Lesson 11 (I have a Dream) 1st Year English Notes

Lesson 11: I have a Dream

This chapter is from the 11th class English book 1 and it has been written by Martin Luther King. We have presented the important questions of this chapter for the intermediate (part 1) FSc FA first year students.

Questions Answers

Q: From where, according to Martin Luther King, should freedom ring?

According to Martin Luther King, freedom should ring from the high and low areas, from the fertile and barren lands of all those states where slavery of black people was a common practice.

Q: What does the old Negro spiritual mean?

The Negroes were the slaves of white people in the beginning. Since then they had wished for getting liberty. Their famous song, the Negro special expresses thanks to God for granting them freedom.

Q: Who was Martin Luther King?

Martin Luther King Jr. was a black American clergyman. He was the leader of the American civil rights movement. He organized non-violent protests and delivered powerful speeches. He also won Nobel Peace Prize.

Q: What type of the article is “I Have a Dream”?

It is Martin Luther King’s famous speech that he delivered in 1963 in Washington DC. It expresses the oppressed feelings of the blacks of the United States. It is matchless in its beauty.

Q: Write a note on the struggle of Martin Luther King Jr. for Negroes.

Martin Luther King was a black American civil rights leader. He was born in Atlanta in the State of Georgia in 1929. His father, Martin Luther King Sr., was a clergyman in Atlanta. Junior King went to the University of Boston for his Ph.D. in 1951. During his stay at the university, he won so many prizes for making impressive speeches. There he studies peaceful, non-violent movement started by Mahatama Gandhi in India. On the same lines Martin Luther King Junior also started non-violent protests for the rights of the Negroes. He started his career as a clergyman in the city of Montgomery, Alabama. He wanted to have the same right for the Negroes as well. He was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 1963 for his peaceful efforts. Unfortunately, he was shot dead in 1968.

Q: What was the condition of Negroes in his days?

Negroes were considered as the offspring of slaves. So the white men were not ready to give them equal rights. They were still treated like slave, though slavery did not exist as far as law was concerned. But in practice the Negroes were not given better jobs, better educational opportunities and so many other basic rights. They were regarded as the citizens of the second and third rate. They could not tolerate this inhuman treatment and started peaceful reaction in the 1950’s. Martin Luther King Jr. was their champion. No doubt, he was killed in this movement, but he succeeded in focusing the attention of the world to this problem.

Q: Write ten lines on racial discrimination.

Discrimination, means ‘distinction’. It means to observe difference on some basis. The word ‘racial’ is from ‘race’, which means division of human beings on the basis of colour. In this way ‘racial discrimination’ is a political term which means considering difference on the basis of the colour of the skin. In the U.S.A. the difference on the basis of the colours of the skin was in practice, particularly in the Southern States. In these states Spanish influence is dominant and this distinction is also because of this influence. This discrimination is very dangerous for the unity of the country.

Q: Write the summary of the speech.

This speech is fine example of the art of oratory. Its forceful style gave Courage and energy to the people who were fighting for their rights. First of all he acknowledged the efforts of those who had gone to jail for this cause. Then he urged them to go back to their areas and work with renewed energy. King presents before them a horrible picture of the situation, but at the same time he says that they can win their rights if they keep on struggling like this. He says that his dream of brotherhood is an American dream. He is sure that soon all the Americans, black and white, will join hands together. They will sing together the song of brotherhood.

Q: What are the measures you can take to ensure justice with all sections of society?

If the machinery of the government is impartial, all the sections of the Society can enjoy justice and peace. When everyone gets his rights without trouble or delay, there will be peace in the society. Most of the criminals are not born criminals. They are, in fact, reactionaries. If they get their rights on the basis of merit, there will be no social unrest. Justice can only be maintained by marinating equality among the people. So equality is the key thing which ensures justice to the whole Society.

Q: What are the qualities of the veterans of creative suffering?

Veterans are the elderly and experienced persons. Veterans suffer a great deal while bringing reforms to the Society. They bear all the hardships with patience.

Q: From which parts of the country had the Negroes gathered there?

The Negroes had gathered from all parts of the country, particularly from the Southern States of America. In the South, the Negroes lived in majority, but they Were treated as slaves.

Q: Why did Martin Luther King ask his addressees to go back to Mississipi and other places?

He asked them to go back to Mississipi, Alabama and other areas of the United States where human rights had been violated. He urged them to go there and work for human beings.

Q: What is the dream of Martin Luther King?

Martin Luther King’s dream is to see the sons of the slaves and the sons of the slaves’ owners live together. He wants to see them united. He wants to see the United States living peacefully.

Q: What type of the state is Mississipi?

Most of the area of Mississipi is a desert. So Martin Luther King said that it was He had a dream that his four little children would one day live in a nation where they would not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character.

Q: What type of the person was the Governor of Alabama?

The governor of Alabama was a prejudiced white man whose policies were against the black people of the state. He deprived the blacks of their legal rights.

Q: With which faith did Martin Luther King return to the South?

In the Southern states, black people were regarded as slaves. King had a dream that one day the white and the black would live like brothers. So he returned to. the South with this faith.

Q: What should be the faith of the Negroes?

The Negroes should have firm faith in their mission. They should be committed to their aims. They should have firm belief in the equality of human beings.

Q: What were the characteristic features of the Southern States of America?

In the Southern states of America, the Spanish influence had always been dominant. Under this influence, the trade of black slaves had been a common practice, it was against morality.

Q: What was the necessity of pleading the case of the Negroes freedom?

The Negroes were treated as slaves in the USA. Martin Luther King pleaded the case of their freedom. He wanted to win for them equal rights. So this movement was necessary.

Q: What should be the criterion of judgment of a person?

The criterion of the judgment of a person should be his character, not the colour of his skin. Everyone should be judged by his inner worth.

Q: Do the Negroes enjoy liberty in all parts of their country?

According to Martin Luther King, the Negroes do not enjoy liberty in all parts of the country. They are treated as second rate citizens.

Q: What is the significance of the song sung by Martin Luther. King?

The Song shows patriotic feelings of all the Americans. It describes the efforts and hardships of the earlier settlers in America. It also gives a hope that in future, the Americans will live brotherly.

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