Sunny Youth Journal

One of the most well known speeches in all of US history is Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech “I Have a Dream.” His speech emphasized the racial inequalities and segregations that people of color were going through and wished for a better future for all of the black community. From his speech in 1963, much of the United States has changed, whether economically or socially, but to this day, the “I Have a Dream” speech remains a symbol for hope for people of color. In total, Dr.King used the phrase “I have a dream” nine times in his speech, each time voicing his hope for the future. Overall, I categorized these nine phrases into two main ideas: One where MLK wants people to know that “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,” where someone is judged based on their character instead of their race. The second main idea speech is where he gives specific examples of states he wants to see improved, namely Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama. Looking at the improvement and areas that need improvement, we can see how Dr.King’s speech still applies to today’s society. 

 Dr.King mentions the South as a specific area he wants to see become less segregated, especially Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. These states were former places of slavery, and he says that he wants these places to, “be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.” According to WalletHub, Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama rank third, fourth, and twelfth in racial progress, respectively. This signifies that these places Dr.King wished to improve have greatly improved over the years, showing progress and giving hope for further improvements. However, although these places have improved since Dr.King’s time, 57 years later, there are still various examples of racism and inequality throughout the United States. 

There have been tens, even hundreds of studies showing black oppression in recent years, ranging from law enforcement to job opportunities. To name a few, according to a study in May of 2020 that detailed nearly 100 million traffic stops conducted across the country, it was found that black drivers were more likely to be pulled over, but interestingly, they were less likely to be pulled over after sunset, where the darkness masks one’s race. Furthermore, according to the US Census Bureau in 2018, the average black worker earned just 62% of what the average white worker made. These are only two examples of thousands of examples of black oppression and racism in our society today. Dr.King’s wish to have “a nation where they[his children] will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” has not been fulfilled.

There has been improvement since Dr.King’s speech in 1963 in various places in the US, but there is still much more to be done until reaching everything that he wanted. Through various studies done in recent years it can be clear how black oppression still exists in 2020. In order to honor Dr.King’s effect in our society as a whole, it is our job in our society today to fulfill his dreams of an equal and just country. 

The short story “Uncle Willy,” tells a story about a kind man, who had a few bad habits. Uncle Willy was a man who ran a convenience store. He was kind to children, and gave them ice cream and prizes. His neighbors eventually forced him to go to a rehabilitation facility, and when he came back, he had negatively changed in many ways. Eventually he had escaped, bought a plane, and died trying to fly it. The neighbors may have acted with honorable intentions, but had no right to do any of their actions.

The first reason for this is that while Uncle Willy did drugs, he did not harm anybody while he was intoxicated. He treated the boys who stopped by his store with kindness, and gave them free ice cream. Uncle Willy might have acted a bit strange, but his actions never affected anybody negatively. In fact, they sort of assaulted Uncle Willy but grabbing him by both of his arms and forcing him into Mrs. Merridew.

Next, the people in his town had no right to treat forcefully send someone to rehab. The reason for this was that Uncle Willy was obviously functioning perfectly well while under the influence of his drugs, and that he was an adult, which meant nobody had custody of him, which meant nobody police and authorities could tell him what to do. His neighbors obviously had no reason to do to Uncle Willy what they did, and also had no right.

Another thing is that if the drugs were not affecting him or anybody negatively, it would be pretty obvious that squirting the drugs would not do anything good for him, other than improving his physical health. This obviously didn’t happen, as when Uncle Willy came back from rehab, he had lost 20 pounds, had skin the color of tallow, and had forgotten the names of all the boys he had spent years talking to.

One might argue that Uncle Willy should have gone through rehab because his doing drugs was a bad influence for the boys he often talked to. However, it was obvious this was not the case, as the boys had no interest in him taking drugs, and often asked him if it was painful. This means that they boys were worried for Uncle Willy, and obviously thought that Uncle Willy doing drugs was just part of his character, and not something that they should imitate.

Have you ever wondered how one speech could be very convincing? if you have not, then take a look at the speech made by Martin Luther King jr. I have a dream. in his speech he almost convinced that everyone should be equal and there should not be any slavery or racism allowed. But have you ever wondered why he has the power to do that and why the people listen to him. First of all Martin Luther King jr. stood out for every  single race and announced what unfairness they had been into. Then he used a really really confident attitude and really convincing speech about why and how this nation would get better if there was no racism allowed. lastly why he thought racism was wrong and what they should do to change it.

 First of all, she set out for every single race. By standing out for every single race it got more attention and more approval from more people since he said more Nations or countries that are being discriminated for their own skin color. So he basically got more votes and more approves from more people. That move had made him really popular among everyone and made him really famous. second of all he was using Rollie’s confident attitude and really convincing words about what would happen if all the races got together and what of a great nation they could make which sounded really really convincing and really true. Last but not least, he announced what he thought was wrong about being racist and why people should feel pain that made a lot of people embarrassed by what they did and they want to fix it. so in the end, Martin Luther King jr. made a really convincing speech and he was really proud of himself made a lot of people agree to him and want to follow him.

Planet Earth is gradually warming up. Climate change came faster than any researcher or expert could have predicted. The effects of global warming and climate change is already making an impact on the world. Temperatures have risen by about 2.6 Fahrenheit. Ice glaciers and ice sheets around the world are melting at a quick pace. In fact, many scientists and experts wonder if it is too late to save our planet from climate change. Global warming needs to be stopped, as it is altering Earth’s climate, including its oceans, atmosphere, ice, and animals.

Global warming is the increase in the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere. In the recent years, Earth has already begun seeing the effects of global warming. Ice sheets and glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica have already begun melting at a rapid pace. Both ice sheets lose more than one hundred gigatons every year. If those ice sheets continue melting, sea levels will inevitably rise even more. Sea levels rise about one or two millimeters each year, while the Earth is getting even warmer. When ice melts, it adds water into oceans, causing the them to rise. This can lead to flooding, and risks the many homes and lives. As if this issue was not pressing enough, there is more damage that global warming can cause to the Earth.

Many experts predict that in the next couple decades, temperature on Earth could increase by eight degrees Fahrenheit. This is called climate change. Climate change can cause more severe weather conditions such as heat waves, floods, and droughts. These not only cause many deaths each year, but also costs tons of money to fix. A hotter atmosphere can change wet areas to dry, cold areas to hot, and vice verse. A hotter atmosphere is also a reason ice around the world is melting at such a quick pace, causing higher sea levels. A warmer planet can, and already has costed people their lives, money, homes, and more.

Researchers are constantly wondering whether it is too late to save the planet. Ice is melting all around the world, temperatures are rising along with the sea, and animals are dying. Experts suggest that the main cause of global warming is humans. Carbon pollution, burnt fossil fuels, chopping down forests, are all influences of people on Earth. Cars release carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming. The Earth’s climate is hotter than ever before. Researches suggest that humans should be more energy efficient, and care more about the environment. Humans can resort to solar powered items, and walking instead of driving. Humans can also stop chopping down trees. Trees are the habitat for hundreds of species. By making small changes, humans can not only save the lives of many species, but lower temperatures and sea levels. If humans do not want their home to begin melting, they need to make a change.

There once was an activist who went by the name of Martin Luther King Jr. He worked for the rights of black people. He had a speech referred to as “I Have a Dream.” That speech has taught us to learn to stop discrimination.

That is a good dream to have. It is just and fair to every person, and it is helping the community. But not everyone is showing justice. A recent event got a black man killed because of no justice.

This is the opposite of what King wanted. King wanted the white children and black children to learn and play together. He wanted the white and black people to be equal in rights.

However, there are still a lot of people who are being discriminated. Black children are being shunned at schools, even though both are allowed to attend. Black people can speed and get a huge fine when driving when caught by a white police officer, when white people are caught speeding, they most of the time are cut some slack.

Is this truly fairness?

No. It is not. If this discrimination should be stopped, it should be completely stopped. A law of thermodynamics states that entropy is always increasing. So if you are going to fix a problem, then fix it completely. If the problem is fixed only a part, in this case people are not fully stopping the discrimination, we should continue to do what we need to do in order to fix a problem, or it will get worse.

Global warming is bad. What global warming is doing is melting polar ice caps and causing the rise of sea levels. Which cause floods and people to lose their lives and their homes. So, how can we prevent global warming? You could, use electric vehicles. Maybe stop using fossil fuels. Stop wasting water and food. Kill less animals. Stop using factories. Lastly, stop using your electronics. Also, plant more trees and plants. Why do we need to stop this global warming? Because global warming is causing droughts, which cause crops to dry up, which also causes world hunger. Also, it is making the polar ice caps melt and make the sea levels rise and people’s houses flood and lives are lost. So, we need to stop global warming.

There was once a dream, a wonderful dream

It was of peace, between different color

The dream was, a black and white school,

A black and white diner, a black and white work

A black and white society, nobody is different,

Nobody is under, nobody is better

But, we all are just one society, human beings

People disagreed, they didn’t want to work

They felt like they weren’t equal, so they strived to have a prequel

But the dream was too big, it was too true

It brought peace, and peace it will always be

“I have a dream…” that black and white could work together,

That black and white could dine together,

That black and white could learn together,

That black and white could play together,

That black and white could accept each other.

So did this dream bring peace?

Peace it gave, prosperity it sought,

And today…

America is great.

(Without all the crimes and corona that is)

(Just forget about the protests because I didn’t want to mention it)

Imagine somebody is accused of a murder, but the suspect does not admit himself as guilty or not guilty. The police try to persuade him into telling saying he has to go to jail and pay fines, but nothing seems to work. The police then proceeds to tell the accused that they will ask his children if he murdered someone, and it is now that the suspect turns himself in. This is just one example of the power of emotion. Love, hope, nostalgia, and friendship are a few of the most persuasive emotions known to mankind, and they can be used to create extremely compelling speeches. Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech was persuasive because he used imagery and also delivered his speech with a powerful voice.

Imagery is a powerful persuasion tool. By applying imagery, the audience will feel more connected to the speaker and also feel emotional. Connecting more to the speaker allows one to truly understand how one feels. This can put the listener inside the speaker’s shoes, which allows one to see the situation on both perspectives. MLK connected to the audience by mentioning how wonderful it would be if children of all colors from all different states could be united. He also emphasized the situation of segregation in each state, which helps connect even more, and explained how much better each state would be if segregation was eliminated. This would also make the audience want to experience such wonders, which in return can persuade the opposing side. Imagery can also induce emotion to the audience, which will persuade them even more. Four of the common persuasive methods one learns in school are Logos, using numbers and statistics. Ethos, building trust and reliability; Kairos, telling them that this “deal” with go away soon; Pathos, using emotion to persuade. Many English teachers would always that Pathos is the most powerful one yet, and MLK uses pathos inside of his I Have a Dream speech. The power of imagery can only be limited by one’s imagination.

Not only did MLK use imagery, he also spoke very powerfully and strategically. MLK spoke with a unique strong vocal inflection and also used repetition. Most speakers do not speak with such a special accent, and if one compares MLK’s I Have a Dream speech to other speeches, there is an obvious difference. His accent, or voice, was unique, confident, hopeful, compelling, and clearly emotional, which are required in persuasion. Additionally, he also spoke louder and emphasized on certain regions, which helped inform the audience these regions were more important. The strategy behind MLK’s voice was to use repetition, or repeating phrases. This can not only tell the audience that the repeated phrase is important, it will also help the phrase get stuck in their heads. MLK repeated the phrase “I Have a Dream” many times during his speech. Usually, a dream symbolizes something that one wishes for. In this case, MLK dreams that people of all colors can unite. Additionally, a dream is also seen as emotional, which add on even more persuasion power. MLK engraved this emotional phrase into the audience’s minds by using repetition. Many restaurants such as McDonalds use repetition in order to make customers remember them. Some uses of repetition are “I’m lovin’ it”, and “Geico, get 15% off on car insurance in just 15 minutes.” Nobody would want to listen to a boring emotion-less talking robot.

MLK’s I Have a Dream speech was extremely powerful because he used imagery and had a compelling voice. Imagery was used to help create a connection with the audience and also induce strong emotional. A powerful voice also is emotional, and repetition can be used to highlight important details. Daniel Goleman, an author, once said that, “In a very real sense we have two minds, one that thinks and one that feels.” Many speakers manage to convince the mind that thinks, but fail to convince the mind that feels. MLK convinced both minds, of millions of individuals living in the most powerful nation.

William Faulkner’s short story Uncle Willy is about a man named Uncle Willy. He is hated around his town and does illegal stuff. Everyone hates him except for a baseball team. He gives them ice cream and is really nice to them. The narrator of the story is one of the baseball players. He look up to Uncle Willy and so does every other player.

The other people in the town did not like his behavior so they took him to this place to make him change his personality. But this did not work. He ran away by plane but did not really know how to fly it so he ended up crashing and dying.

The main theme of this short story is to not judge a book by its cover. The baseball player see Uncle Willy as a super nice guy because he gave them ice cream and stuff. But they were not seeing the the real him. The real Uncle was a really rude and illegal man and that is why the adults tried to change him.

“Don’t forget what happened. Don’t let the next generation forget, either, because another outbreak will surely arrive when it is least expected.” This is what Bruce Bower said in his Science News article on COVID-19. There are always many things happening in the world but after one ends or at least dampens a little, people tend to just forget about it. Whether it’s pandemics, racism, global warming, or other events, we should always be aware of them.

Global warming has been in the world for centuries but many people don’t even care about it. However, it’s still going and getting worse. New technology has led to scientists being able to measure the amount of ice melted in areas such as Greenland and Antarctica. Greenland has 200 gigatons of ice lost each year while Antarctica has 118. Each gigaton is the size of 400,000 Olympic swimming pools. This is so large it’s hard for us to comprehend it.

Another big issue is racism, specifically the one against black people. In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. made a speech about how racism is still going on even though America made a no slavery rule in 1863. It’s been 100 years and it still hasn’t been fixed. Now, it’s 2020 so 157 years has passed and it hasn’t been resolved. Currently, there are many attempts going on to end racism against black people, some of which is successful. However, if these protests stop, will it just disappear from people’s minds?

To solve all of these problems, we not only need people to take action, but also people to not forget it. Keep on fighting for the end of global warming and racism!