The most famous tricolon in Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech is the phrase "Let freedom ring!" repeated three times, each with a different location added:
- "Let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire."
- "Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York."
- "Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!"
This tricolon is powerful because it uses repetition and parallelism to emphasize the desire for freedom across different regions of the United States. It also builds climax with each repetition, culminating in the call for freedom to ring from the "heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania."
This tricolon is not only a stylistic device but also a powerful symbol of the speech's message. It emphasizes the universality of the dream of freedom and the hope that it will spread throughout the nation.
