This speech begins with personal pronouns, for example 'I, you, our'. The use of personal pronouns makes the listener feel as though the speaker is speaking directly to them. This represents power and it makes the listener's feel as though they have to listen to the speaker. Power is shown through this piece as there is a clear dominant speaker, Martin Luther King; there is no turn taking and he has control over what is said throughout. This shows power as it is clear that the speaker has control over the speech and people respect the speaker so do not feel the need to speak.
The use of the determiner 'my' in this speech shows power as Martin Luther King says 'my people' symbolising that he has power over the people; as if he owns and controls them. The use of the model verb 'we must' makes the listeners feel as though they have to do what they are being told to do. This shows power in the discourse as it seems as though people are willing to be told what to do and to take instructions from the speaker. The contraction 'cannot' shows power in the discourse in a similar way that the modal verbs do; it makes people feel as though they are obligated to follow the orders of the speaker.
Repetition of the phrase 'I have a dream' is used throughout this speech. The use of repetition shows that Martin Luther King wants people to be able to recognise this quote. This shows power as the speaker wants to be recognised and respected by his listeners.
