read shakespeare's "sonnet 130.”my mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; coral is far more red, than her lips red: if snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; if hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. i have seen roses damask'd, red and white, but no such roses see i in her cheeks; and in some perfumes is there more delightthan in the breath that from my mistress reeks. i love to hear her speak, yet well i knowthat music hath a far more pleasing sound: i grant i never saw a goddess go,—my mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:       and yet by heaven, i think my love as rare,      as any she belied with false compare.what is the central idea of the first quatrain? my mistress is unattractive. my mistress is beautiful. my mistress has a natural beauty. my mistress is not a perfect beauty.

The answer is: My mistress is not a perfect beauty.

Shakespeare's "Sonnet 130" is a parody of traditional sonnets at the time, in which poets compared their lovers to beautiful things like diamonds, fine pearls, flowers or goddesses. In the first four lines, Shakespeare expresses his lover does not possess a conventional beauty: her eyes are not like the sun, her lips are not red, her breasts are brownish or yellowish, and her hair looks like wires.

each year on this day, i make it a point to listen to dr. martin luther king jr.’s great “i have a dream” speech. it’s electrifying every single time.

the content of dr. king’s speech, his inspiring presence, and the moment in history all came together to make the iconic “i have a dream” speech the defining moment of the american civil rights movement. but there are several other reasons why this speech, delivered over 50 years ago, remains an example of one of the best speeches in american history.

since part of my job is to people become better presenters, i’ve noticed several techniques that we can all learn from and be inspired by in this magnificent speech.

it’s anchored in a powerful related location

in most cases, you can’t handpick the spot to give a presentation, as mlk did for supreme symbolic effect when he stood on the steps of the lincoln memorial and echoed the opening words of the gettysburg address (“five score years ago . . ). but you absolutely can amplify your message by adapting it to your setting and location.