Please choose one of the following speeches to evaluate
Please choose one of the following speeches to evaluate. If you are interested, most of them are available to watch on video. Doing so may help answer the questions – just search for them online. You may be able to find a reenactment of the Susan B. Anthony speech, the rest should be available in some form.
Ronald Reagan: Tear Down This Wall http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/reagan-tear-down.htm
MLK: I Have a Dream http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm
Susan B. Anthony: On A Woman’s Right to Vote http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/anthony.htm
Elie Wiesel: The Perils of Indifference http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ewieselperilsofindifference.html
Malala Yousafzai: Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance
https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/nobel-peace-prize-malala-yousafzais-nobel-speech-kailash-satyarthi-230641-2014-12-10
Eleanor Roosevelt: The Struggle for Human Rights
https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/eleanorroosevelt.htm
1. Is this speech informative or persuasive? How do you know?
2. What was the attention getter in the introduction?
3. How did the speaker transition from the introduction to the body of the speech? Is there a preview of key ideas?
4. What do you think the central idea/ thesis may be?
5. What oral footnotes/citations/quotes has the speaker used?
6. Find some background information about the occasion for this speech (if it is not available or obvious from above). How did the speaker adapt to their audience? Language? Use of you, we?
7. What language tools were used (e.g. rhythm, imagery, alliteration, etc)?
8. If the speech is persuasive, describe the use of emotional appeal or logical appeal – language, sources, etc? If the speech is informative, how did the speaker make the information important and interesting? Statistics? Sources?
9. How does the conclusion of the speech begin? Is there a call to action if persuasive, or is the final sentence impactful for either type of speech?
10. Congratulations you made it to the end. This is a free five points. Happy break!
