Thus, his speech was not simply a complaint about what was wrong with the current system, but a stirring look at how to fix the problem as soon as possible.
Perhaps the most important part of King's speech is his cry for peace and understanding between both groups. He did not urge blacks to take their rights by force, but advocated peace and mutual respect for each other. This part of the speech follows Pratt's essay regarding the critique portion, where King first assesses what is wrong with the treatment of blacks in the country, and then offers ways to fix the problem. He advocates collaboration for reform, and always advocates understanding between blacks and whites in the country. He was a man of peace who used radical reform to help solve a pressing problem.
King's speech represents the contact zone in another important way, and that is because it represents two different cultures and can be taken two different ways. Whites listening to the speech might see it as rabble rousing or inciting violence and violent reform, while blacks listening to it could identify with the wrongs and long for the rights. Whites were fearful of blacks gaining too many rights, especially in the South, where segregation was prevalent. However, blacks suffered indignities all over the country. King's strong feelings and insistence that blacks be taken seriously scared many whites, and they viewed his speech as the beginning of a frightening rebellion, while blacks saw it as the beginning of much needed reforms and rights. Thus, it represents two different cultures in the same words. It shows how far blacks still had to go to assimilate into American culture, while urging the whites to reform the culture as soon as possible. It shows the subjugation of the blacks, the superiority of the whites, and the reforms necessary to rectify the situation.
King presents denunciation of white practices, mediation to solve the problem, and most of all, imaginary dialogue - all of which create the contact zone in this work. His imaginary dialogue...
His dreams for peace and equality are his imaginary dialogue, and they are some of the most powerful images in the speech. It does not seem wrong that a white child and a black child should hold hands in Alabama. It does seem wrong that they cannot during the time of the speech, and that is his point. The contact zone for this speech is King's cause, and the misinterpretation of his speech by fearful whites is the cost of this contact zone. Ultimately, the fear cost King his life when he was assassinated by a white shooter.
Finally, King blends modern theories of reform with very traditional American values. He uses the words to "Let Freedom Ring" in the closing sentences, refers to the foundations the founding fathers created the country to be built upon, and even cites an old Negro spiritual as the closing lines of the speech - "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!" (King). Thus, he cleverly shows how black and white ideals can blend together seamlessly if only they are allowed to. He uses these many forms to show that even though there are many differences between blacks and whites, both races still want many of the same things - good jobs, decent pay, high-quality education, opportunities for growth, happy families, and a decent place to live. Ultimately, while his speech may have frightened many whites because they were afraid of his viewpoint and used their own stereotypes to fear blacks, it showed that blacks and whites have far more commonalities than they have differences. Peace and co-existence are lofty goals, and should be common goals of all Americans.
References
King, Martin Luther. "I Have a Dream." University of Groningen. 21 Nov. 2004. 6 Nov. 2006. http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/D/1951-1975/mlk/dream.htm
Pratt, Mary Louise. "Arts of the Contact Zone." University of Florida. 1999. 6 Nov. 2006. http://www.nwe.ufl.edu/~stripp/2504/pratt.html
