Speech

No question about it, this is a really speechy speech. Some speeches work as well or better as written documents. When we read them, they sound a whole lot like essays. That can work fine if it's a really great essay and the delivery is dynamic, but it's usually…pretty…zzzz….

Right from the beginning, though, we know "I've Been to the Mountaintop" is a spoken presentation, because there's…wait for it…speaking. Usually a solid clue.

When Dr. K talks directly to Ralph Abernathy and the audience (1.1–2.2), we feel a sense of occasion, as if we're experiencing something created for a specific time and place. That's a hallmark of speeches: if someone is thanking someone or addressing specific people ("my fellow Americans," "ladies and gentleman," etc.), you've probably got a speech on your hands.

And we do. In fact, it's nothing but a speech—not a text at all. MLK created "I've Been to the Mountaintop" on the spot, drawing upon material and motifs from his previous experience as a public speaker and preacher. So the "text" of this speech is actually just a transcript of what he said.

Now Why Would He Do a Thing Like That

It's true, creating a whole speech off the top of your head can be, er, challenging, as you might know. But if you can pull it off, though, extemporizing can have some advantages.

Take the audience's feedback, for example. Our transcript handily renders it in (italics). Those interjections probably shaped the structure of "I've Been to the Mountaintop." Because Dr. K didn't have some pre-written document to deliver, instead of reading a speech, he could read the crowd, giving them more of what they liked and less of what they didn't. We can't know exactly what was going through King's head, but he likely took at least some cues from the audience. That's the flexibility of improvisation.

Wait, Where Were We?

Now, as you've probably noticed, this speech doesn't just get straight to the point the way a written-out document might. In fact, the sanitation workers' strike—which is what "I've Been to the Mountaintop" is supposedly about—isn't even mentioned until paragraph 15, and then only briefly. Is MLK having trouble staying on topic or what?

You get one guess, and the answer is "no."

After a long reminiscence about Birmingham, Dr. K brings the discussion right back to the issue at hand: "Now we've got to go on in Memphis just like that" (19.1). He's using a story to illustrate his point about marching peacefully. It's a pretty preacher-ish thing to do, modeled after another famous guy who used this technique. That would be Jesus. In fact, the Birmingham story parallels MLK's later use of the Good Samaritan story (27–30). It's a teaching tool.

So all the "extra" stuff might seem tangential at first, but…nah. It's there to make Dr. K's pragmatic points more vivid and engaging. He wants to motivate people, so he has to keep it lively. When he delivers the more practical stuff (e.g., 22–25), he does it in smallish chunks so people don't get bored. In between, he weaves in stories and philosophical musings to keep the audience interested and create the sense that the sanitation strike is part of something big—History with a capital H.

In short, what can seem like meandering actually plays a critical role in how the speech functions. King isn't just there to offer advice—he's there to pump you up.

How it Breaks Down

Introduction

The Wind-Up

You know how movies sometimes start with a flashback? A good intro-flashback fills us in on the backstory, sets the stage for what's coming, and gets us interested in what we're about to see. Or, in this case, hear. Paragraphs 2–10 do just that, telling the audience about the long history that led to this moment. Paragraphs 11–13 fill in the philosophical context of the sanitation strike. Vive la révolution.

Planning, Part 1

The Pitch

Now we get some practical stuff: paragraphs 14–19 are all about how the marchers should behave, using the Birmingham story to emphasize the effectiveness of nonviolence—and, ahem, King's leadership.

A Brief Aside

Thank-You Notes

Dr. King has numerous colleagues present at the speech, both his own team and local organizers. Having outlined what he wants to happen, he takes a moment in paragraphs 20–21 to thank everyone who's making it happen, emphasizing that he thinks they're doing God's work.

Complication: Planning, Part 2

A Slight Curveball

This is more practical stuff. In paragraphs 22–25, King lets everyone know that, while marching is great and all, it's more of a bandage than a cure. To address the root of labor discrimination, coordinated economic pressure is needed. He maps that out here.

The Creamy Moral Center

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

In order to justify the burden he's placed on the audience, in paragraphs 26–31, Dr. K invokes the parable of the Good Samaritan. This is the moral heart of his argument: it's here that he makes the case why all the marching and the boycotting and whatnot need to be done.

The Denouement That Turns into a Climax

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodnight

Just as MLK seems to be winding down with a little reminiscence (paragraphs 32–42), things take a somber turn. He starts thinking aloud about how he might not live to see all the great advancements he's talked about (43–45).

It's the climactic moment because it pulls the rug out from under the audience, suddenly stripping away the feeling of certainty and momentum that the rest of the speech has created—and yet also reinforcing it. We're pulled in two directions at once as Dr. K contrasts the uncertainty of his own future with the certain victory of justice.