Martin Luther King Junior's Last Speech Overview

The speech that I chose to watch was Martin Luther King Junior's last speech because I thought he was one of the most inspirational leaders of America's history. Martin Luther King Junior's last speech had much emotion. He did attempt to pull each emotion out of every person at the speech. The speech was delivered April 3rd, 1968, in the Mason Temple (Church of God in Christ Headquarters), in Memphis, Tennessee. The audience was made up of mostly middle-aged black males. I did not really see any white men and I did not see any women or children either. Ever time Martin Luther King Junior would speak the crowd's intensity would grow. Martin Luther King Junior was speaking to the crowd about how he has been atop the mountain and he was ready to see the promise land. The remarkable thing about this speech is that it was his last speech ever recorded; Martin Luther King Junior was assassinated the next day. To me it is almost as if he knows his time is up, and it is only a matter of time before he moves on. The speech was only a couple minutes long, but the content was right to the point, he expressed his thoughts and did so with confidence. He organized it in a way that anyone could follow. He was a master of this. He continually referred to the bible and he speaks about god multiple times throughout the speech. Martin Luther King Junior's delivery is what he was known for. He could control a crowd with ease. He would speak for a moment and then pause for a second or two to make sure everyone was listening. He would also control the strength and loudness of his voice. He would start his speech with a low quiet tone, and as the speech went on he would build momentum. By the end of the speech Martin Luther King Junior's voice would be so loud it was as if he was yelling. On page 144 of "A Pocket Guild to Public Speaking" it talks about adjusting your speaking volume. There are three main factors in how loud one should project their voice. 1. The size of the room and number of people. 2. Whether or not one uses a microphone. 3. The level of background noise. During Martin Luther King Junior's speech he was in a very large church filled with hundreds of people, he used a microphone, and the background noise was minimal. Martin Luther King Junior's language was simple but direct. Everything he said was to the point, and had a personal feel. Martin Luther King Junior is arguably the most inspirational man of American History.