Internal to External: Martin Luther King is standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963. He is speaking to a large, assembled crowd assembled to demonstrate commitment to jobs and freedom in the United States. In the midst of his speech, King declares the following:
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’ I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that my four little 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.”
Referencing the aspirational image conveyed by Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg, and aligning with the strong statement of belief in the American dream offered by Franklyn Roosevelt in his “we have nothing to fear but fear itself,” Martin Luther King captured something of the long-standing belief in American exceptionalism as it is contained not in accomplishments but in a determination to make American society increasingly just. Whether or not Dr. King actually dreamt of this future state, the imagery associated with dreaming struck a powerful chord with those assembled on this August day. This is considered one of the greatest speeches delivered by a political figure in American history.
Many years later, our first African American president spoke about “The American Dream.” On November 7, 2007, Barack Obama observed that, “What is unique about America is that we want [realized] dreams for more than ourselves – we want them for each other. That’s why we call it the American dream.” Like Dr. King, Obama captured something of the aspirational nature of the collective dream in the United State—a dream that seems to have been forgotten, ignored or even dismissed in recent times. The speeches of Dr. King and President Obama exemplify the movement of dream content from an internal to an external location. Their two speeches represent the nature and function of extraverted dreams. Their speeches resonate with the American public in large part because they align with the themes found in the individual night dreams, daydreams and hopes of these citizens.
If not displayed in political rhetoric, then the extraverted dream might be displayed in some form of art, literature, or theater. For instance, the politically based dreams pronounced by Martin Luther King and Barack Obama find their roots in the theatrical productions of the Greco-Roman period. Dreams were vehicles for accessing the fate of a person or of an entire society. Later in history, we find the extensive use of fateful dreams in the dramas of William Shakespeare. Whether it be Calpurnia’s dream in Julius Caesar about Caesar’s murder, or Macbeth’s dream-based foreshadowing of his downfall, there is a vivid and dramatic display of fate in the plays of Shakespeare. In addition to dreams that convey the fateful and tragic downfall of a visionary leader, some dreams portray the inevitable trend of a nation toward justice or prosperity. These trends are foreseen in the dreams of visionary leaders—such as Martin Luther King and Barack Obama.
Dreams that produce clarity of vision can lead to a powerful external statement of possibility, such in John Lennon’s “Imagine.” Visionary dreams can also precipitate the external enactment of a plan or strategy that produces flight. In our dreams, we “defy gravity” so that we might hop on our broomstick (Wicked) or on our magic carpet (Aladdin). Passion that is stirred up and intensified in a dream leads to the external expression of love, devotion, and even despair in a novel/movie such as Wuthering Heights. We even invite other people whom we love to “dream a little dream with me” or “dream along with me.”
