1.Now, in order to answer the question, "Where do we go from here?" which is our theme, we must first honestly recognize where we are now. When the Constitution was written, a strange formula to determine taxes and representation declared that the Negro was 60 percent of a person. Today another curious formula seems to declare he is 50 percent of a person. Of the good things in life, the Negro has approximately one half those of whites. Of the bad things of life, he has twice those of whites. Thus half of all Negroes live in substandard housing. And Negroes have half the income of whites. When we view the negative experiences of life, the Negro has a double share. There are twice as many unemployed. The rate of infant mortality among Negroes is double that of whites and there are twice as many Negroes dying in Vietnam as whites in proportion to their size in the population.

2.In other spheres, the figures are equally alarming. In elementary schools, Negroes lag one to three years behind whites, and their segregated schools receive substantially less money per student than the white schools. One twentieth as many Negroes as whites attend college. Of employed Negroes, 75 percent hold menial jobs.

3.This is where we are. Where do we go from here? First, we must massively assert our dignity and worth. We must stand up amidst a system that still oppresses us and develop an unassailable and majestic sense of values. We must no longer be ashamed of being black. The job of arousing manhood within a people that have been taught for so many centuries that they are nobody is not easy.

4.Even semantics have conspired to make that which is black seem ugly and degrading. In Roget's Thesaurus there are 120 synonyms for blackness and at least 60 of them are offensive, as for example, blot, soot, grim, devil and foul. And there are some 134 synonyms for whiteness and all are favorable, expressed in such words as purity, cleanliness, chastity and innocence. A white lie is better than a black lie. The most degenerate member of a family is a "black sheep." Ossie Davis has suggested that maybe the English language should be reconstructed so that teachers will not be forced to teach the Negro child 60 ways to despise himself, and thereby perpetuate his false sense of inferiority, and the white child 134 ways to adore himself, and thereby perpetuate his false sense of superiority.

5.The tendency to ignore the Negro's contribution to American life and to strip him of his personhood, is as old as the earliest history hooks and as contemporary as the morning's newspaper. To upset this cultural homicide, the Negro must rise up with an affirmation of his own Olympian manhood. Any movement for the Negro's freedom that overlooks this necessity is only waiting to be buried. As long as the mind is enslaved, the body can never be free. Psychological freedom, a firm sense of self-esteem, is the most powerful weapon against the long night of physical slavery. No Lincolnian Emancipation Proclamation or Johnsonian Civil Rights Bill can totally bring this kind of freedom. The Negro will only be free when he reaches down to the inner depths of his own being and signs with the pen and ink of assertive manhood his own Emancipation Proclamation. And, with a spirit straining toward true self-esteem, the Negro must boldly throw off the manacles of self-abnegation and say to himself and to the world, "I am somebody. I am a person. I am a man with dignity and honor. I have a rich and noble history. How painful and exploited that history has been. Yes, I was a slave through my foreparents and I am not ashamed of that. I'm ashamed of the people who were so sinful to make me a slave." Yes, we must stand up and say, "I'm black and I'm beautiful," and this self-affirmation is the black man's need, made compelling by the white man's crimes against him.

6.Another basic challenge is to discover how to organize our strength in terms of economic and political power. No one can deny that the Negro is in dire need of this kind of legitimate power. Indeed, one of the great problems that the Negro confronts is his lack of power. From old plantations of the South to newer ghettos of the North, the Negro has been confined to a life of voicelessness and powerlessness. Stripped of the right to make decisions concerning his life and destiny he has been subject to the authoritarian and sometimes whimsical decisions of this white power structure. The plantation and ghetto were created by those who had power. both to confine those who had no power and to perpetuate their powerlessness. The problem of transforming the ghetto, therefore, is a problem of power-confrontation of the forces of power demanding change and the forces of power dedicated to the preserving of the status quo. Now power properly understood is nothing but the ability to achieve purpose. It is the strength required to bring about social, political and economic change. Walter Reuther defined power one day. He said, "Power is the ability of a labor union like the U.A.W. to make the most powerful corporation in the world, General Motors, say 'Yes' when it wants to say 'No.' That's power."

7.Now a lot of us are preachers, and all of us have our moral convictions and concerns, and so often have problems with power. There is nothing wrong with power if power is used correctly. You see, what happened is that some of our philosophers got off base. And one of the great problems of history is that the concepts of love and power have usually been contrasted as opposites—polar opposites—so that love is identified with a resignation of power, and power with a denial of love.

8.It was this misinterpretation that caused Nietzsche, who was a philosopher of the will to power, to reject the Christian concept of love. It was this same misinterpretation which induced Christian theologians to reject the Nietzschean philosophy of the will to power in the name of the Christian idea of love. Now, we've got to get this thing right. What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love. And this is what we must see as we move on. What has happened is that we have had it wrong and confused in our own country, and this has led Negro Americans in the past to seek their goals through power devoid of love and conscience.

9.This is leading a few extremists today to advocate for Negroes the same destructive and conscienceless power that they have justly abhorred in whites. It is precisely this collision of immoral power with powerless morality which constitutes the major crisis of our times.

10.We must develop a program that will drive the nation to a guaranteed annual income. Now, early in this century this proposal would have been greeted with ridicule and denunciation, as destructive of initiative and responsibility. At that time economic status was considered the measure of the individual's ability and talents. And, in the thinking of that day, the absence of worldly goods indicated a want of industrious habits and moral fiber. We've come a long way in our understanding of human motivation and of the blind operation of our economic system. Now we realize that dislocations in the market operations of our economy and the prevalence of discrimination thrust people into idleness and bind them in constant or frequent unemployment against their will. Today the poor are less often dismissed, I hope, from our consciences by being branded as inferior or incompetent. We also know that no matter how dynamically the economy develops and expands, it does not eliminate all poverty.

11.The problem indicates that our emphasis must be twofold. We must create full employment or we must create incomes. People must be made consumers by one method or the other. Once they are placed in this position we need to be concerned that the potential of the individual is not wasted. New forms of work that enhance the social good will have to be devised for those for whom traditional jobs are not available. In I879 Henry George anticipated this state of affairs when he wrote Progress and Poverty.

12.The fact is that the work which improves the condition of mankind, the work which extends knowledge and increases power and enriches literature and elevates thought, is not done to secure a living. It is not the work of slaves driven to their tasks either by the task, by the taskmaster, or by animal necessity. It is the work of men who somehow find a form of work that brings a security for its own sake and a state of society where want is abolished.

13.Work of this sort could be enormously increased, and we are likely to find that the problems of housing and education, instead of preceding the elimination of poverty, will themselves be affected if poverty is first abolished. The poor transformed into purchasers will do a great deal on their own to alter housing decay. Negroes who have a double disability will have a greater effect on discrimination when they have the additional weapon of cash to use in their struggle.

14.Beyond these advantages, a host of positive psychological changes inevitably will result from widespread economic security. The dignity of the individual will flourish when the decisions concerning his life are in his own hands, when he has the means to seek self-improvement. Personal conflicts among husbands, wives and children will diminish when the unjust measurement of human worth on the scale of dollars is eliminated .

15.Now our country can do this. John Kenneth Galbraith said that a guaranteed annual income could be done for about twenty billion dollars a year. And I say to you today, that if our nation can spend thirty-five billion dollars a year to fight an unjust, evil war in Vietnam, and twenty billion dollars to put a man on the moon, it can spend billions of dollars to put God's children on their own two feet right here on earth.

16.Now, let me say briefly that we must reaffirm our commitment to nonviolence. I want to stress this. The futility of violence in the struggle for racial justice has been tragically etched in all the recent Negro riots. Yesterday, I tried to analyze the riots and deal with their causes. Today I want to give the other side. There is certainly something painfully sad about a riot. One sees screaming youngsters and angry adults fighting hopelessly and aimlessly against impossible odds. And deep down within them, you can even see a desire for self-destruction, a kind of suicidal longing.

17.Occasionally Negroes contend that the 1965 Watts riot and the other riots in various cities represented effective civil rights action. But those who express this view always end up with stumbling words when asked what concrete gains have been won as a result. At best, the riots have produced a little additional antipoverty money allotted by frightened government officials, and a few water-sprinklers to cool the children of the ghettos. It is something like improving the food in the prison while the people remain securely incarcerated behind bars. Nowhere have the riots won any concrete improvement such as have the organized protest demonstrations. When one tries to pin down advocates of violence as to what acts would be effective, the answers are blatantly illogical. Sometimes they talk of overthrowing racist state and local governments and they talk about guerrilla warfare. They fail to see that no internal revolution has ever succeeded in overthrowing a government by violence unless the government had already lost the allegiance and effective control of its armed forces. Anyone in his right mind knows that this will not happen in the United States. In a violent racial situation, the power structure has the local police, the state troopers, the National Guard and, finally, the army to call on—all of which are predominantly white. Furthermore, few if any violent revolutions have been successful unless the violent minority had the sympathy and support of the nonresistant majority. Castro may have had only a few Cubans actually fighting with him up in the hills, but he could never have overthrown the Batista regime unless he had the sympathy of the vast majority of Cuban people.

18.It is perfectly clear that a violent revolution on the part of American blacks would find no sympathy and support from the white population and very little from the majority of the Negroes themselves. This is no time for romantic illusions and empty philosophical debates about freedom. This is a time for action. What is needed is a strategy for change, a tactical program that will bring the Negro into the mainstream of American life as quickly as possible. So far, this has only been offered by the nonviolent movement. Without recognizing this we will end up with solutions that don't solve, answers that don't answer and explanations that don't explain.

19.And so I say to you today that I still stand by nonviolence. And I am still convinced that it is the most potent weapon available to the Negro in his struggle for justice in this country. And the other thing is that I am concerned about a better world. I'm concerned about justice. I'm concerned about brotherhood. I'm concerned about truth. And when one is concerned about these, he can never advocate violence. For through violence you may murder a murderer but you can't murder. Through violence you may murder a liar but you can't establish truth. Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can't murder hate. Darkness cannot put out darkness. Only light can do that.

20.And I say to you, I have also decided to stick to love. For I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind's problems. And I'm going to talk about it everywhere I go. I know it isn't popular to talk about it in some circles today. I'm not talking about emotional bosh when I talk about love, I'm talking about a strong, demanding love. And I have seen too much hate. I've seen too much hate on the faces of sheriffs in the South. I've seen hate on the faces of too many Klansmen and too many White Citizens Councilors in the South to want to hate myself, because every time I see it, I know that it does something to their faces and their personalities and I say to myself that hate is too great a burden to bear. I have decided to love. If you are seeking the highest good, I think you can find it through love. And the beautiful thing is that we are moving against wrong when we do it, because John was right, God is love. He who hates does not know God, but he who has love has the key that unlocks the door to the meaning of ultimate reality.

21.I want to say to you as I move to my conclusion, as we talk about "Where do we go from here," that we honestly face the fact that the Movement must address itself to the question of restructuring the whole of American society. There are forty million poor people here. And one day we must ask the question, "Why are there forty million poor people in America?" And when you begin to ask that question, you are raising questions about the economic system, about a broader distribution of wealth. When you ask that question, you begin to question the capitalistic economy. And I'm simply saying that more and more, we've got to begin to ask questions about the whole society. We are called upon to help the discouraged beggars in life's market place. But one day we must come to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. It means that questions must be raised. You see, my friends, when you deal with this, you begin to ask the question, "Who owns the oil?" You begin to ask the question, "Who owns the iron ore?" You begin to ask the question, "Why is it that people have to pay water bills in a world that is two thirds water?" These are questions that must be asked.

22.Now, when I say question the whole society, it means ultimately coming to see that the problem of racism, the problem of economic exploitation, and the problem of war are all tied together. These are the triple evils that are interrelated.

23.If you will let me be a preacher just a little bit—one night, a juror came to Jesus and he wanted to know what he could do to be saved. Jesus didn't get bogged down in the kind of isolated approach of what he shouldn't do. Jesus didn't say, "Now Nicodemus, you must stop lying." HE didn't say, "Nicodemus, you must stop cheating if you are doing that." He didn't say, "Nicodemus, you must not commit adultery." He didn't say, "Nicodemus, now you must stop drinking liquor if you are doing that excessively." He said something altogether different, because Jesus realized something basic - that if a man will lie, he will steal. And if a man will steal, he will kill. So instead of just getting bogged down in one thing, Jesus looked at him and said, "Nicodemus, you must be born again."

24.He said, in other words, "Your whole structure must be changed." A nation that will keep people in slavery for 244 years will "thingify" them - make them things. Therefore they will exploit them, and poor people generally, economically. And a nation that will exploit economically will have to have foreign investments and everything else, and will have to use its military might to protect them. All of these problems are tied together. What I am saying today is that we must go from this convention and say, "America, you must be born again!"

25.So, I conclude by saying again today that we have a task and let us go out with a "divine dissatisfaction." Let us be dissatisfied until America will no longer have a high blood pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds. Let us be dissatisfied until the tragic walls that separate the outer city of wealth and comfort and the inner city of poverty and despair shall be crushed by the battering rams of the forces of justice. [,et us be dissatisfied until those that live on the outskirts of hope are brought into the metropolis of daily security. Let us be dissatisfied until slums are cast into the junk heaps of history, and every family is living in a decent sanitary home. Let us be dissatisfied until the dark yesterdays of segregated schools will be transformed into bright tomorrows of quality, integrated education. Let us be dissatisfied until integration is not seen as a problem but as an opportunity to participate in the beauty of diversity. Let us be dissatisfied until men and women, however black they may be, will be judged on the basis of the content of their character and not on the basis of the color of their skin. Let us be dissatisfied. Let us be dissatisfied until every state capitol houses a governor who will do justly, who will love mercy and who will walk humbly with his God. Let us be dissatisfied until from every city hall, justice will roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. Let us be dissatisfied until that day when the lion and the lamb shall lie down together. and every man will sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid. Let us be dissatisfied. And men will recognize that out of one blood God made all men to dwell upon the face of the earth. Let us be dissatisfied until that day when nobody will shout "White Power!" - when nobody will shout "Black Power!"—but everybody will talk about God's power and human power.

26.I must confess, my friends, the road ahead will not always be smooth. There will still be rocky places of frustration and meandering points of bewilderment. There will be inevitable setbacks here and there. There will be those moments when the buoyancy of hope will be transformed into the fatigue of despair. Our dreams will sometimes be shattered and our ethereal hopes blasted. We may again with tear-drenched eyes have to stand before the bier of some courageous civil-rights worker whose life will be snuffed out by the dastardly acts of bloodthirsty mobs. Difficult and painful as it is, we must walk on in the days ahead with an audacious faith in the future. And as we continue our charted course, we may gain consolation in the words so nobly left by that great black bard who was also a great freedom fighter of yesterday, James Weldon Johnson:

Stony the road we trod,

Bitter the chastening rod

Felt in the days

When hope unborn had died.

Yet with a steady beat,

Have not our weary feet

Come to the place

For which our fathers sighed?

We have come over the way

That with tears hath been watered.

We have come treading our paths

Through the blood of the slaughtered,

Out from the gloomy past,

Till now we stand at last

Where the bright gleam

Of our bright star is cast.

27.Let this affirmation be our ringing cry. It will give us the courage to face the uncertainties of the future. It will give our tired feet new strength as we continue our forward stride toward the city of freedom. When our days become dreary with low hovering clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember that there is a creative force in this universe, working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows. Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.

28.Let us realize that William Cullen Bryant is right: "Truth crushed to earth will rise again." Let us go out realizing that the Bible is right: "Be not deceived, God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." This is our hope for the future, and with this faith we will be able to sing in some not too distant tomorrow with a cosmic past tense, "We have overcome, we have overcome, deep in my heart, I did believe we would overcome."

Words and Expressions from the Text

1.substandard: below standard, specifically below a standard established as by law

2.menial jobs: jobs relating to unskilled low-pay work

3.massive: substantial; impressive; extensive

4.assert: state clearly.

5.unassailable: 不容置疑的

6.degrading: 丢脸的

7.blot: a disgraceful act or quality

8.soot: 烟灰

9.majestic: very good or dignified

10.manhood: the state of being human

11.grim: sinister 阴险的，灾难性的

12.foul: offensive to the senses; revolting, disgusting

13.chastity: 贞洁

14.degenerate: having sunk below a normal condition

15.perpetuate: to cause to continue

16.personhood: the quality or condition of being an individual person

17.homicide: any killing of one human being by another

18.strain: exert 运用，发挥

19.manacle: any restraint, fetter or shackle for the hand

20.self-abnegation: self-denial 自我克制

21.whimsical: 古怪的，异想天开的

22.anemic: lacking vigor or vitality; lifeless

23.abhor: 痛恨，憎恶

24.dislocation: disruption

25.prevalence: wide existence

26.etch: to depict and impress sharply and distinctly

27.incarcerate: imprison

28.allegiance: 效忠

29.sinful: wicked, immoral

30.resignation: giving up.

31.conscienceless: without a sense of right and wrong

32.contend: argue, strive in debate or controversy

33.potent: effective or powerful in action

34.edifice: any elaborately constructed institution, organization 大厦，大建筑物

35.get bogged down: to get stuck in

36.divine: inspired by god, holy

37.creed: a statement of belief, principles

38.battering ram: an ancient military machine having a heavy wooden beam, sometimes with an iron ram’s head at its end, for breaking down gates, walls, doors, etc.

39.frustration: being prevented from achieving an objective

40.meander: to take a winding or tortuous course, said of a stream

41.bewilderment: being totally confused as a result of the issue being too complicated and failure of thinking clearly 迷惑，慌张

42.buoyancy: cheerfulness, lightness or resilience of spirit

43.fatigue: mental exhaustion

44.ethereal: heavenly.

45.dastardly: a sneaking, malicious cowardice that is manifested in a despicable act

46.bier: a coffin and its supporting platform 47.audacious: fearless

48.charted course: planned or mapped-out path

49.bard: a poet

Notes on the Background

1.Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) was a vital figure of the modern era. His lectures and dialogues stirred the concern and sparked the conscience of a generation. The movements and marches he led brought significant changes in the fabric of American life through his courage and selfless devotion. This devotion gave direction to thirteen years of civil rights activities. His charismatic leadership inspired men and women, young and old, in the United States and around the world. Dr. King’s concept of “somebodiness”, which symbolized the celebration of human worth and the conquest of subjugation, gave black and poor people hope and a sense of dignity. His philosophy of non-violent action, and his strategies for rational and non-destructive social change, galvanized the con-science of this nation and reordered its priorities. His wisdom, his words, his actions, his commitment and his dream for a new way of life are intertwined with the American experience.

2. Civil Rights Movement: The modern civil rights movement has been one of the century’s historic events. Emerging in the 1950s and reaching a peak in the 1960s, the civil rights movement prompted the federal government to enact sweeping reforms that toppled Jim Crow, virtually eliminated public assertions of white supremacy, a mainstay of the American cultural and intellectual tradition, and boosted black pride. In addition to altering race relations in the United States, especially in the South, the civil rights movement sparked other liberation struggles in America and abroad, from the women’s liberation movement to the drive to overcame apartheid in South Africa. Indeed, even though the civil rights movement did not achieve all of its goals, nearly a half century after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, it continues to have an impact on the course of history, serving as an agent and as a model of the quest for human rights.

3. Vietnam War: Vietnam War, conflict in Southeast Asia, primarily fought in South Vietnam between government forces aided by the United States and guerrilla forces aided by North Vietnam. The war began soon after the Geneva Conference provisionally divided (1954) Vietnam into the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) and the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). It escalated from a Vietnamese civil war into a limited international conflict in which the United States was deeply involved, and did not end, despite peace agreements in 1973, until North Vietnam's successful offensive in 1975 resulted in South Vietnam's collapse and the unification of Vietnam by the North.

4. Counter-culture Movement: Americans were moved by the Vietnam War, racial injustice, fear of nuclear annihilation, and the rampant materialism of capitalist society. Many were inspired by leaders such as John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. Small groups staged sit-ins at schools, local lunch counters, and other public facilities. Masses gathered in the nation’s cities to protest what they saw as Americans shortcomings. Many members of the counterculture saw their own lives as ways to express political and social beliefs. Personal appearance, song lyrics, and the arts were some of the methods used to make both individual and communal statements. Though the specifics of the debates were new, arguments for personal freedom, free speech, and political reform go back to the foundations of American society.

5. Roget’s Thesaurus: English dictionary of synonyms, first compiled by Dr. Peter Mark Roget and published in 1852. Successive improvements and enlargements were conducted by the author, his son and grandson.

6. Ossie Davis (1917- ): prominent black actor, screen writer and director, close friend of Dr. King’s, one of the two Masters of Ceremonies for the 1963 March on Washington.

7. Lincolnian Emancipation Proclamation: During the Civil War in the United States, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which stated “That on the 1st day of January, A. D. 1863, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States shall be then, thereforeward, and forever free. ”

8. Johnsonian civil rights bill: This refers to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, both of which became laws under the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The 1964 Act forbade discrimination in public places; authorized federal suits to desegregate schools; outlawed job discrimination for race, religion and sex; and swept away barriers to voter registration based on technicalities and on supposed education deficiencies. The 1965 Act forbade literacy tests as a requirement of voter registration and allowed the federal government to supervise voter registration when there was clear evidence that the local authorities were preventing minorities from registering.

9. Walter Reuther (1907—1970): American labor leader, elected president of UAW in 1946, president of Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) 1952—1956, vice president of American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) in 1956.

10. UAW: United Automobile，Aerospace，and Agricultural Implement Workers of America 美国汽车、航天及农业机械工人联合会。

11. General Motors: (GM) 通用汽车公司，美国三大汽车企业集团之一。

12. Nietzsche (1844—1900):尼采，德国哲学家。

13. Henry George (1839—1897): American journalist and reformer. In 1879 he published Progress and Poverty. His remedy for poverty was a u single tax' levied on the value of land.

14. John Kenneth Galbraith (1908— ): American economist, diplomat and writer, born in Canada. His The Affluent Society was published in 1958.

15. Watts riot: In 1965, at Watts, the black section of Los Angeles, a riot broke out as a result of the arrest of a 21-year-old Negro for drunk driving. The riot lasted for 5 days and required 13, 000 National Guardsmen to get the place under control, with 34 dead, more than 1, 000 injured, nearly 4, 000 arrested and property damage put at US$ 840 million.

16. the Other riots: riots in Chicago and Springfield in 1965, in 38 cities in 1966 with Cleveland experiencing the most sustained outbreak.

17. the Cuban Revolution: In March, 1952, Batista, supported by the United States, seized power in Cuba in a bloodless coup. In Nov. 1956, Castro and eighty-one other young Cubans set out in boat from Mexico and landed in Cuba on Dec. 2. They fought with Batista’s armed forces and most were killed in battles. Castro and eleven others survived and made their way into the Sierra Maestra (mountainous area) and began a guerrilla war. On Jan. 1, 1959, the guerrilla forces led by Castro marched into Havana and Batista fled the country.

18. Klansmen: members of Ku Klux Klan (中文译为三K党）；a white supremacist group established in the South following the Civil War and revived in the early 20th century.

19. White Citizen's Council: Since the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in 1954 that segregation in schools is unconstitutional, school desegregation has progressed slowly. The ruling encountered strong resistance, especially in the South. In many parts of the South segregationists organized White Citizen’s Councils to intimidate black activists.

20. Saint John: “The Evangelist”, one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ.

21. the Story of Nicodemus: The story comes from John Chapter 3 of the New Testament. The first few lines run like this:

There was a man of Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. ”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. ’’

Pharisee:法利赛人(古代犹太教一个派别的成员）

22. …until every state capitol houses a governor who will do justly...: Dr. King mentioned state governors because some of the governors in Southern States were notorious for their racist utterings and actions. A few examples will suffice.

Orval Faubus, governor of Arkansas, instructed state National Guard troops to block the entry of black children into Central High in Little Rock in 1954 in open defiance of the Supreme Court ruling. Hence the Little Rock incident.

In 1961，Governor Ross Barnett of Mississippi declared that “the Negro is different because God made him different to punish him”.

George Wallace, governor of Alabama，refused to admit two black students to the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa in 1963.

23. ... justice will roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream: a biblical allusion，meaning justice is powerful and will triumph in the end. 公平如浪涛滚滚，正义如江河滔滔。

24. lion lying down with the lamb: a biblical allusion，meaning peace and goodwill prevail; enemies are reconciled; the aggressor ceases to attack and the victim to fear.

Isaiah 11

6: The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fading together; and a little child shall lead them.

25. the vine and the fig

Micah 4

3: And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

4: But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.

26. ... out of one blood God made all men: This is a reference to the Genesis in the Bible which says, "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1: 27)

27. Black Power: Black Power was a militant slogan put forward by the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1965. SNCC was formed in 1960 at Shaw University, North Carolina. Originally, SNCC was dedicated to nonviolent but militant action for equal rights. However, with the slow progress of the Civil Rights movement, SNCC leadership began to feel impatient and dissatisfied and put forward the slogan of Black Power. By Black Power, they meant self-determination for blacks as a colonized people in America. Separatism rather than integration was to be the goal. The leadership became critical of Martin Luther King’s nonviolent approach and finally parted with King.

28. James Weldon Johnson (1871—1938): American author and educator, national secretary of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for 14 years; author of many militant songs, popular among the Blacks. t5. William Cullen Bryant (1794—1878): American poet and editor-in-chief of the Evening Post in 1829, a paper which was democratic and inclining to anti-slavery.

29. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Galatians 6

7: Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

30. We Shall Overcome.

This song of solidarity was often sung in unison by civil-rights workers and protesters in the 1960s and after.

We shall overcome

We shall overcome

We shall overcome some day

(Chorus:)

Oh deep in my heart

I do believe

We shall overcome some day

Notes on the Text

Para. 1

1. How does the speaker begin his speech?

In the first sentence of paragraph 1, the speaker raises the question of “Where we are now”. He links this up with the theme of the speech —“Where do we go from here?” It is highly logical. In order to know where we go from here we must first recognize where we are now. Without knowing our present situation, how can we design a policy for the future?

(2) to recognize: to acknowledge the existence of

2. When the Constitution... of a person.

Section 2 Article I of the Constitution of the United States stipulates “Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons. ”

This “three fifths of all other Persons” meant Negro slaves.

3. Today another... fifty percent of a person.

(1) The idea is when the Constitution was written, the Negro was considered as only 60% of a person; but now he is even less, only 50% of a person. In other words, his status has deteriorated.

(2) What makes Dr. King say so?

Dr. King gives a number of examples: “… half of all Negroes live in substandard housing.” “… Negroes have half the income of whites. ” “There are twice as many unemployed.” “The rate of infant mortality among Negroes is double that of whites … ”.

(3) substandard: below standard, specifically below a standard established as by law.

4. ... there are twice as many Negroes... in the population.

Considering the percentage of Negroes in the total population, the death rate of Negro soldiers in Vietnam doubled that of white soldiers. For example, according to the 1990 census, the Blacks made up 12.1 per cent of the population. So if the death toll in Vietnam was 10,000, only 1,210 should be black soldiers. But the figure was 2,420, which was twice in proportion to their size in the population.

Para. 2

5. Negroes lag one to three years behind whites, …

The statement means, in terms of learning, the kind of knowledge which a white kid would master in Grade 3 would be grasped by a black kid sometime between Grade 4 and Grade 6.

6. One-twentieth... attend college.

The number of white college students is twenty times that of black students or for every black student in college there are twenty whites.

7. menial jobs: jobs relating to unskilled, low-pay jobs, as in domestic work or laborer’s work.

Para. 3

8. What role does Paragraph 3 play?

It is a transitional paragraph. The first sentence “This is where we are” sums up the first two paragraphs, linking this paragraph with the previous ones. The second sentence, on this basis, raises the question “Where do we go from here?” The third sentence starting with “first” begins to answer the question. The paragraph is well organized and ideas develop logically.

9. …we must massively... worth.

(1) massive; substantial; impressive; extensive

(2) to assert: to state clearly

(3) We must state clearly and in an impressive way that we should be treated with respect and our value should be recognized.

10. …and develop… of values.

(1) to develop: to make stronger or more effective; to build up

(2) unassailable: that cannot be successfully denied or contested

(3) majestic: very grand or dignified

(4) Why does the speaker use “unassailable” and “majestic” to modify “sense of values”? The two adjectives stress one important point, that is, the Negroes should cultivate a confidence that they possess some valuable qualities which no one can deny and thus they should be given due respect.

11. The following sentence actually explains what the speaker meant by “unassailable and majestic sense of values”.

12. The job of arousing…not easy.

(1) manhood: the state of being human

(2) nobody: a person of no importance

(3) It is no easy job to educate a people who have been told over centuries that they were inferior and of no importance to see that they are humans, the same as any other people.

Para. 4

13. Even semantics... degrading.

连语义学都合谋把一切凡有“黑”字的东西说成是丑的、卑劣的。

14. Roget’s Thesaurus was first compiled by Dr. Peter Mark Roget and published in 1852. Successive improvements and enlargements were conducted by the author, his son and grandson. As a result of its scholarship and erudition, the Thesaurus has been appreciated by the public.

15. blot: a moral defect in an otherwise good character; a disgraceful act or quality

soot: a black substance consisting chiefly of carbon particles formed by the incomplete combustion of burning matter

grim: sinister

foul: offensive to the senses; revolting; disgusting

16. A white lie is better than a black lie.

(1) Does English have such phrases as “white lie” and “black lie”?

White lie is a set phrase, meaning a lie concerning a trivial matter, often one told to spare someone’s feelings. Black lie is coined by the speaker playing on the earlier mentioned definition of black by Roget’s Thesaurus.

(2) A lie concerning a trivial matter used for good intention is certainly better than a sinister lie.

一个无关紧要的谎言总比一个恶意的谎言要好。

(3) The speaker skillfully turns a set phrase (white lie) into a comparison of color to illustrate his argument that the English language is not color blind.

17. The most degenerate… “black sheep”.

(1) black sheep: a family member shunned because of disreputable behavior degenerate: having sunk below a normal condition, character, etc.; morally corrupt

(2) The person in a family of whom everyone else is ashamed is called a “black sheep”.

(3) 家中最为其他成员所不齿的人是“黑羊”，即败家子。

Para. 5

18. What is the main idea of this paragraph?

The main idea is the African-American must “rise up with an affirmation of his own Olympian manhood”. That is to say, he/she must rid himself/herself of any inferiority complex. This is considered by Dr. King as the first task in the struggle for genuine freedom.

19. The tendency to ignore…the morning’s newspaper.

(1) personhood: the quality or condition of being an individual person

(2) What is the tendency mentioned here?

The tendency is two-fold: the first is not acknowledging that the Negroes have made great contributions to the development of the United States: in the War of Independence, in the Civil War, in WWII, in the development of science and technology, in education, arts and literature and architecture. The second is to spread and sustain the fallacy that the Negroes，as an ethnic group，are inferior to the Whites.

(3) What is meant by “to strip him of his personhood”?

It means to cultivate in him a sense of inferiority. It echoes the statements in Paragraph 1: The Negro is only 60% of a person, according to the Constitution and 50% of a person nowadays.

(4) Is the tendency an old one or a new one?

It is both old and new. In the earliest history books you find this tendency. But you can also detect such a tendency today in the newspapers you read every day.

20. To upset... Olympian manhood.

(1) to upset: to overthrow or defeat, esp. unexpectedly

homicide: any killing of one human being by another

Please note the word formation: “homo” meaning a man; “cide” coming from “caedere”, meaning “to cut down”, kill, e. g. genocide, suicide, pesticide.

Olympian: like an Olympian god; majestic (Note: In Greek mythology, the twelve major gods were supposed to live on the slopes of Mount Olympus.)

(2) Why does the speaker compare the tendency to “cultural homicide”?

Cultural homicide here means the killing of the minds of an ethnic group by training, cultivation. If the Negro was subject to the fallacy, from childhood to adulthood, that he/she was born inferior, it would amount to conditioning him/her to a sense of inferiority. That is why the author considers this as cultural homicide.

(3) Paraphrase this sentence.

In order to defeat the practice of conditioning the Negro's mind to a sense of inferiority, the Negro must stand upright and declare to the world that He is a Man, in the full sense of the word.

为了挫败这种蓄意培植的低人一等的心态，黑人必须直起腰来宣布自己高贵的人格。

21. Any movement …waiting to be buried.

Why does the speaker say so?

If the Negro thinks that he/she is inferior to the white, then all the discrimination would become justifiable. How can he/she fight for freedom and equality? Only when the Negro is convinced that he/she is equal to all others in the world can he/she join the struggle for freedom and equality. Therefore, without the liberation of the mind, there can be no victory for the Negro’s struggle.

22. As long as …can never be free.

What is the rhetorical device used here?

Antithesis is used here: mind vs. body, enslaved vs. free.

23. Psychological freedom... physical slavery.

(1) How could you paraphrase this statement?

If you break the mental shackles imposed on you by white supremacists, if you really respect yourself, thinking that you are a Man, equal to anyone else, you will be able to take part in the struggle against racial discrimination.

(2) the long night of physical slavery

This is a metaphor, comparing the long history of slavery to a long night. The word “night” is used here to indicate a period of darkness or gloom, a period of moral degeneration. A Chinese translation might be: 肉体奴役的漫漫长夜。

(3) Antithesis is also employed in this statement: psychological freedom vs. physical slavery.

24. No Lincolnian emancipation proclamation ... of freedom.

(1) Liberation of mind cannot be achieved by pure legal measures.

(2) The Emancipation Proclamation (1863) was Lincoln’s presidential order to free Negro slaves in the states in rebellion against the United States and the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965 under President Lyndon Johnson are considered to be two very important acts in the Negro struggle for freedom. But these federal laws cannot solve the psychological problem, that is, the sense of inferiority.

25. The Negro... his own emancipation proclamation.

(1) How could you paraphrase this statement?

The liberation of mind can only be achieved by the Negro himself/herself. Only when he/she is fully convinced that he/she is a Man/Woman and is not inferior to anyone else, can he/ she throw off the manacles of self-abnegation and become free.

(2) The idea is expressed with a metaphor, making the idea more vivid. The metaphor is “signs with the pen and ink of assertive manhood his own emancipation proclamation”. The idea is the same as the lines in the International: 没有神仙和皇帝，全靠自己解放自己。

26. And, with a spirit... self-abnegation.

(1) to strain: to exert, use or tax to the utmost

manacle: (usually in plural) any restraint; fetter or shackle for the hand self-abnegation: lack of consideration for oneself or one’s own interest; self-

denial 自我克制

(2) Translate this part into Chinese.

黑人必须以一种竭尽全力自尊自重的精神，大胆拋弃自我克制的枷锁。

27. I am somebody. ... to make me a slave.

(1) somebody: a person of importance sinful： wicked，immoral

(2) What shouldn’t the Negro be ashamed of and what should he be ashamed of, according to the author?

The Negro should not be ashamed of the fact that his ancestors were slaves. In other words, being a slave is nothing to be ashamed of. Rather, those who willfully enslaved the black people were immoral and they should feel ashamed for them.

28. …this self-affirmation…crimes against them.

黑人需要这种自我肯定，而白人反对黑人的罪行使这种自我肯定更显必要。

Para. 6

29. What is the role of Para. 6?

It introduces the second task. The introduction is indicated by “another basic challenge”.

30. How is the paragraph organized?

The first sentence is the topic sentence. Then the author points out that the Negro is in need of power which is followed by illustrations. After that, the author gives his definition of power, that is, the ability to achieve purpose. He ends the paragraph with a quotation from Walter Reuther which is used to reinforce his definition.

31. Stripped of the right... this white power structure.

被剥夺了决定自己生活和命运的权利，他只能听任这个白人权力结构所作出的决定摆布。这些决定是专断的，有时甚至是反复无常的。

32. Why does the speaker view the transformation of the ghetto as a problem of power?

Since the ghetto was created by those who had power to confine those who had no power and to perpetuate their powerlessness, these people would do their best to maintain the ghetto. Those who had no power in the ghetto, that is, the Negro, wanted to change the situation. Therefore, whether the ghetto can be transformed or not depends on who prevails over whom, that is? whether the forces for change can prevail over the forces for status quo or not.

33. ... confrontation of the forces ... the status quo.

Please note the balance in the structure of this part of the statement：

forces of power demanding change

(present participle)

forces of power dedicated to the preserving of the status quo

(past participle)

34. What is the speaker’s definition of “power”?

He defines power as “ability to achieve purpose” and “strength required to bring about social, political and economic change”.

35. What is the meaning of the example given by Walter Reuther?

The example is intended to show that when a trade union puts forward a demand, a most powerful corporation has to accept it however unwillingly, that is power. The example goes to illustrate the speaker’s definition.

Para. 7

36. Now a lot of us … problems with power.

What is the connection between “being preachers” and “having problems with power”? Preachers are supposed to spread God’s teaching, that is, peace on earth and love. The common concept of power is force, physical force. So these two things have been contrasted £5 polar opposites. That is why preachers have problems with power.

37. Does the speaker think this should be the case?

No, he thinks that the concepts of love and power should not be incompatible.

38. ... love is identified ... denial of love.

(1) What rhetorical device is used here? Please explain.

Antithesis is used here.

(2) resignation: giving up

(3) love: a resignation of power

power: denial of love

The speaker works on the two words “love” and “power” in order to bring out the contrast.

39. off base: (slang) taking a position, attitude, etc. that is unsound or in error

40. Why do people consider love and power incompatible?

This is a misinterpretation caused by some philosophers over history.

Para. 8

41. What is needed …and anemic.

(1) Translate this statement into Chinese.

必须懂得没有爱的权力是毫无节制、易被滥用的，而没有权力的爱则是多愁善感、苍白无力的。

(2) Point out the rhetorical device used here.

This is a parallel structure, with attention to rhythm:

power without love is 'reckless and a'busive

love without power is 'sentimental and a'nemic

The part after “is” is the same, two adjectives with the same stress, echoing and reinforcing the rhythm.

42. Power at its best …against love.

(1) at its best: in one’s best form

(2) Power in its best form of function is the carrying out of the demands of justice with love and justice in its best form of function is the overcoming of everything standing in the way of love with power.

(3) Point out the rhetorical device used here.

This is again a parallel structure：

power at its best love implementing demands of justice

justice at its best power correcting against love

43. What is the consequence of misinterpreting the relation between love and power in the United States?

It has led Negro Americans to think that they should achieve their goal through power without love.

Para. 9

44. Who are the extremists referred to by the speaker?

They may be those led by Malcolm X or members of the Black Panthers.

45. conscienceless: without a sense of right and wrong; without sound moral judgment

46. What do the extremists advocate?

They advocate the use of power, that is armed revolt, against the white power structure.

Such use of violence, according to the speaker, is destructive and immoral. The Negro Americans rightly detest and hate the abuse of power of the White supremacists but now the extremists are advocating the use of the same kind of destructive power.

47. It is precisely this collision... of our times.

(1) Translate this statement into Chinese.

正是这种邪恶的权力与毫无权力的道义的冲突构成了我们时代的主要危机。

(2) immoral power vs. powerless morality

Special rhetorical term applies here: chiasmus, meaning inversion of the second of two parallel phrases.

Note: the speaker used only two words: moral and power and played on their derivatives.

Para. 10

48. Now, early in this century ... and responsibility.

(1) Translate the statement into Chinese.

在本世纪之初，这种建议会受到嘲笑和谴责，认为它对主动性和责任感起负面作用。

(2) to greet: to meet, receive (utterance) in a specified way

49. At that time ... ability and talents.

(1) measure: a standard for determining extent, dimensions, etc.

(2) Explain the meaning of this statement.

At that time 9 the way to evaluate how capable and resourceful a person was was to see how much money he had made (or how wealthy he was).

50. And, in the thinking of that day ... moral fiber.

(1) And, the common view at that time was a person was poor because he was lazy and not hard-working and lacked a sense of right and wrong.

(2) Pay attention to the pattern used here：

the absence of worldly goods indicated a want of ...

the absence of vs. a want of

worldly goods vs. (qualities)

The idea is expressed in a balanced, succinct way.

51. We’ve come a long way ... economic system.

在对人的动机的理解，和对我们的经济体制的无序运作的了解上，我们已取得了很大的进展：

52. Now we realize ... against their will.

(1) 我们现在懂得，我们经济的市场运作混乱、歧视盛行，迫使人们无事可做并违背他们的意愿，使他们长期失业或不断失业。

(2) What are the causes of unemployment, according to the speaker?

The causes are: the market operation is out of order and discrimination is widespread.

53. What was the prevalent view of the poor in the early 20th century?

The prevalent view was the poor people were lazy and devoid of moral strength, that is to say, they were inferior and incompetent. The speaker hopes this kind of view has diminished, has become less and less popular, so that people have become more sympathetic to the poor. He uses the phrase “I hope” because he is not so sure but he wishes this would be the case.

Para. 11

54. How can guaranteed annual income be achieved?

It can be achieved by creating full employment or creating income so that everyone will become a consumer.

55. New forms of work ... are not available.

有必要创造对社会有好处的新的工作形式，提供给那些找不到传统工作的人。

Para. 12

56. The fact is ... to secure a living.

事实上，人们从事改善人类处境的工作，从事传播知识、增强实力、丰富文学财富以及升华思想的工作并不是为了谋生。

57. It is not the work ... necessity.

This kind of work (work mentioned in the previous sentence) cannot be done by slaves who work because the work has to be done, because they are forced to work by slave-drivers or because they need to work in order to be fed and clothed.

58. It is the work of men …want is abolished.

这是这样一类人的工作，他们通过某种方式找到了一种工作模式，这种模式出于自身需要，带来安全保障并创造了一种废除了匮乏的社会形态。

Para. 13

59. The poor transformed into purchasers ... decay.

When the poor have money to buy worldly goods, they themselves will be able to do a lot to change the dilapidated state of their housing.

60. Negroes ... in their struggle.

What is the meaning of this statement?

Negroes are in a two-fold disadvantage, that is, they are poor and black, but when they have money in their hands, they will have an additional weapon to fight more effectively against discrimination.

Para. 14

61. ... when the unjust... is eliminated.

(1) …when the unfair practice of judging human value by the amount of money a person has is done away.

(2) What is the metaphor used in the statement?

The metaphor is about measurement so “measurement” and “scale” are employed here, as if you could weigh value on a scale, and not an ordinary scale but a scale of dollars.

62. What are the advantages of having economic security?

The advantages are: (1) the Negroes will have an additional weapon to fight discrimination; (2) they will be able to solve many problems in education and housing by themselves; (3) the dignity of the individual will grow and (4) family conflicts will diminish.

Para. 15

63. ... if our nation can spend... here on earth.

(1) How does the speaker describe the Vietnam war?

He considers the war as unjust and evil. This shows his stand. Originally, Martin Luther King Jr. did not get involved in the anti-war movement. He wanted to concentrate on the civil-rights movement. But later he came to realize he could not stay aloof to such an important issue. Hence this statement.

(2) To put a man on the moon refers to the landing on the moon which was realized in July, 1969. Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Aldrin stepped onto the surface of the moon and planted an American flag there. All this came after King’s speech and even after his death. But the plan had been going on for some time when King mentioned it.

(3) … it can spend billions ... on earth.

……它能够花费几十亿美元帮助上帝的孩子自立于这个世界。

(4) to put... on their own feet: to put them in a healthy condition; to make them become financially independent.

Para. 16

64. The futility of violence ... all the recent Negro riots.

(1) In August 1965 a confrontation between police and young blacks in the Watts section of Los Angeles led to six days of rioting. Thousands of rioters battled police officers, firefighters and national guardsmen. In the end, an estimated $30 million worth of property was destroyed, 34 people killed, 900 injured, and nearly 4,000 arrested. Riots followed in Chicago and Springfield, Massachusetts.

The following summer, in 1966, racial riots broke out in 38 cities. Cleveland experienced the most sustained outbreak, but the police and national guardsmen were also called out in San Francisco, Chicago, Dayton, and Milwaukee. Cries of “Get whitey” and “Burn, baby, burn” were heard through the conflagrations.

(2) The riots which took place in 175 cities in 1965，1966 and 1967 tragically proved that you could not get equal treatment and put an end to racial discrimination by violence. Violence would only breed greater violence.

65. There is certainly something painfully sad ... a kind of suicidal longing.

(1) What is the thing that Dr. King saw in the riots that made him feel sad?

The thing that Dr. King saw in the riots that saddened him was the angry Blacks were fighting in a desperate mood. They saw no future. They saw no solution. Rioting was an expression of their pent-up anger. It was an act of self-destruction. But this was what they wanted to do and seemed to be all they could do.

Such psychology is again shown in Gaza and other places when young Palestinians engaged in suicidal bombing. Again this is an act of deep frustration and desperation.

(2) How does Dr. King describe the fighting in the riots?

He is very careful in the choice of words in the description. The people taking part in the riots were screaming youngsters and angry adults. Teenagers were more expressive and they were screaming while fighting. The adults were more mature, but their anger was actually stronger and deeper.

Their fighting, however, was hopeless and aimless. Hopelessness referred to the result, that is, violence would not and could not solve any problem. Aimlessness referred to the fact that the riots were not planned; they were spontaneous; the participants did not have any clear goal. Violence was just an expression of desperation. The other party in the riots was the establishment，the “impossible odds”. The implication was the white power structure was much more powerful and much stronger. There was no way that the rioting Blacks could triumph over such power structure.

“A desire for self-destruction” and “suicidal longing” bring out the desperate mood of the participants.

Para. 17

66. Occasionally ... effective civil rights action.

(1) to contend: to argue; to strive in debate or controversy

(2) But those ... end up with stumbling words...

Those people cannot clearly show what they have gained as a result of the riots.

67. At best, ... of the ghettos.

(1) at best: at most

(2) What, according to Dr. King, have the riots produced?

The Blacks may have got a little more money for poverty relief and minor improvements in the ghettos.

(3) water-sprinkler 喷水设施

(4) ... a few water-sprinklers ... of the ghettos.

在街上增加一点喷水设施，使得贫民窟的孩子可以在天热时喝上几口凉水，或浇一下身子，凉快一下。

68. It is something like ... behind bars.

(1) What does Dr. King compare antipoverty money and the water-sprinklers to?

He compares them to locking people up in prison while improving food in the prison.

In other words，these measures are minor changes while the basic situation remains unchanged; these measures only deal with the surface of the issue, not the fundamental cause of the issue.

(2) The comparison is a simile.

(3) while the people …behind bars

to incarcerate: to imprison; to jail; to shut up while the people are still shut up in prison

69. Nowhere have the riots …protest demonstrations.

(1) such as: “such” modifies improvement and “as” introduces an attribute clause, at the same time “as” is the object to “have (won)” in the attributive clause.

Other examples:

We had hoped to give you a chance such as nobody else ever had.

It is the purpose of this article to furnish information such as is not furnished by 99% of the newspapers in the United States.

(2) The riots, wherever they have taken place, have not won the kind of improvement that organized non-violent struggles have won.

70. What are the two preconditions for a successful internal revolution, according to Dr. King?

The two preconditions are: (1) the armed forces are no longer loyal to the government; (2) the revolution must have the support of the vast majority of the people.

Two examples can be given. One is the downfall of the Suharto government in Indonesia. The armed forces and the police were no longer loyal to Suharto. The other is the Sandinistas in Nicaragua. In their struggle against Somoza, they had the support of the vast majority of the people.

71. Does Dr. King think a minority Black revolution can succeed in the United States?

No, he thinks that in a violent racial situation, the white power structure can rely on the local police, the state troopers? the National Guard and the army, all of which are mostly white. And such a revolution will have no support from the white majority and very little even from the majority of the Negro population.

72. Furthermore, few if any … the nonresistant majority.

除非主张暴力的少数人得到大多数人的同情与支持，不和他们对抗，否则，暴力革命很少或者说几乎没有成功的。

Para. 18

73. This is no time ... for action.

(1) Pay attention to the pattern：

This is no time for ...

This is a time for...

And the second one is a short sentence so the idea of “action” is emphasized.

(2) 现在不是进行浪漫幻想和对自由进行空洞的哲学辩论的时候。现在是行动的时候。

74. What is needed ... by the nonviolent movement.

What does Dr. King think is needed now?

He thinks that there should be a strategy for change and a policy to make the Blacks live peacefully and harmoniously with the whites as part of the mainstream American life. And only SCLC has so far offered such a program.

75. Without recognizing this ... that don’t explain.

(1) What does “this” refer to?

It may refer to the present need and the fact that only the nonviolent movement has offered a strategy and a program.

(2) The speaker here employs two rhetorical devices: paradox and parallel structure. Paradox is a statement that appears to be logically contradictory and yet may be true, the purpose of which is to provoke fresh thought.

In this sentence, the following are paralleled paradoxes:

solutions that don’t solve

answers that don’t answer

explanations that don’t explain

Para. 19

76. What is the weapon most useful to the Negro in his struggle for racial justice, according to Dr. King?

The most potent weapon is nonviolence.

77. to stand by: to support;

to maintain potent: effective or powerful in action

to be concerned about: to be worried about, to be uneasy about

78. Why does the speaker say when one is concerned about these, he can never advocate violence?

When one is concerned about justice, truth, brotherhood and a better world, he knows very well that these cannot be achieved by force, by violence. Brotherhood, a better world, etc. are concepts one would find in Christian teachings. Christian teachings oppose the use of violence.

79. For through violence ... but you can’t murder hate.

(1) Note the use of antithesis.

You may murder a murderer but you can’t murder murder. This is an antithesis and the speaker also plays on the word “murder”.

(2) The three sentences are also parallel.

80. Darkness cannot put out darkness. Only light can do that.

(1) 黑暗无法驱走黑暗。只有光明才能驱走黑暗。

(2) What is the implication of these two sentences?

The implication is you cannot eliminate violence by violence. You have to use love. This leads to the main idea in the following paragraph.

Para. 20

81. And I say to you ... to love.

Why do you think Dr. King expresses his view in this way?

Two words stand out clearly in this statement: “decide” and “stick”. In using the verb “decide”, Dr. King wants to show that he has thought over the issue once again and has once again made up his mind. To “stick” reveals that he has all along been following love, using love as the only weapon and he decides to continue to do so.

82. I know it isn’t popular …in some circles today.

Dr. King was referring to the break of the civil rights coalition. The SNCC (Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee) and its new chairman Stokeley Carmichael advocated Black Power. In a speech at a public rally in Mississippi in 1965，Carmichael declared, “The time for running has come to an end ... Black Power. It’s time we stand up and take over …”. In the summer of 1966, another SNCC leader H. Rap Brown openly stated: “Violence is as American as apple pie.” Black Power means that blacks control their own institutions, their own programs, their own demands. Therefore, King was not welcomed among these groups of people.

83. I’m not talking about …strong, demanding love.

(1) demanding: making difficult claim on one’s resources, patience, energy

(2) When I talk about love, I’m not talking about sentimental feeling, I am talking about a love which requires one’s resources, patience and energy.

84. And I have seen too much hate. ... too great a burden to bear.

(1) The three sentences are parallel in form, with slight changes.

I have seen too much hate

I’ve seen too much hate on

I’ve seen hate on … too many Klansmen ... (In this sentence, instead of too much hate, the speaker changes to hate on the faces of too many Klansmen, from modifying hate to large number of people.)

(2) I’ve seen such intense and twisted hate on the faces of many white supremacists in the South that I do not want to hate any more.

Whenever I see hate on their faces I know that hate has changed their appearance and their characters and I tell myself that hate is such a heavy weight on them that they will be crushed some day.

85. If you are seeking the highest good ...

If you are trying to find the highest virtue ...

86. He who hates ... ultimate reality.

(1) Those who harbor hate in their hearts cannot grasp the teaching of God. Only those who have love can enjoy the ultimate happiness in Heaven.

(2) The metaphor of owning a key to open a door is employed here.

(3) The whole statement can be regarded as an epigram, that is a short, pithy statement, usually with a touch of wit, often antithetical.

(4) This statement comes from John Chapter 3 of the New Testament which says:

“And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds

were evil.”

“For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”

Para. 21

87. What is the role of the first sentence of this paragraph?

(1) It is the topic sentence of this paragraph. The key idea of this paragraph is “restructuring the whole of American society”. The following part explains why this should be the task.

(2) It is at the same time a transitional sentence, linking this section up with the other two tasks Dr. King mentions earlier.

88. Why does the speaker stress “we honestly face the fact …”?

The implication is people used to avoid facing this fundamental issue. It is too big, too serious an issue and people want to shy away from it. By using the word “honestly”, Dr. King means we should not deceive ourselves, we should not comfort ourselves, but we should face the issue and get down to solving it.

89. to address (oneself) to …: to direct (one’s energy) to; to apply (oneself) to

90. We are called upon to help the discouraged beggars in life’s marketplace.

(1) What is meant by this statement?

It simply means that we are asked to help the beggars.

(2) Why is the passive voice used here?

The speaker does not want to say who calls upon them to help or there are too many sources calling upon them so he uses the passive voice.

(3) “The discouraged beggars in life’s marketplace” is a metaphor, meaning these beggars are those who have been defeated in life and they see no hope in the future.

91. But one day we must come to see ... restructuring.

(1) edifice: any elaborately constructed institution, organization

(2) What is the meaning of this sentence?

Sometime in the future we will realize that when in a society, especially an affluent society, there are many poor people? then there must be something fundamentally wrong with the society which demands important change and remedy.

Para. 22

92. What is the importance of this paragraph?

In this paragraph, Dr. King points out that racism, economic exploitation and war are interrelated He no longer treats racism as an isolated issue. This is great progress in his understanding of the root cause of racism.

Para. 23

93. If you will let me be a preacher just a little bit ...

This statement indicates that Dr. King will quote a story from the Bible.

94. (1) The story Dr. King gives comes from John Chapter 3 of the New Testament. The first few lines run like this:

There was a man of Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

(2) Why does Dr. King mention this story?

He wants to show that the United States also needs a fundamental change.

95. adultery: 通奸

to get bogged down: to get stuck in

Para. 24

96. A nation that will keep people …make them things.

(1) Why do you think “will” is used here? From the grammatical point of view “has kept” should be used instead of “will keep”. But the choice of “will” seems to indicate determination. That is to say, a nation that clings to the practice of slavery for 244 years is bound to turn people into things, to treat them as things.

(2) “thingify” is a word coined by Dr. King following the rule of adding “-fy” or “-ify” to a noun.

97. Therefore they will ... economically.

(1) The difficulty of this sentence may be caused by the structure of the sentence. The base structure would be: therefore they will exploit them economically. “And poor people generally” is additional information, used to broaden the scope.

(2) generally: in most instances; usually; as a rule

98. And a nation ... to protect them.

What does “foreign investment” refer to? Does it mean investment coming from foreign countries or American investment abroad?

Dr. King means American investment abroad. Otherwise it is not necessary to use military might to protect such investment. CIA trained mercenaries to overthrow the legitimate government of Guatemala (危地马拉) in 1954 was partly to protect the interest of United Fruit (联合果品公司) there. The invasion of CIA-trained mercenaries at Bay of Pigs, Cuba, to overthrow the Castro government is another case in point. Dr. King must have many of these incidents in mind when he makes this statement.

99. What does Dr. King mean when he says “America, you must be born again!”？

Dr. King means that there should be fundamental changes in America. He does not mean changes toward socialism but changes according to the teachings of the Gospel.

Para. 25

100. What do you think is the role of this paragraph?

This paragraph can be regarded as the climax of this speech. In this paragraph, Dr. King makes clear his idea of the rebirth of

America. In presenting his ideas, he is at his best in rhetoric.

101. What rhetorical devices does he use?

(1) Parallel structure: There are 11 sentences beginning with “let us be dissatisfied until” and two short sentences of “let us be dissatisfied”.

(2) Antithesis: outer city of wealth and comfort vs. inner city of poverty and despair;

dark yesterdays vs. bright tomorrows;

on the basis of the content of their character vs.

on the basis of the color of their skin

(3) Metaphors and Similes:

the battering rams of the forces of justice;

the junk heaps of history;

justice will roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream

(4) biblical allusion:

when the lion and the lamb shall lie down together

every man will sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid

(5) Anaphora: the rhetorical device of repeating a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences

102. Why does Dr. King use “divine dissatisfaction” in the first sentence of this paragraph?

(1) divine: inspired by God; holy

(2) By using divine dissatisfaction, Dr. King may mean two things: (a) this kind of dissatisfaction does not involve bitterness, hatred and would not lead to confrontation; the remedy lies in love; (b) the cause of dissatisfaction comes from the teachings of God — God creates people equal but now there is injustice on the basis of race, ethnicity.

103. Let us be dissatisfied until ... an anemia of deeds. (1) creed: a statement of belief, principles, or opinions on any subject

(2) What does Dr. King mean by “high blood pressure of creeds” and “anemia of deeds”? He means that people (including government) talk emotionally about racial equality and condemn racial discrimination but when it comes to taking action to put an end to such evil practice, they are not active.

104. Let us be dissatisfied until the tragic walls ... the forces of justice.

(1) What rhetorical devices are used here? Metaphor: “the tragic walls” and “the battering rams” are used in a metaphorical way. They are used in the same vein since walls can be crushed by battering rams.

Antithesis: the antithesis is well balanced: outer city vs. inner city; wealth vs. poverty (economic); comfort vs. despair (mood, psychology).

Transferred epithet: the transference of an adjective to a noun to which it is not wholly appropriate. Tragic walls: walls obviously cannot be tragic, the separation is tragic. Hence, the transferred epithet.

(2) battering ram: an ancient military machine having a heavy wooden beam, sometimes with an iron ram’s head at its end, for battering down gates, walls, doors, etc.

(3) Dr. King is referring to a social phenomenon. In the 1960s, there emerged another population movement in the United States, that is, many white upper middle and middle class people moved to live in suburban towns, leaving the inner city to the minorities and the poor. This put the city government in a very difficult state because the local government could not collect enough tax to improve city infrastructure. Therefore you have the contrast of inner city and outer city here.

105. Let us be dissatisfied until ... daily security.

(1) This is a continuation of the idea expressed in the previous sentence. Since the inner city was dilapidated and the people living there were poor and in despair, crime rate was high and drug trafficking was serious. When a change is brought about, inner city may become secure again and people may move back.

(2) metropolis: any large city or center of population, culture, etc.

106. Let us be dissatisfied until slums ... sanitary home.

(1) the junk heaps of history: 历史的垃圾堆。

(2) Why does Dr. King talk about sanitary home?

That is because many slum houses do not have bathrooms, sewage systems, sometimes not even clean, running water. Hence, a sanitary home would be desirable.

107.Let us be dissatisfied until the dark yesterdays ... integrated education.

(1) So far Dr. King has been talking about housing, about living conditions. Now he is turning to segregation in schools. In spite of Supreme Court ruling in 1954 that segregation in schools is unconstitutional, the progress in integration has been slow and difficult.

(2) Again you’ll find a fine example of balanced antithesis: dark vs. bright, yesterdays vs. tomorrows, segregated schools vs.

integrated education.

Yesterdays in the plural form stand for the past, not just one day. The same with tomorrows.

The concept of quality, integrated education is broader than school in “segregated schools”.

108. Let us be dissatisfied until integration …diversity.

What is meant by this statement?

The idea here is more general than integrated schools.

It means the breaking down of racial barriers is not seen as a problem, a challenge to the status of the whites but as a chance for

everyone, white and black, to engage in the construction of a multicultural society.

109. Let us be dissatisfied until men and women ... of their skin.

Note the antithesis in this sentence：

content (substance) vs. color (superficial)

character (fundamental) vs. skin (outward appearance)

The implication is we should lay emphasis on the more essential things, not superficial appearance.

110.Let us be dissatisfied until every state capitol... with his God.

(1) Dr. King now comes down to the states since many of the southern states demonstrated strong resistance to the breaking down of racial barrier. Some of the state governors were notorious for their racist views and actions.

Orval Faubus, governor of Arkansas, instructed state National Guard troops to block the entry of black children into Central High School in Little Rock in 1954. Hence the Little Rock incident.

Alabama’s governor, George Wallace, refused to admit two black students to the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa in 1963. Governor Ross Barnett of Mississippi declared that “the Negro is different because God made him different to punish him”. That was in 1961.

(2) What is the function of “houses”?

“House” is a verb here.

State capitol refers to the building in which a state legislature meets. The sentence contains a biblical allusion to Micah 6: 8: “What does the Lord require of thee but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God.”

111. Let us be dissatisfied until from every city hall... a mighty stream.

(1) city hall: a municipal government. This can be called synecdoche in rhetoric, that is the naming of a part to mean the whole. Here, the naming of the building for the government.

(2) The image of the metaphor here is the flowing of water.

(3) In “righteousness like a mighty stream”, “rolls down” has been omitted. The unomitted part should be: righteousness rolls down like a mighty stream.

112. Let us be dissatisfied until that day ... none shall be afraid.

(1) the lion and the lamb shall lie down together This is a biblical allusion. Dr. King is not citing verbatim but according to the spirit of some key passages. Isaiah 11: 6 “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.”

(2) Why vine and fig tree?

Micah 4: 3, 4: 4 and I Kings 4: 25

Martin Luther King’s Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech

December 10, 1964

Oslo, Norway

I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, men other- centered can build up. I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive goodwill will proclaim the rule of the land.

“And the lion and the lamb shall lie down together and every man shall sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid.”

(3) What is meant by this statement?

People who are powerful and people who are weak can live together peacefully.

(4) Note the use of alliteration here. Alliteration means the use of words beginning with the same letter or sound: lion, lamb, lie.

113. And men will recognize …will talk about God’s power and human power.

(1) This is a reference to the Genesis which says “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them”. (Genesis 1, 27) Dr. King means that we all come down from the same ancestors: Adam and Eve, so we are brothers and should co-exist peacefully.

(2) What is meant by “white power” “black power”?

White power refers to the view of white supremacists. These people think the whites are superior racially and they should control power and run the country. They oppose desegregation and the Civil Rights movement. Sometimes they resort to force and violence to resist the march of desegregation.

Black power is a slogan put forward by the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1965. By then these young students had broken with Dr. King and embarked on a campaign of systematic rebellion against the government of the United States and the values and institutions it represented. (See Note 81)

(3) Here Dr. King openly criticizes not only the idea of white power but also the idea of black power. Link this paragraph up with Paragraphs 17 and 18.

Para. 26

114. What is the role of Paragraph 26?

This paragraph serves as a transitional paragraph leading to the concluding remark: we shall overcome.

115. What’s the key idea of this paragraph?

In this part, Dr. King warns that the path ahead would not be smooth and people should be prepared to face setbacks and frustrations.

116. There will be still rocky places ... of bewilderment.

(1) frustration: being prevented from achieving an objective; efforts directed to some end being rendered worthless to meander: to take a winding or tortuous course bewilderment: being totally confused as a result of the issue being too complicated and failure of thinking clearly

(2) What is meant by this statement? It means the path ahead is full of difficulty and setbacks and sometimes people might lose direction and become utterly confused.

(3) “Rocky places of frustration” and “meandering points of bewilderment” are two metaphorical phrases. The first refers to a land path that is bumpy and uneven; the second refers to a stream that has so many windings that people easily get lost. Both emphasize difficulty.

117. There will be inevitable setbacks ... fatigue of despair.

(1) Why does Dr. King use “inevitable” here?

Dr. King is well aware that there would be many setbacks ahead because the enemy is so strong and in fighting against these forces of racism, setbacks are unavoidable. Hence the word “inevitable”.

(2) Note the antithesis here: buoyancy of hope vs. fatigue of despair.

buoyancy: cheerfulness; lightness or resilience of spirit

fatigue: mental exhaustion

When you have hope in your heart, even if you encounter some setback, you will be able to recover your spirits quickly. This is what is meant by “buoyancy of hope”. But when you are filled with despair, you are mentally exhausted. Hence “fatigue of despair”.

118. Our dreams …blasted.

(1) Draw the students’ attention to the collocations used here: dream—shattered 打破梦想 hope—blasted 希望破灭 In English, certain verbs will take certain nouns as objects. This cannot be changed. This is what we call v-n collocation.

(2) ethereal: heavenly 飘渺的，天上的

119. We may again ... bloodthirsty mobs.

(1) bier: a coffin and its supporting platform dastardly: a sneaking, malicious cowardice that is manifested in a despicable act

(2) The sentence means: We may still have to pay last respects to certain civil rights workers with tears in our eyes as we have done so many times in the past. These civil rights workers are despicably murdered by those white supremacists.

120. audacious: fearless

charted course: planned or mapped-out path

bard: a poet

121. What is the main idea of the quoted poem of Johnson’s?

The four stanzas describe how the blacks were brought over to America and the passage was a passage of tears and blood. Today the blacks begin to see the first light of bright future.

122. In reading the stanzas, pay attention to meter and rhyme.

For example: trod, rod; beat feet; watered, slaughtered; and past, last, cast.

Para. 27

123. Let this affirmation be our ringing cry.

(1) This sentence serves as a transition, linking this paragraph with the previous one.

(2) Affirmation refers to the last few lines of the poem, that is, we can now see the first light of bright future.

(3) Let us take these lines as our rallying call.

124. It will give our tired feet... city of freedom.

这种信念使我们疲惫不堪的双脚赢得力量，继续我们迈向自由之城的步伐。

125. When our days ... into bright tomorrow.

(1) The rhetorical devices used in this statement are: Metaphor: low-hovering clouds of despair; gigantic mountains of evil Antithesis: dark yesterday vs. bright tomorrow Paradox: Paradox means a statement that appears to be logically contradictory and yet may be true, the purpose of which is to provoke fresh thought to make a way out of no way

(2) Translate the sentence into Chinese. 当绝望的阴云密布，我们的日子变得阴郁无望，当我们的夜晚，变得比一千个深夜还黑时，让我们记住宇宙之间有一种创造的力量，能把邪恶的巨岭拉平，有一种力量能在无路之处开出路来，把黑暗的昨天变成光辉灿烂的明天。

(3) Dr. King is saying that we should have faith in God. The force, the power he mentions is the power of God. Do not forget King is a minister and he has deep faith in what he preaches.

126. Let us realize …toward justice.

我们要懂得道义的苍穹长又长，但它终将落向正义。

Para. 28

127. How does Dr. King end his speech?

Dr. King ends his speech with a note of optimism and confidence but this optimism is not strong. By then, with the split within the rank of the Civil Rights Movement and the suppression of riots in the “long hot summers” starting from 1965, Dr. King was less optimistic than he had been in 1963 when he delivered his famous “I Have A Dream” speech.

128. What is the role of the first sentence of Paragraph 28?

It serves as a transition and a topic sentence. As a transition, it links this paragraph up with the previous because the last sentence of Paragraph 27 also begins with “let us realize”. In Paragraph 28, there are two parallel sentences beginning with “let us realize”.

129. What does Dr. King want people to realize?

He wants people to realize that (a) the path would be long but it leads to justice; (b) truth cannot be crushed; and (c) those who disobey God’s teachings will be punished in the end.

130. Be not deceived … shall he also reap.

(1) What is the meaning of this statement?

You can be assured that showing no respect for God’s words will not go unpunished. You shall get the bitter fruit of your heedless actions.

(2) Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Galatians

6: 7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

6: 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

131. ... we will be able to sing ... we would overcome.

Why does the speaker say “with a cosmic past tense”?

cosmic: of the universe exclusive of the earth; grandiose

The speaker, in using “cosmic” may have two things in mind: one is, in terms of the universe, the time is not long; the second is, it is a great past tense because the terrible time of racial oppression will then be over.

Translation of the Text

我们向何处去？

马丁·路德·金

1.为了回答“我们向何处去”这一问题，我们现在必须明确我们的现状。当初拟定宪法时，一个不可思议的公式规定黑人在纳税和选举权方面只是一个完整人的60%。如今又一个匪夷所思的公式似乎规定黑人只需交纳一个人应交税的50%，只享受一个人应享受的选举权利的50%。对于生活中的好事，黑人大约只享有白人所享受的一半；而生活中的不愉快，黑人却要承受白人所面对的两倍。因此，所有黑人中有一半人住着低标准的住房。并且黑人的收入只是白人的一半。每当审视生活中的负面经历时，黑人总是占双倍的份额。黑人无业者是白人的两倍。黑人婴儿的死亡率是白人的两倍，从黑人所占 的总人口比率上看，在越南死亡的黑人是白人的两倍。

2.其他领域也有同样惊人的数字。在小学，黑人比白人落后一至三年，并且他们的被白人隔离的学校的学生人均所得到的补贴比白人的学校少得多。20个上大学的学生中，只有一个是黑人。在职的黑人中75%的人从事低收入、单凋乏味的非技术性工作。 3.这就是我们的现状。我们的出路在哪里?首先，我们必须维护自己的尊严和价值。我们必须与仍压迫我们的制度抗争，从而树立崇高的不可诋毁的价值观。我们再不能因为自己是黑人而感到羞耻。几百年来灌输黑人是卑微的、无足轻重的，因此要唤起他们做人的尊严绝非易事。

4.甚至语义学似乎也合谋把黑色的说成足丑陋的、卑劣的。《罗杰特分类词典》中与黑色相关的词有120个，其中至少60个微词匿影藏形，例如。污渍、煤烟、狰狞的、魔鬼和恶臭的。而与白色相关的词约有134个，它们却毫无例外都褒嘉洋溢，诸如纯洁、洁净、贞洁和纯真此类词等。白色的(善意的)谎言总比黑色的(恶意的)谎言要好。家中最为人所不齿的人是“黑羊”，即败家子。奥西．戴维斯曾建议或许应重造英语语言，从而教师将不再迫不得已因教黑人孩子60种方式蔑视自己而使他们继续怀有不应有的自卑感，因教白人孩子134种方式宠爱自己而使他们继续怀有不应有的优越感。

5.忽视黑人对美国生活的贡献从而剥夺其做人的权利的行径，早如美国诞生之时最早的史书所记，近如每日晨报所载，已有近200年之久。为了挫败这种文化封杀，黑人必须奋起申明自己高贵的人格。任何忽略这一要点的为黑人争取自由的运动都将行色匆匆，行将就木。只要心灵被奴役．肉体就永远不会得到解放。心理上的自由，即强烈的自尊感，是战胜肉体受奴役的漫漫长夜最强有力的武器。林肯的《斛放宣言》和约翰逊的《人权法案》都不能完全带来这种自由。黑人惟有发自内心并用坚定的人格的笔墨签下解放自己的宣言才会得到解放。黑人必须竭尽全力以自尊自重的精神大胆抛弃自我否定的枷锁，对自己、对世界说，“我非等闲之辈。我是人。我是一个有尊严、有声誉的人。我有丰富而非凡的历史。耶是一段多么痛苦的受剥削的经历。是的，我从祖先那里继承了我的奴隶身份，但我并不为此感到耻辱。”是的，我们必须站起身来说。“我是黑人，我因黑而美。”黑人需要这种自我肯定，而白人对黑人所犯下的罪行使得这种自我肯定更显必要。

6.另一个主要的挑战是在经济和政治上如何增强我们的实力。毋庸置疑，黑人极其需要这种合法的权力。其实黑人所面临的一个严峻的问题就是权力匮乏。从南方的老种植园到北方较新的居留地，黑人一直被迫过着一种无声无息且无权无势的生活。由于被剥夺了决定自己生活和命运的权利，他们只能对这个白人权力机构做出的专断的、有时是匪夷所思的决定听之任之。那些种植园和居留地是由掌权的人开辟的，既可限制那些无权的人又可使他们的无权状况延续下去。因此，改变居留地的问题就是权力的问题—要求改变的权力和致力于维持社会现状的权力这两种力量之间的冲突。对权力的恰当的定义即权力指实现目的的能力。它意指能引发社会、政治、经济变化所需的力量。沃尔特．罗依德曾为权力下过定义。他说，“权力就是像汽车工人联合会这样的工会能使像通用汽车公司这样的世界上最强大的公司想说‘不’时说‘是’的能力。这就是权力。”

7.现在我们中有许多人是传道者，且我们所有的人都有自己的道德信念和所关心的事，因此经常与权力有冲突。如果使用得当，权力并没有什么问题。然而，问题是有些哲学家曲解了它。历史上的一大问题就是常把爱和权力的概念对立起来—把它们看作两极化的对立面—结果爱意味着放弃权力，而权力则意味着对爱的摒弃。

8.正是这种曲解使研究权力欲望的哲学家尼采拒绝基督教的爱的概念，又是这种曲解诱使基督教的神学家们以基督教的爱的思想的名义拒绝尼采的有关权力欲望的哲学。现在我们必须得把这一曲解改正过来。这需要认识到没有爱的权力是毫无节制、易被滥用的，而没有权力的爱则是多愁善感、苍白，无力的。最理想的权力是实现公正所需的爱，最理想的公正是改正任何阻挠爱的权力。这就是我们走向未来时必须要理解的。事实表明在我们国家我们曾对此有过误解及模糊认识．并因此导致了美国黑人试图用没有爱和良知的权力实现他们的目标。

9.这使得今天为数不多的极端分子倡导黑人应从白人手中谋求夺取他们曾深恶痛绝的毁灭性的、无良知的权力。正是这种不道德的权力和毫无权力的道德的冲突导致了我们这个时代的主要危机。

10.我们必须制定计划推动我们国家实现有保障的年收入。倘若是在本世纪初提出，这种建议或许会因为有损主动性和责任感而受到嘲笑和谴责。当时经济地位被看作是衡量一个人的能力和才能的标准。因此以那时的衡量标准，财物匮乏表明缺少勤劳的习惯和是非观念。在对人的动机和我们的经济体制无序运作的理解上，我们已取得了很大的进步。现在我们懂得是我们的经济市场运行混乱、歧视盛行才使得人们无所事事，从而使他们违背自己的意愿长期失业或不断失业。今天，我希望出于良知，穷人将不再像从前那样因被标榜为卑微或无能而常常被解雇。我们还必须懂得无论经济如何快速发展都无法消除一切贫困。

11.这一问题表明我们的工作重点必须是双重的。我们既要提供全面就业又要创收。无论如何，要想尽一切办法使人们成为消费者。一旦他们处于这样的位置，我们就必须关注个人的潜力不被浪费。我们应为那些找不到传统工作的人开拓新的对社会有益的工作。1879年亨利·乔治在他所著的《进步与贫穷》一书中就预见了这样的事态。

12.事实上，人们从事改善人类处境的工作，从事传播知识、增强实力、丰富文学财富以及升华思想的工作并不是为了谋生。这与奴隶被迫做工有所不同。奴隶做工不是被任务本身或工头所迫就是出于动物本能，而这种工作是它本身能为生活带来保障，并创造一种消除了匮乏的社会形态。 13.倘使能大规模地增加这种工作，我们可能会发现如果把住房和教育放在消除贫困之后，那么住房和教育问题会随着贫穷的消除而有所改善。被改造成消费者的穷人会依靠自己的力量大举改善其恶劣的住房状况。当有了额外的金钱这一武器，饱尝贫穷和种族歧视双重痛苦的黑人在他们反歧视的斗争中将会收到更大的成效。

14.此外，广泛的经济保障必然会带来许多积极的心理上的改变。当命运掌握在自己的手中，并有财力寻求自我提高时，人的尊严就会达到巅峰。当不再用金钱的天平不公正地衡量一个人的价值时，夫妻子女间的冲突就会减少。

15.现在我们的国家有此财力。约翰·肯尼斯·加尔布来斯说每年只需200亿美元就可以实现有保障的年收入。今天我想在此告诉你们，如果我们国家一年能花掉350亿美元在越南发动一场不公正的邪恶的战争，200亿美元把人送上月球，那么它就能花费几十亿美元帮助上帝的孩子自立于这个世界。

16.现在，简单地说，我们必须重申我们的非暴力承诺。我想强调这一点。近期所有的黑人骚乱表明暴力在争取种族平等的斗争中是徒劳无益的。昨天我试图分析这骚乱及其缘由。今天我想揭示其另一面。诚然，骚乱总是有些令人悲伤痛苦。人们经常可以看见尖声大叫着的青年人和愤怒的成年人绝望而盲目地与不可能战胜的困难作战。然而，在他们内心深处可以看见自我毁灭的欲望，一种自绝于世的渴望。

17.时有黑人争辩说1965年的瓦特骚乱和其他城市的骚乱代表着有效的人权行动，但当问到这些骚乱最终取得了什么具体的收益时，那些持此观点者则支支吾吾、无以应答。那些骚乱顶多从被吓坏了的政府官员那里得到少量额外的扶贫金和几处给居留地的孩子们降温的喷水设施。这就像给仍关在铁窗后的人改善监狱的伙食一样。没有任何骚乱能像有组织的抗议示威那样赢得实实在在的改进。当试图请提倡暴力者说明什么做法会是有效的时，回答总是明显地不合逻辑。有时他们谈论颠覆种族政府和地方政府，继而谈论民兵战争。他们不懂除非政府已失去武装部队的支持和对其有效的控制，没有任何内部革命能够通过暴力成功地推翻政府。任何有理性的人都明白这在美国是绝不会发生的。当面临种族暴力的局势时，权力机构可以支配地方警察、州警察、国民警卫队直至军队---所有这些武装大部分是由白人组成的。此外，除非主张暴力的少数人得到大多数人的同情与支持，不和他们对抗，否则暴力革命很少或者说几乎没有成功的。尽管卡斯特罗可能实际上只有为数不多的古巴人在山上与他并肩作战，但是倘若他没有得到绝大多数的古巴人民的同情他就绝不可能成功地推翻巴蒂斯塔政权。

18.显而易见．美国黑人的暴力革命不会得到白人甚至大多数黑人的同情和支持。现在不是进行浪漫的幻想和对自由进行空洞的哲学论辩的时候；现在是行动的时候。我们需要的是寻求改变的策略，一个能使黑人尽快地融入到美国的主流生活的高明方案。迄今为止，只有非暴力运动为此提供了可能。如果不能领悟到这一点，我们就不能真正解释、回答、解决问题。

19.因此今天我想告诉你们我仍坚持非暴力这一原则，因为我仍坚信它是黑人在这个国家争取公正的斗争的最有效的武器。另外因为我企盼一个更美好的世界。我企盼公正。我企盼兄弟情谊。我企盼真理。当一个人有此企盼时，他绝不会倡导暴力。因为暴力可能除掉一个凶手，但却不能消除谋杀。暴力可能除掉一个骗子，但却不能缔造真理。暴力可能除掉一个仇人，但却不能消除仇恨。黑暗不能驱除黑暗，只有光明才能驱除黑暗。

20.我还想告诉你们我已决意继续以爱为本。因为我知道爱是最终解决人类问题的惟一答案。因此，无论走到哪里我都会谈及此话题。我知道今天在某些圈子里这是一个不受欢迎的话题。我所谈及的爱不是情感纠葛，而是较高层次的强烈的爱。因为我看到了太多的恨。在南部县治安官的脸上看到了太多的恨。在南部太多的三K党人和太多的白人政务会委员的脸上看到了对我的恨。因为每当我看到这种恨，我知道这对他们的脸和人格都有影响，我会对自己说，恨是一个令人难以承受的负担。因此我已决意以爱为本。倘若你在寻求最高层次的德行，我想你可以在爱中找到。美妙的是当我们这样做时，我们正远离是非，正如约翰所示，上帝就是爱。心存怨恨的人不识上帝，倒是心中有爱的人最终能够开启通向现实的大门。

21.在我结束这篇讲话前，我想告诉你们，当我们淡论“我们向何处去”时，我们应当真诚地面对这一事实：这一运动必须解决重建整个美国社会这一问题。我们现有4000万穷人。总有一天我们必须提出这一问题：“美国为什么会有4000万穷人?”当你开始问这个问题时，你在质疑经济体制和更大范围的财富分配。当你问及这一问题时，你开始质疑资本主义经济。我的意思是，越问越会问及整个社会。我们有责任帮助那些在人生市场上沦为乞丐的失意的人。但我们终将会意识到一个制造乞丐的社会需要重建。这意味着必须质疑。我的朋友们，当你这样做时，你开始质疑“谁拥有石油?”你开始质疑“谁拥有铁矿?”你开始质疑“为什么在一个2/3被水覆盖的世界上人们还得交付水费?”这些就是必须要质疑的问题。

22.当我说质疑整个社会时，我指的是最终能懂得种族歧视、经济剥削和战争这些问题是密不可分的。它们是相互关联的三重罪恶。

23.请允许我讲一个简短的圣经故事—一天晚上，一个陪审员来见耶稣，想知道他该做些什么才能得到拯救。耶稣没有只局限在孤立地建议他不要做什么事。耶稣没有说，”尼科迪默斯，你现在再不能撒谎。”他没有说，“尼科迪默斯，如果你在偷窃，你必须马上改正。”他没有说，“尼科迪默斯，你不能通奸。”他没有说，“尼科迪默斯，如果你酗酒，你必须马上停止。”他的回答迥然不同，因为耶稣知道事情的本质--- 如果一个人撒谎，他就会偷窃。如果他偷窃，他就会杀人。因此，耶稣没有局限在一件事上，而是看着他说，“尼科迪默斯，你必须重生。”

24.换言之，他说，“你的整个人必须彻底改变。”一个奴役国民达244年之久的国家会把人“物化”—把他们变成东西。因此，他们以及所有的穷人会从经济上受到剥削。一个在经济上进行剥削的国家不得不向外国投资并干些别的什么巧取豪夺的勾当，因此需要军事力量来保护其利益。所有这些问题都是密不可分的。我今天要说的是当我们离开这个集会时我们必须说，“美国，你必须重生!”

25.因此今天我最后重申我们的任务，让我们带着“神圣的期待”开始抗争。让我们期待着美国不再患有信念上的高血压和行动上的贫血症，即在种族平等问题上只唱高调而不见行动。让我们期待着把城外富裕舒适的人与城内贫困绝望的人分隔开来的悲剧的墙被正义的攻城锤摧毁。让我们期待着那些濒临绝望的人会被拉回到每日有保障的生活中来。让我们期待着贫民窟将被丢进历史的垃圾堆，从而每个家庭都能拥有体面的有卫生设施的家。让我们期待着遭受种族隔离的学校的黑暗的昨天会被取消种族隔离的素质教育的光明的明天所取代。让我们期待着种族融合将不再被看作是问题而是参与创造异彩纷呈的美的机会。让我们期待着衡量黑人男女的尺度是他们的人格才识而不是他们的肤色。让我们期待着。让我们期待着所有的州府都有一个做事公正、慈爱为本、追随上帝的州长。让我们期待着在所有的市府里看到公正像浩渺的水域，正义像不息的溪流遍布九州，滋润众生。让我们期待着有一天狮子会与羔羊同卧一处，所有的人都会坐在自家的葡萄藤和无花果树下，不再有恐惧。让我们期待着。所有的人都会明白上帝用同一个血脉创造了所有的人，使之生活在地球表面上。让我们期待着，有一天不再有人叫嚣“白人权力!”—也不再有人叫嚣“黑人权力!”—而所有的人都会谈论上帝的权威和人类的权力。

26.我必须承认，我的朋友们，前面的路不会总是平坦的，岩石遍布之处会带来挫败，蜿蜒曲折之处会令人迷惘。到处都会有不可避免的障碍。有时我们会从希望之颠跌入绝望之谷。我们的梦想有时会被打破；渺茫的希望有时会破灭。我们可能会泪眼模糊地再一次站在某位勇敢的人权志士的灵柩前，悲悼嗜血成性的暴民凶残地夺去他的生命。无论多么艰难，无论多么痛苦，我们必须以毫不畏惧的信念在未来的日子里勇往直前。当我们继续我们既定的征途时，我们能从昔日伟大的自由战士，黑人诗人詹姆斯·韦尔登·约翰逊的诗中得到慰藉：脚踏颠簸的石路 手握苦涩的惩戒木摸索着 在希望胎死腹中时 然而步伐依然坚定，我们疲惫的双脚难道不也踏上了我们祖先为之叹息的土地?我们一路走 浸满泪水的道路我们已艰难踏上流淌着烈士鲜血的小径。走出阴暗的过去， 迄今我们终于站在 自我们明亮的星辰洒下的光明的微曦中。

27.让这一信念成为我们的战斗口号。它将给我们勇气以面对无法预见的未来。它将给我们疲惫的双脚以新的力量，向着自由之城大踏步继续我们的征程。当绝望的阴云密布，我们的日子变得阴郁无望时，当我们的夜晚变得比1000个深夜还黑暗时，让我们记住宇宙之间有一种创造力，能把黑暗的昨天变成光辉灿烂的明天。让我们铭记道德的苍穹长又长，但它终将落向正义。

28.让我们铭记威廉·卡伦·布莱恩特的至理名言：“真理无论如何被践踏都终将再度被证明是真理。”让我们带着《圣经》里的箴言开始抗争，“不要被欺骗，因为上帝不能被嘲弄。种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆。”这就是对未来的希望，带着这个信仰，我们就会在不远的将来用宇宙的过去时来歌唱“我们已经胜利，我们已经胜利。在我们心灵的深处，我曾坚信我们会胜利。”