Who is the great American King is referring to?

Martin Luther King Jr. refers to Abraham Lincoln as the “great American.”

Who is the great American that kind refers to at the beginning of his speech what was his achievement?

The “great American” is Abraham Lincoln. The “symbolic shadow” refers to the Lincoln Memorial. The achievement is the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.

Who is the great American in the second paragraph to whom King is referring?

Abraham Lincoln
In the second paragraph of the “I Have a Dream” speech, Martin Luther King states: “Five score years ago a great American in whose symbolic shadow we stand today signed the Emancipation Proclamation.” In these lines, King is referring to Abraham Lincoln.

Who is Martin Luther King Jr referring to?

was a social activist and Baptist minister who played a key role in the American civil rights movement from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968. King sought equality and human rights for African Americans, the economically disadvantaged and all victims of injustice through peaceful protest.

What place does King refer to saying in whose symbolic shadow we stand?

In the opening line of his speech, Martin Luther King, Jr., refers to “a great American in whose symbolic shadow we stand.” The reference to “a great American” is an example of what literary device writers use to effectively communicate their message?

Why would MLK Jr open with 5 score years ago?

King goes on to grandly state, “5 score years ago,” which is the same wording that Abraham Lincoln used in his Gettysburg Address. King used this to represent himself in the same light and manner that Abraham Lincoln did, hoping to reignite the “light and hope” Abraham Lincoln caused in the nation.

What is a symbolic shadow?

“Symbolic shadow” is a metaphor meaning that “our” lives have been greatly affected by the beliefs and deeds – particularly the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation – of that great American.