毕业论文我有一个梦的文体分析.docx

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1、毕业论文（我有一个梦的文体分析）A Stylistic Analysis of The Speech “ I Have a Dream ”Abstract: Martin Luther Kings “I Have a Dream” is an splendid speach. The purpose of this paper is to analysis of some the of stylistic devices used in the famous speech.Key words: Stylistics, analysis, speech关于我有一个梦想的文体学分析摘要：马丁路德金

2、的演讲我有一个梦想是一篇经典之作。本文从文体学角度对于这篇著名演讲词进行了详尽的分析。关键词：文体学；分析；演讲Martin Luther King, Jr, the foremost leader of Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, delivered his most famous speech “I Have a Dream” on August 28, 1963. On that day, more than 200000 Americans of all faiths, races and creeds joined a massive po

3、litical demonstration in Washington D.C., pressuring the nation to grant blacks first-class status. On that historic occasion, the speech “I Have a Dream” recalled the miserable life of the black Americans, and pointed out the new direction of the movement. It was Kings speech that pushed the rally

4、to the peak. In this thesis, the author tries to offer a stylistic analysis of the famous speech by Martin Luther king, Jr. I Have a Dream.1. Stylistics and stylistic analysisStylistics is a discipline that studies the ways in which language is used; it is adiscipline that studies the style of langu

5、age in use.Stylistic analysis is generally concerned with the uniqueness of a text; that is, what it is that is peculiar to the uses of language in a literary text for delivering the message. This naturally involves comparisons of the language of the text with that used in conventional types of disc

6、ourse.2. Stylistic Analysis of the Speech2.1. On Grammatical2.1.1 ReferenceSome linguistic elements make reference to something else for theirinterpretation instead of being interpreted semantically in their own right.Referenceis an important device for linking sentence with sentence and at the same

7、 time avoiding unnecessary repetition.In the text of I have a Dream, the phenomenon of reference appears in manyplaces, more than 14. The following 3 are the typical examples of each type.(1) And so weve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.The pronoun we refers to I and you. There are

8、many pronoun in the speech,which is an essential tool to unite the audience together. We means that the leader isstanding together with them, that they all have suffered the same inequality and discrimination, that his dream is their dream, that they must unite to fight for their own rights and free

9、dom.(2) We can never be satisfied as long as the Negros basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one.Here smaller and larger belong to the comparative reference. By thiscomparison, the speaker told the audience that their living condition wasnt changedat all. They just have moved from a d

10、irty and poor place to another one.2.1.2 SubstitutionSubstitution is considered to be an important device used to avoid redundant repetition. Substitution is used once as in the former sentence (2),where one is used to replace ghetto. It means that though they have move to a new home, the place they

11、 live in is still a ghetto.2.1.3 EllipsisEllipsis is usually employed for economy of words in spoken English and normal everyday written discourse. It is a common means of implicit cohesion between sentences or utterances, usually avoiding unnecessary repetition. Besides cohesive function, ellipsis

12、has rhetorical function to express certain aspects of the meaning or message of the work.The device is used three times in this speech as follows:(3) We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.(4) With this faith, we will be able to work toge

13、ther; to pray together; to struggletogether; to go to jail together; to(5) Free at last! Free at last!In sentence (3), rolls down after righteousness is omitted, and in (4), we will be able is omitted four times before to. The omission makes the sentence more simple and cohesive in both (3) and (4).

14、 Besides, the ellipsis in (4) highlights what they have to do and have to face together. The short sentences here unite the hearts of the Negroes into one immediately. And the ellipsis of we are in (5) expresses the outburst of great joy when the oppressed people get their freedom.2.1.4 ConjunctionC

15、onjunction refers to the use of overt signals that connect language units both within and beyond sentences to form literary discourse. Besides cohesive devices, they also have the function of implying the under-relationship between sentences. They express certain meanings which presuppose the presen

16、ce of other components in the discourse. By these conjunction elements,“one can comprehend the semantic relations between sentences. He can even logically presume the meaning of the following sentence by virtue of what has gone.” In this speech, this device is used 20 times, with the conjunctive com

17、ponents but, and, so, if, as long as, when, for, as(causal conjunction),and one hundred years later. Typical examples are listed and analyzed here.(6) But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not freeSo weve come here todayto dramatize a shameful condition.The adversative conjunction but indi

18、cates that what they had expected, what theyshould get, what the government had promised to them, the freedom, the equal rights and opportunities to the Whites, didnt occur. Besides, the word also expresses their disappointment, their unsatisfactory and anger. One hundred later belongs to temporal c

19、onjunction. It implies that so long a time, a hundred years, had passed, and they hadnt got what they deserved, which was too unfair to them. Then the clausal conjunction so arises, which combines the text naturally. It means that what they are doing and what they will do in the future is legal and

20、reasonable.(7) And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be contentAnd there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights.The addictive conjunction and used here indicates their determination to fightuntil their requi

21、rements are fulfilled.2.2On Lexical2.2.1RepetitionThroughout the speech, Dr. King repeats words and sentence. This is a very outstanding feature in this speech called repetition. It belongs to the stylistic device of syntactic over-regularity. The term repetition is restricted to mean the case of ex

22、act copying of a certain previous unit in a text such as a word, phrase or even a sentence, because all the over-regular features in literature are in some sense repetitious. Used in speech, repetition not only makes it easy for the audience to follow what the speaker is saying, but also gives a str

23、ong rhythmic quality to the speech and makes it more memorable.If we study the whole speech more carefully, it is easy for us to find many otherexamples of repetition used. For example:(8) But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years l

24、ater, 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 languishing in

25、the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.Here the phrase “one hundred years later” has been repeated three times, seemingly indicating that it is really a long time for the Negro to wait for the coming of the time of justice and righteousness.(9) But we refuse to be

26、lieve that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believethat there are insufficient funds in the GREat vaults of opportunity of this nation.The phrase “we refuse to believe that” has been used twice to indicate thespeakers good hope.2.2.2Use of ParallelismParallelism is another syntactic ove

27、r-regularity. It means exact repetition in equivalent positions. It differs from simple repetition in that the identity does not extend to absolute duplication, it “requires some variable feature of the pattern -some contrasting elements which are parallel with respect to their position in the patte

28、rn”(Leech, 1969:66). To put it simply, parallelism means the balancing of sentence elements that are grammatically equal. To take them parallel, balance nounswith nouns, verbs with verbs, prepositional phrases with prepositional phrases,clauses with clauses, and so forth.In his speech, Martin Luther

29、 King uses parallelism to create a strong rhythm tohelp the audience line up his ideas. Here are few examples:(10) by the manacles of seGREgation and the chains of discrimination(Par.2, twoparallel noun phrases)(11) “there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America”(Par. 5, two parallelnouns jo

30、ined with “neithernor”)It is traditionally believed that parallelism is used for the purpose of emphasizing and enhancing, esp. in speech, the ideas expressed by the speaker, thus always encouraging and inspiring the audience. We need not to be very carefully to find out many more examples of parall

31、elism used in Kings speech and classified as is followed:A. parallel nouns:(12) 1963 is not an end, but a beginning (Par. 5, two parallel nouns joined with “notbut”)B. Parallel noun phrases:(13) So we have to came to cash this check-a check that will give as upon demand the riches of freedom and The

32、 security of justice. (Par. 4)C. Parallel infinitive phrases:(14) It would be fetal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and tounderestimate the determination of the Negro. (Par.5, two parallel infinitive phrases)D. Parallel prepositional phrases(15), when we let it ring from every v

33、illage and every hamlet, from every state and every city, (Par. 25)E. Parallel clauses:(16) , have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and (that) their freedom is inextricably bound t our freedom. (Par. 6, two parallel objective clause)2.2.3 Use of Similes and MetaphorsAs

34、two very important types of meaning transference in literature, similes and metaphors are comparisons that show similarities in things that are basically different, which can be used to add vividness and vitality to writing. As Leech points out, metaphor is associated with a particular rule of trans

35、ference which may be called the “metaphoric rule”. That is, the figurative meaning is derived from the literal meaning or it is, as it were, the literal meaning.Throughout the speech, King makes extensive use of similes and metaphors. Inparagraph 1, for example, King compares The Emancipation Procla

36、mation to twoformsofbrilliantlightcuttingthroughdarkness.Thefirst-“ajoyousdaybreak”-compares it to the sunrise, which (in this case) ends “the long night o f captivity”. In paragraph 2, he speaks of “the manacles of seGREgation and the chains of discrimination,” comparing segregation and discriminat

37、ion under which the Negro people live to the manacles and chains once used on slaves. Therefore, it is very clear that the using of similes and metaphors can definitely add vividness and vitality towriting and make it easy for the readers or audience to understand.Now lets cite some of the similes a

38、nd metaphors used in Kings speech.(17) This is no time to take the tranquilizing drag of gradualism. (Par. 4, metaphor)(18) we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. (Par. 7, Similes)2.2.4 Use of ContrastAlthough maybe a rhetorical device i

39、nstead of a stylistic one, contrast has also been used effectively, like repetition, in this speech, achieving the function of making clear the ideas of the speaker. In paragraph l, for example, “GREat beacon light of hope” is contrasted with “flames of withering injustice,” and “joyous daybreak” wi

40、th long night of captivity.”As it is defined, contrast is used to show the difference between two things. Therefore, it is not very difficult for us to understand why the speaker king uses so many contrasts in his speech.(19) One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in

41、the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. (Par. 2)(20) Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to thesolid rock of brotherhood (Par.4)3. ConclusionAs we have analyzed above, stylistic devices are frequently used in the discourse of literary works especially

42、 in speech, to achieve certain specific purposes. The speech couldnt have been so famous and successful without the cohesive devic es analyzed above.Bibliography:1 Martin Luther King, Jr., I Have a Dream, August 28, 19632 Wang Shouyuan, Essentials of English Stylistics, Shandong University Press, Ju

43、ly,20003 Leech, G. N. “ This bread I break Language and interpretation”. In D.C. Freeman.(ed.). Linguistics and Literature Style. New York:Holt, Rinhart & Winston.4 牛贵霞,王云江.“我有一个梦想”演讲词中修辞的运用J.河北建筑科技学院学报,2004,(3).5 段美荣. “I Have a Dream”的 语用策略探析 J. 番禺职业技 术学院学报,2008,(6).6 张世群.”I Have a Dream”的修辞特征分析J.成都大学学报,2008,(6).