3 Matching Annotations
- Apr 2025
-
www.npr.org www.npr.org
-
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today
Symbolism : Standing at the Lincoln memorial. King emphasises the symbolic presence of Lincoln . (Lincoln led the country through its greatest crisis, the Civil War, and was on the verge of victory when he died ) . Hence, 'shadow' here represents both literal location and ideological legacy of justice .
-
One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity
socioeconomic commentary : Even though the country is experiencing post-war economic growth as mentioned from the text, 'material prosperity' but the black Americans remained trapped in systemic poverty.
Metaphor: Lonely island here represents the isolation. The negros were excluded from broader progress and wealth of the nation.
-
seared in the flames of withering injustice
Metaphor : King was comparing the Negro experience of injustice to being 'burned in flames'
-