Writer\'s Presence

3 Pages 810 Words

The Writer’s Presence, written by Donald McQuade and Robert Atwan, stresses the importance of the writer’s presence. They outline four possible ways to find an authors presence in his work. Martin Luther King’s speech “I have a Dream” is one work where the writer’s presence is very easy to see. The speech is so well known to me that every time I hear it, the speech makes things inside of me feel different. This is because I feel like I am right with him at the time of the speech. The way that he organizes the words makes you think that you can see in to his inner thoughts. Since this works is a speech it is the writer’s presence.
Every time I read this essay it makes me think about the man who gave it. King was a very powerful African American man. I feel that he is most recognizable by his powerful voice. Voice is an important part of the speech. McQuade and Atwan characterize voice, as “The writers “signature” ”(2). This speech, if given by any other person, would have been weak. This was because of the tremendous support that the King had when he gave this speech. At a time where his people where not wanted, King rose above it and brought to life the injustices. All through out the speech King’s voice is easily detected. The voice of this speech is so powerful that people still think about this speech when they hear the phrase “I have a Dream.”
Personal experience is another concept that that is easily seen in this essay. This speech would not have been as influential if any other person but an African American person gave this speech. Most importantly this speech would not of been so revolutionary if Martin King did not give it. At the time King stood for the people of his heritage. For African Americans, King was their leader to freedom. All of their struggles and all of their hardships are cried out through the King. King makes this connection by using the term “We”. ...