A Comparison of Dr. MLK's Speech and Letter

A Comparison of Dr. MLK's Speech and Letter

Introduction

There are many figures throughout the political history who displayed different kinds of leadership to change the reality of their time. People like Abraham Lincoln or Sun Tzu transformed the way of doing politics and business through their ability to guide people to a common vision (Branch, 2013). One of the characters that have inspired social changes in the past 100 years is Martin Luther King Jr. Martin King Luther is famous for his speech "I have a Dream" that he gave at the age 33 and “Letter from Birmingham Jail” that led the movement for equal rights in American races. Researchers have not only recognized King's style of politics but also praised his communication and team management skills (Carson, et al., 2009).

Martin Luther King Jr. is usually recognized as a transformational leader because he dared to question the status quo and to venture into unknown territory on behalf of what he considered right. However, some researchers believe that the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr. represents the model of charismatic or inspirational leadership. In fact, Martin Luther King articulated a vision and inspired his followers through his ability to motivate, to shape a culture among his followers based on sound principles and ideals in order to create a favorable environment for change. According to this leadership theory it can be seen that King influenced people to strive willingly and enthusiastically to achieve group goals - freedom in a country where racial segregation was heavily practiced (Branch, 2013). This paper aims to analyze the King's above mentioned speech and letter, and also discuss their impacts.

Discussion

No one can deny the fact that a good leader has a good vision for the future and if not, pushes his/her followers to create it. King's ability to dream and follow that dream shows that the best leaders in history are in turn the top visionaries. In fact, if King would not want equal civil rights would not exist in a society where racism is frowned upon, if Steve Jobs would not have dared to think differently, the world would not have the revolutionary devices like iPad. It is important to highlight the famous quote from Martin Luther King that says; "If you cannot fly, then run. If you cannot run, then walk. If you cannot walk, crawl, but whatever you do, do not stop." This means, in order to move forward a nation needs to have a source of inspiration that give them extra strength to not stop, courage and determination to achieve something. It would not be wrong to say that an inspirational leader like Martin Luther King is one who was able to ask his followers to bring social change (Branch, 2013).

I Have a Dream Speech

Until today, anyone who listens to the speech "I Have a Dream" feels a great inspiration to stop complaining and do something to change the world, which can be seen as a power of ...