68 Reader’s Notebook

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TAKE NOTES The American DreamMartin Luther King, Jr.

America is essentially a dream, a dream as yet unfulfilled. It is a dream of a land where men of all races, of all nationalities and of all creeds1 can live together as brothers. The substance of the dream is expressed in these sublime words, words lifted to cosmic proportions: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.”2 This is the dream.

One of the first things we notice in this dream is an amazing universalism. It does not say some men, but it says all men. It does not say all white men, but it says all men, which includes black men. It does not say all Gentiles, but it says all men, which includes Jews. It does not say all Protestants, but it says all men, which includes Catholics.

And there is another thing we see in this dream that ultimately distinguishes democracy and our form of government from all of the totalitarian regimes3 that emerge in history. It says that each individual has certain basic rights that are neither conferred by nor derived from the state. To discover where they came from it is necessary to move back behind the dim mist of eternity, for they are God-given. Very seldom if ever in the history of the world has a sociopolitical document expressed in such profoundly eloquent and unequivocal language the dignity and the worth of human personality. The American dream reminds us that every man is heir to the legacy of worthiness.

Vocabulary Developmentunequivocal (un i KWIV uh kuhl) adj. clear; plainly understood

1. creeds (kreedz) n. systems of belief.

2. “We hold these truths . . . pursuit of happiness.” opening words of the Declaration of Independence, which asserted the American colonies’ independence from Great Britain in 1776.

3. totalitarian (toh tal uh TER ee uhn) regimes (ruh ZHEEMZ) countries in which those in power control every aspect of citizens’ lives.

Activate Prior Knowledge Think about the way your family

lives. You go to school. You

choose your friends. Your adult

family members can vote. At one

time, not everyone had the same

rights. On the lines below, fi nish

the statement: “I am thankful

that in America I can…”

Reading Skill An author’s purpose is the

reason he or she has for writing.

An author uses details to tell you

what that purpose is. Read the

bracketed passage. What does it

suggest as the author’s purpose

for writing this speech?

Reading Check What does King believe is one of

the fi rst and most important

things about the American

dream? Underline the sentence

that tells you.

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nTAKE NOTESEver since the Founding Fathers of our nation

dreamed this noble dream, America has been something of a schizophrenic4 personality, tragically divided against herself. On the one hand we have proudly professed the principles of democracy, and on the other hand we have sadly practiced the very antithesis of those principles. Indeed slavery and segregation have been strange paradoxes in a nation founded on the principle that all men are created equal. This is what the Swedish sociologist, Gunnar Myrdal, referred to as the American dilemma.

But the shape of the world today does not permit us the luxury of an anemic democracy. The price America must pay for the continued exploitation of the Negro and other minority groups is the price of its own destruction. The hour is late; the clock of destiny is ticking out. It is trite, but urgently true, that if America is to remain a first-class nation she can no longer have second-class citizens. Now, more than ever before, America is challenged to bring her noble dream into reality, and those who are working to implement the American dream are the true saviors of democracy.

Now may I suggest some of the things we must do if we are to make the American dream a reality. First I think all of us must develop a world perspective if we are to survive. The American dream will not become a reality devoid of the larger dream of a world of brotherhood and peace and good will. The world in which we live is a world of geographical oneness and we are challenged now to make it spiritually one.

Man’s specific genius and technological ingenuity has dwarfed distance and placed time in chains. Jet

Vocabulary Development

antithesis (an TITH uh sis) n. direct oppositeparadoxes (PER uh dahks iz) n. two things that seem directly at oddsexploitation (eks ploy TAY shuhn) n. the act of using another person for selfish purposes

4. schizophrenic (skit suh FREN ik) adj. characterized by a separation between the thought processes and emotions, often changing from one attitude and opinion to another.

Literary Analysis Word choice is a key element in

an author’s style. Look at the

fi rst bracketed passage.

Underline three phrases showing

that King is using a formal style.

Reading Skill Read the second bracketed

passage. Is the author’s

purpose to persuade, entertain,

or give information? Explain.

Stop to Refl ect What does King think will

happen to America if its people

cannot make the changes he

suggests?

Reading Check According to King, what is one

of the most important ways to

make the American dream a

reality? Underline the answer.

The American Dream 69

70 Reader’s Notebook

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TAKE NOTES planes have compressed into minutes distances that once took days and months to cover. It is not common for a preacher to be quoting Bob Hope, but I think he has aptly described this jet age in which we live. If, on taking off on a nonstop flight from Los Angeles to New York City, you develop hiccups, he said, you will hic in Los Angeles and cup in New York City. That is really moving. If you take a flight from Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday morning, you will arrive in Seattle, Washington, on the preceding Saturday night. When your friends meet you at the airport and ask you when you left Tokyo, you will have to say, “I left tomorrow.” This is the kind of world in which we live. Now this is a bit humorous but I am trying to laugh a basic fact into all of us: the world in which we live has become a single neighborhood.

Through our scientific genius we have made of this world a neighborhood; now through our moral and spiritual development we must make of it a brotherhood. In a real sense, we must all learn to live together as brothers, or we will all perish together as fools. We must come to see that no individual can live alone; no nation can live alone. We must all live together; we must all be concerned about each other.

Literary Analysis

Do you think the author’s style

helps him get his point across?

Explain.

Reading Skill Read the underlined sentence. Is

the author’s purpose specifi c in

saying what he wants his

audience to do? Explain.

Reading Check How does King think Americans

should learn to live? Underline

the sentence that states this.

Reader’s Response: Do you think King’s suggestions would help make America a better place to live? Explain.

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nAFTER YOU READ

The American Dream

1. Infer: Why does King quote lines from the Declaration of Independence in his speech?

2. Generalize: According to King, what steps must Americans take to make the American dream a reality?

3. Reading Skill: What is King’s purpose in writing this speech? Support your answer.

4. Literary Analysis: Use this chart to look at elements of the author’s style. In each oval, tell how King uses the element. Write a word or phrase from the text that gives an example of each element.

The American Dream 71

King’s Style

Sentence Length

Language

Word Choice

Tone