. . . Here “unalienable” means something which can’t be taken away,
obviously referring to all kinds of rights and liberty which should be given to the
African Americans.
We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline.
We must not allow our creative protests to degenerate into physical violence. . . .
Here the authors pleads in a way that whatever violence or misconduct that has
occurred in the past must not be done again, “degenerate into physical violence”
here means that the things might get worst but we have to avoid it. The marvelous
new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to
distrust all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their
presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our
destiny. Here the author says that the African Americans must not blame all the
white people as they have joined us referring to “evidenced by their presence here
today”. The author also assures them by saying that ‘their destiny’ being the white
people ‘is tied to our destiny’ being the black people.
MEANINGS OF ANNOTATED WORDS

Momentous: important
Decree: statement or law
Beacon: light set on prominent position
Manacles: handcuffs
Withering: to make someone feel humiliated
Prosperity: wealth

Name: Aaiza Mushfiq STUDENT ID: SP21-BSPH-0016 Subject: English Grammar Topic: Critical Read and Annotation

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Name: Aaiza Mushfiq STUDENT ID: SP21-BSPH-0016 Subject: English Grammar Topic: Critical Read and Annotation

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NAME: AAIZA MUSHFIQ

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MEANINGS OF ANNOTATED WORDS

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