Student: Cristina Hoppenthal
Year: 2008
“I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream” (Luther King, Martin.1963)
In 1963, Martin Luther King, a Baptist minister struggling for racial and religious equality in the United States of America, mobilized a mass of supporters from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial, where he delivered his famous speech: I Have a Dream. His public declaration bore a strong objection against injustice and social segregation in the United States of America.
Basing his beliefs on the principles of the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 promoted by Abraham Lincoln against slavery and for equality of rights for the black people in the United States, King aimed his struggle at the recovery of these past principles by prosecuting a corrective action towards the future of the socio-political system of the American Nation.
King’s I Have a Dream, inspired in the principles of the past traditional America of the midst 1800’s, seems to comprise some of the mythical elements of the Arthurian folklore. In King´s allocution, the concept of the defense of the system and the figure of the outsider can be realized as relevant elements from Medieval culture and taken as a basis to understand the principles that gave ground to American people’s ideology and how they were reflected in King’s talk.
The purpose of this paper will be to examine the presence of mythical Arthurian elements of the defense of the system and the figure of the outsider, taking as a starting point some significant parts of Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech and contrasting them with the traditional mythical elements of Arthuriana.
The development of this work will be carried out by considering some of the texts by Gary Engel, Sally Slocum and Alan Maccoll about Arthurian tradition as well as further informative texts obtained by personal research.
The Defense of the System
“The Arthurian Mythos is part and parcel of American culture. The Arthurian mythos is the ideology of the American political system.” (Slocum, Sally. 1992)
In this initial quote by Sally Slocum from her work Popular Arthurian Traditions, the author makes reference to one of the most relevant ideological elements –the defense of the system- in Arthurian folklore and its strong influence in American culture.
In that respect, we could say that Arthurian romance refers to the deeds of knights and heroes committed with the defense and maintenance of a certain social order represented by their system, a system which relied on their beliefs, governmental and social organization and values, and which had to be preserved from any threat likely to undermine their way of life and culture. In Arthurian romance, this is exemplified by the character of Arthur who, first as a knight and later as a king , aimed his fights and battles at defending the English Kingdom from the recurrent attacks of the Saxons, being his main objective to recover and maintain the stability of his country.
Thomas Green (1998), an expert in medieval literary tradition, highlights the significant role of adventurous knights and kings in their pursuit for peace and governmental balance of their territory. He portrays Arthur as “peerless warrior who functioned as a monster-hunting protector of Britain from all internal and external threats”. In Green’s description, Arthur takes up the challenge not only of defending the system, but also of recovering it. It was perhaps his ideal of system of the past which made him carry out his adventurous enterprise with personal commitment and strong determination despite the dangers and effort his fight may involve. With similar spirit and enthusiasm, Luther King fought to preserve the mythical ideal of system bestowed by former generations to the twentieth century American society. In this specific case, King’s struggle was aimed at preserving the ideal legislative system of his country from an internal threat: the alienation of a part of American society due to the neglect of the laws once considered by the Emancipation Proclamation, but still disregarded by the 1960’s Legislative Power of the American government. In relation to this matter, it is interesting to mention that one of the executive orders contained in the Emancipation Proclamation declared the freedom of all slaves of the Confederate States of America as well as the immediate application of this law in all states. Eventually, and although the former slaves’ civil rights were ratified and granted by the Thirteenth Amendment on December 18, 1865, this socio-political law was actually neither fully considered nor applied by the American governments during the following decades. Deeply worried by the neglect of the Government of the United States of America, Martin Luther King founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, with the aim of recovering and maintaining the original spirit of the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863.
The realization of ambiguity in Luther King´s declamation
Provided we could apply the Arthurian category of system to King’s speech, a certain ambiguity is perceived from the examination of its content when compared with the ideal system in Arthurian literature. A possible source for this ambiguity may be constituted by the fact that, although being a supporter of the governmental system of the United States during the 1960’s, King’s beliefs together with the current social situation of the time as regards segregation, made him strongly disagree with its current socio-political scheme, particularly with the deviation of part of the social policies which, although being formally considered by the legal framework, had not been materialized as a part of everyday social praxis. Luther King believed that the contingent social policies of the United States had to be corrected so as to allow the actual integration of minor ethnical or religious groups in American society . Thus, the recovery of the “ideal system” expressed in the law would permit the realization of the American Dream, for which social equality and rights were essential requirements. In a part of his speech, King claims for the urgency of this realization:
“ […]We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.”
The past to serve the future of the system
It is interesting to notice how the idea of the recovery of the system present in Middle Age folklore not only remained in American people’s ideas, but also became a key factor of the social struggle of the twentieth century American society. In that sense, it could have been this set of beliefs of a traditional, mythical America which gave ground to King’s social movement aimed at retrieving and restoring the American social system one hundred years later. Consequently, it may be concluded that Luther King aimed his struggle at bringing back the principles of an ideal Legislative System of the past to restore equality, liberty and social rights which were, from the outset, contained in Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and which were ideally represented by the law. This is clearly exemplified in the following lines:
“Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice […] But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. […] I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”
The concept of the Outsider
Immigrants and blood ties
“Then Arthur along with the kings of Britain fought against them in those days, but Arthur himself was the military commander” (Nennius, ca 800 AD)
These introductory lines by Nennius -a ninth century Welsh monk and historian devoted to the recollection of facts and narration of Arthurian romance- portray King Arthur as a transcendental figure who embodies many of the characteristic of knights, such as bravery, faith and prowess. This legendary leader was acknowledged by his success in defeating the Saxons in twelve memorable battles, which enabled him to ascend to the throne . What is more, the fact of being an outsider with blood ties to the monarchy of England highlights his personal commitment to the peace and unity of his country, since he performed his struggle in the name of his origin and his people.
In this sense, the figure of the mythical outsider in traditional Arthuriana seems to resemble Martin Luther King’s characteristics and deeds. Being born in the city of Atlanta and with Afro-American blood ties, King was an outsider in two senses: because of his colour, and due to his origin. As for his deeds, his personal fight was for the black people and in the name of his ethnic roots which tied him not only to his ancestors, but also to their original motive of emancipation. Consequently, it may be said that the mythical Arthur as well as the revolutionary Luther King are both outsiders in their respective societies. In the following lines, King´s origin and color are realized in relation to what he calls his “white brothers” in the struggle for social justice:
“One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.[…] The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidence by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny.”
Martin Luther King´s speech and the chivalric virtues
When it comes to stating a parallelism between Martin Luther King’s characteristics and those of a mythical Middle Age knight, the legendary character of the anonimously written Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is just one example of Medieval literatue which provides a wide range of concepts, ideals and virtues which make of knights models of moral integrity, determination and faith. Brian Price (1997) explains that “a knight must have faith in his beliefs, for faith roots him and gives hope against the dispair that human failings create”. The following lines of Luther King´s speech reflect the chivalric virtue of faith:
“Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.[…] This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day”
In his work, Price enumerates a set of duties and ideals by which knights were admired, and explains that, although there has never been a formally written “code” of chivalry, knightly values and beliefs can be found throughout Arthurian literature, from which justice, faith, prowess and courage are perhaps the most representatives of the character of knightly Middle Age warriors.
Providing that we allow the aforementioned parallel between King´s speech and Arthurian knights, it could be deduced that it was precisely in their deep religious faith where knightly warriors found the strenght to fight for their ideals
But it was perhaps the courage to face the frustrations and difficulties of the struggle, what made of knights brave and virtuous warriors in their pursuit of their dreams.
Price refers to the virtue of courage saying that “ being a knight often means choosing the more difficult path, the personally expensive one. Be prepared to make personal sacrifices in service of the precepts and people you value”. Conceptually speaking, the ideal courageous knight of the Arthurian myth could be pictured in the following lines of King´s words, where suffering and dispair are presented as a heavy burden to be endured by those who fight in the pursuit of an ideal:
“I am not unmindful that some of you (his followers) have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality”.
In Luther King´s strict case, his strive in the attempt to achieve a definitely just social policy for his people was dramatically interrupted by his assassination due to conspiracy of his opposers, what may be interpreted as the heroic end of the knight who readily offers his life in the defense of his ideals adding a special signification to his life and struggle. One striking example of outstanding bravery and determination from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight may serve to illustrate a knight´s devotion and honour: it is the case of Sir Gawain who, having made a pact with the Green Knight, holds his promise up to the last consequences and despite he knows that his life is at risk, takes up the challenge to encounter his enemy with courage and faith .
Eventually, and due to King´s prowess in political and social matters, his struggle finally met its dearest aim: the 1964 Civil Rights Act of the Constitution of the United States of America.
Conclusion
As a conclusion, it may be said that the mythical ideal of the recovery and defence of the system found in Arthurian folklore proved to be not only a major theme in Arthurian romance, but also considerably influential in twentieth century American people. Consequently, this influence, which became deeply rooted in American culture, gave ground to Martin Luther King´s strive to bring back the traditional ideals of the past Emancipation Proclamation, carry out the necessary corrective actions, and restore a particular social order by means of a concrete social policy one hundred years later.
It is precisely in his speech I Have A Dream where the concept of the defence of the system becomes specially meaningful as, although being in favour of the American system, King recognized its contingent social policies as an internal threat likely to undermine the set of beliefs, values and social order of the American people, for whose recovery he was determined to fight.
As far as the Arthurian concept of the outsider is concerned, and provided a parallelism may be drawn between King Arthur´s and Luther King´s spirit and conviction, both took up challenges and carried out their struggle in the name of their origin and their roots.
Similarly, some the knightly virtues such as faith, courage and prowess can be realized in King´s speech, underpinning Arthurian warriors’ chivalric characteristics which made of those mythical heroes models of bravery and personal sacrifice.
Bibliography
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- Emancipation Proclamation. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emancipation_Proclamation
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- The I Have a Dream Speech – The U.S. Constitution Online – USConstitution.net http://www.usconstitution.net/dream.html
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