The Character of Character

9/3/2025

Daily Literary Quote
“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.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Journal Prompt
What does Dr. King mean by the famous quote above? What is character? Can it be seen? How does “character” relate to fictional “characters”? Provide specific examples.

11 Comments

Thomas Baumer

9/3/2025 02:18:40 pm

When Dr. King stated that quote he was meaning that no one should be judged of of what the look like but on how they act around people or treat others. Character is what is shown when someone is around people with how they act. Character can be seen with actions, but is also shown the words used when talking. Character relates to fictional "characters" with how fictional characters aren't real what what is shown is there character through how the righters have them act and talk.

Clayton Weeks

9/3/2025 02:20:55 pm

He means he wants his kids to live in a place where they are judged by their personality and not their skin color. A character is how someone is on the inside not that outside. Character can sometimes be seen if you know the person well enough, but if you don't know them well enough you are not able to see it.

Cash Ingwersen

9/3/2025 02:21:16 pm

Martin Luther King wants Americans to judge others not by how they look but by the idea and dreams that they have in their hearts. Characters are the beliefs or ideas that you follow or believe can be seen in this quote by Luther King. When character is added to characters in fiction it makes them seem real because if they have beliefs or goals they follow it helps the reader relate and understand the character. In Harry Potter, Harry believes that killing is wrong and is only used by evil people Harry Potter doesn't kill so it gives him character and allows people to relate the Harry Potter doesn't kill because of how Voldemort kill people robbing them of the life that they could have lived.

Jade Howell

9/3/2025 02:21:29 pm

He means that a person should not be judged by their ethnicity or color because it is different from anothers.

Character is how a person represents themselves and how they are perceived by other people. It can be shown through actions and how a person speaks.

Character relates to fictional "characters" in its way to build a person that a reader would like. It could be given special traits or skill sets that are valued by one person but not another. For example in Super Smash Bros I value characters with the skill to fly to give me an advantage of not falling.

Titus Taylor

9/3/2025 02:22:29 pm

What does Dr. King mean by the famous quote above? He wishes for people to be judged by their actions and values instead of by their race.
What is character? A person´s personality.
Can it be seen? It can be through someone´s actions but has no actual visual.
How does “character” relate to fictional “characters”? A person´s character can be a reflection of their favorite characters and characters they admire. Fictional characters can be based around the author´s character and values.
Examples: In the Mission Impossible series the main character Ethan Hunt holds one life just as valuable as millions of lives and it reflects the director´s and writer´s beliefs.

Trevyn Hobbs

9/3/2025 02:22:34 pm

Dr. King means he wants the US to stop being racist and to stop judging people on race but judge them on who they are.

Character is a person's morals and personality and who they are.

Character can't be seen but it can be observed you can't look at someone and see there character but if you get to know them you can find there character by seeing how they act.

Charater relates to a "fictional" character because fictional people have a character ark they have character they have a personality and they act on what they feel is what they believe in.

Kylie Martens

9/3/2025 02:25:27 pm

I think he means that he wants everyone to have equal rights and for everyone to be treated the same. Character is how someone acts or the way they behave. Character can tell you a lot about people. no you cant see it . Character relates to fictional characters. They'er character puts in prospective of how the character is going to act.

Waylon Rowe

9/3/2025 02:25:40 pm

1. Dr.King means that he wants people to be judged by their actions and words rather than their ethnicity
2. character is the actions we choose when faced with a option/opportunity. If you walk past a homeless man on the street you are given options /opportunities to show your true nature. Such as walk right past, call him a bum, give him money, give him food, pray for him. Actions such as those show the character of someone wether it's good or bad
3. character relates to fictional characters because they embrace their characteristics in the story

Kimber mcfarland

9/3/2025 02:25:51 pm

Dr. King meaning behind his famous quote is all will be united with out judgment or discrimination. Character is shown in one who has quality, morals, and principles character describes a person. Characters can be seen in a person by anyone, every person has their own personal character. Character relates to fictional characters by their own morals and principles.

Clayton Allen

9/3/2025 02:29:59 pm

MLK is saying someday they will judge his kids by their personality and how good of a person they are instead of judging them by their skin color.
Character is referring to an individual's personality and who they are as a person, your character says a lot about yourself.

Everyone has a different unique character including real and fictional characters.

Reuel McCallum

9/3/2025 02:32:18 pm

MLK is saying that he doesn't think race should be a factor when considering the general quality of a person, instead they should be judged by their actions and the way they present themselves.

I think a person's character is the sum of all of their actions. I don't believe you can see a person's true character at a glance since it's more of an abstract, but if you observe them over a longer period of time you might be able to get a better grasp on it.

Character relates to fictional characters because it allows us to draw parallels from their personalities to others in our own lives, and connect with them more.

The Character of Character

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