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sprayed with high-powered fire hoses. Explain why King suggests that the protesters would 5
be able to overcome Connor’s abuse.
4. King tells the audience that “either we go up together, or we go down together” (par. 31). How
is this message of change through unity reinforced in other parts of King’s speech and why is
it so important to the overall themes in the speech? section three
5. In paragraph 26, King turns his attention to the economic power of the community. What is the
advantage of focusing on the kinds of goods people purchase? How will this lead to the
changes that King is promoting? /
6. When King references the Promised Land (par. 52), he is talking about the land where,
according to the Old Testament, the Jewish people would finally be able to live in peace and
freedom after years of captivity in Egypt. What is the promised land that King is assuring the
members of his audience they all will one day find? Martin Luther King Jr.
7. This speech would be King’s last, as he was shot to death by an assassin on April 4, 1968, just
one day after this speech. Characterize King’s attitude toward the threats he faced and explain
why he thought it was important to share those feelings with the crowd.

Analyzing Language, Style, and Structure

1. Vocabulary in Context. What is the meaning of the word “determined” in paragraph 1, and
then again in paragraphs 14 and 15? How is this usage similar to or different from other, more
common usages of the word?
2. Skill Focus. King uses personal experience at various times throughout his speech. Why, for
instance, does he refer to a trip that he and his wife took to Jericho? How does King’s
recounting of this trip reinforce one of his main ideas about change?
3. Skill Focus. The speech includes a letter King received from a young white girl after he had
been stabbed and almost killed at a book signing in New York City. What is the effect of the
inclusion of the story of his stabbing and of the girl’s reaction to it? How does this personal
experience help to illustrate a point King is trying to make?
4. When King uses an allusion to Abraham Lincoln (par. 7), he describes the former president as
“vacillating” and indicates that Lincoln “had to sign the Emancipation Proclamation.” What do
these specific language choices indicate about how King views Lincoln’s role in freeing the
slaves?
5. In paragraph 8, King refers to the early 1930s and a man struggling with the “bankruptcy of his
nation.” King is literally describing the Great Depression and the economic hardships of the
time, but what effect does the word “bankruptcy” have when applied to a whole country or a
people as King applies it here?
6. King argues that the Egyptian pharaohs maintained their power by keeping the “slaves fighting
among themselves” (par. 16). How does this analogy connect to the situation in the United
States in the 1960s, and to the situation in Memphis specifically?
7. Explain why King brings up China (par. 22), Russia (par. 22), and other totalitarian countries
during a speech that focuses on events in Memphis, Tennessee.
8. An ordained Baptist minister himself, King references other religious leaders, as well as the
Bible, frequently. How does King characterize the roles of faith and religion in the struggle for
change?
9. Explain what King means when he talks about a “dangerous unselfishness,” and how does his
example about Jesus in paragraphs 32 and 33 reinforce King’s meaning?

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