Monday, March 31, 2008

History Speaks: Martin Luther King, Jr.


Today's discussion focused on MLK's "local" life as a minister and activist, while it also examined King's work post-1963, the national and international "radical" phase Harvard Sitkoff captures in his recent book.
Important moments during this period include his Nobel Prize Speech (December 1964), his Mountaintop Speech (April 1968), his Vietnam War speech (April 1967), and the God is Marching On (March 1965)address.

Your assignment tonight is to listen to clips of the Mountaintop speech and to read the text of this address. Listen and read here. Answer the following questions on your own paper, and bring them to class tomorrow ready to discuss.

1. What is the aim of the Mountaintop speech?
2. What historical references does MLK make in the speech, and why do you think he makes them?
3. Discuss King's use of biblical language in this speech.
4. If you could ask King one question about this address, what would you ask and why? (Feel free to post this question in the comments section.)

[Photo credit here.]

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

he is a very gifted speaker.
-claire b.

Anonymous said...

If I could ask MLK Jr. one question about this speech I would ask him how long does it take to write each speech. If he does not write them, then how does he just come up with these speeches off the top of his head?

Kendall Burgess
7th

Anonymous said...

If i could ask MLK a question about his Mountaintop speech I would ask him if he was satisfied with this speech as his last or what he would add or take away from it.

Natalie Johnson

Anonymous said...

i would ask MLK what emotions he felt right before delivering his now, famous speeches... J.GRAVES

Anonymous said...

I would ask him if he was satisfied with the way he delivered the speech and which one of his speeches had the biggest impact on not only his life but everyone on earth.

-jason s.-

Anonymous said...

I would ask if he was ever motivated by hearing replays of his own speeches?