These pages depict Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington. The speech was the last one that day, and it occurred after John Lewis’ in the comic. The image is the only one in the section that spans over two pages, and certain words are in bold and underlined. The image stands out from the rest of the section because certain elements and words are highlighted, and it has less text and panels than the rest of the pages in the section.
Martin Luther King Jr. is surrounded by what seems like a halo of light. This and the top-left hand corner are the only places in the image that are light and have this halo effect. Some of the words are underlined, and these certain words create a sense of hope. The lines on the second page are also bolded drawing your eye to them and highlights the main points of the speech about love and a better country. The comic focused on nonviolence even in the face of violence, and this speech shows how words can be powerful without having to rely on violence. The words were “like arrows” creating a “climatic regrain the world would never forget” (172). These lines describe the speech perfectly because they touched many people even now. They have a sense of hope and advocate for a peaceful future.
I chose this image because it stood out when I was reading this section. Love and dream are highlighted adding to the message of nonviolence. It describes how religion and hope for the future were the main foundations for the nonviolence movement. Throughout the comic, there is so much violence they face; however, they stand firm in their belief of nonviolence. This page not only conveys hope, but it shows how many people it touched and how impactful the speech was. It is not always possible to stay nonviolent, and sometimes it may not be the best way as a response if violence is being used by the other side. Through the violence, they stood firm in their belief that love and how a dream may help create a better and more equal America even when it may not happen.
