Question

his momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.

–"I Have a Dream,"
Martin Luther King Jr.

What is an example of anaphora in this passage?


What is emphasized by the use of anaphora in this passage?

Answer 1

Example of anaphora:
- The repeated phrase "One hundred years later," which begins four successive sentences.

What is emphasized by this anaphora:
- The persistent failure to achieve the freedom promised by the Emancipation Proclamation a century earlier.
- The ongoing, cumulative nature of injustice (segregation, discrimination, poverty) — the repetition makes the problem feel continuous and inescapable.
- A sense of moral urgency and emotional weight: the rhythm heightens the contrast between the hope of the decree and the grim reality, pressing the audience to recognize the need for change.