How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph.Sentence)
Quote #1
No, no, we are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. (9.9)
This quote compares the goals of the Civil Rights Movement to religious "righteousness," a word that references innumerable Bible quotes. The righteous diction creates the tone of a church sermon, something that MLK had experience with as a Baptist preacher. It also evokes the rhetoric of surfing righteous waves.
Quote #2
Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. (10.5)
Redemptive suffering. Hmm…sounds pretty evocative of the story of Jesus. According to Christian theology, Christ's suffering on the cross redeemed the sins of humanity. After Christ, various martyrs and saints suffered in the name of their religious principles. MLK saw his followers as carrying forward the Christian message of brotherly love during the Civil Rights Movement.
Quote #3
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. (17.1)
An apocalyptic sounding dream pops up near the end of the speech. Christian theology emphasizes that God will lift up the weak and cast down the strong. The idea has roots in the Book of Isaiah. It's a fitting metaphor for African Americans fighting against a powerful white establishment. If you don't like the building, rip it down.
Quote #4
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. (18.1-3)
"I Have a Dream" uses a lot of natural imagery to create its religious tone. Whether it's a mountain of despair, a mighty stream, a valley of despair…you get it. When MLK delivered these lines, the audience cheered a bunch of times. In the words of Han Solo, these lines were visions of grandeur.
Quote #5
We will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!" (21.1)
Religious freedom is a typical American value. Here, King talks about religious unity, an innovation on the original concept. This is a part of the speech that universalizes, rather than speaking just to African Americans.