I've Been to the Mountaintop
This study guide will help you analyze the speech “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We will show you examples of elements in the text that will be relevant for your analysis. In these notes, we will focus on summary, analysis, topic, speaker, audience, language, modes of persuasion, circumstances, intention and perspectives.
Presentation of the speech
Title: “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop”
Speaker: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Where: Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee, during the Memphis sanitation strike.
When: 3rd of April, 1968
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) was a Baptist Minister and a campaigner for African-American rights during the Civil Rights Movement. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for promoting non-violent activism. He was killed the day after he delivered the speech “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” by a man who supported segregation and who held racist views against African Americans.
You can listen to the speech here.
Excerpt
Below, you can read an excerpt from our study guide: