speech writing by Georgina Black

Speech Writing Objectives: •

To analyse examples of speech writing • To identify the language aspects of speech writing

Listen to the speech made by Winston Churchill   

Read the transcript in pairs Identify how this speech is persuasive Think about:  The pronouns he uses  The modal verbs he uses  The structure of his sentences  Use of poetic devices

http://www.charleswelty.com/authors/churchill.htm

Winston Churchillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s address to Parliament on June 4, 1940 We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, We shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, We shall fight in the fields, and in the streets, We shall fight in the hills; We shall never surrender, And even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the Old.

Parallelism ď Ż

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is repeating the same syntactical structures Several parts of a sentence or several sentences are similar to show that the ideas are equal in importance. adds balance and rhythm and, most importantly, clarity to the sentence.

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Any sentence elements can be paralleled. E.g. You might choose parallel subjects with parallel modifiers attached to them: Ferocious dragons breathing fire and wicked sorcerers casting their spells.

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Or parallel verbs and adverbs: I have always sought but rarely obtained a parking space near the door.

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Or parallel verbs and direct objects: He liked to eat watermelon and to avoid grapefruit.

Antithesis 

establishes a clear, contrasting relationship between two ideas by joining them together or juxtaposing them, often in parallel structure To err is human; to forgive, divine. –Pope

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The contrast of two terms or ideas, is useful for making distinctions or for clarifying differences which might be otherwise overlooked. 6

Anaphora 

Repetition of the same word or words at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences To think on death it is a misery, To think on life it is a vanity; To think on the world verily it is, To think that here man hath no perfect bliss. --Peacham

Epistrophe 

Repetition of the same word or words at the end of successive clauses or sentences

reason is subdued, honesty is subdued, good will is subdued, and all things else that withstand evil, for ever are subdued 

Epistrophe can often be more emphatic because of the emphasis placed on the last word in a phrase or sentence.

Parenthesis 

consists of a word, phrase, or whole sentence inserted as an aside in the middle of another sentence e.g. But in whatever respect anyone else is bold, I speak in foolishness, I am just as bold myself.

 The violence involved in jumping into (or out of) the

middle of your sentence to address the reader about something has a pronounced effect.  This device creates the effect of immediacy: you are relating some fact when suddenly something very important arises  The parenthetical form also serves to give some statements a context

Look back at the transcript of Winston Churchill’s speech 

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Can you identify any of these rhetorical features Label them on the text and comment on their effect 9

Alliteration  

The recurrence of initial consonant sounds. The repetition can be juxtaposed (and then it is usually limited to two words): The day consisted of troubles and triumphs

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Done well, alliteration is a satisfying sensation. Two-word alliteration calls attention to the phrase and fixes it in the reader's mind, and so is useful for emphasis. 10

Oxymoron 

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A paradox reduced to two words, usually in an adjective-noun ("eloquent silence") or adverbadjective ("inertly strong") It is used for emphasis, wit or as an ironic contrast

I do here make humbly bold to present them with a short account of themselves and their art. -- Jonathan Swift 

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oxymorons, can show the complexity of a situation where two apparently opposite things are true simultaneously. The device is most effective when the terms are not common opposites.

Analogy 

compares two things, which are alike in several respects, for the purpose of explaining an unfamiliar or difficult idea by showing how the idea or object is similar to a familiar one. Life is like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re gonna get. 12

Metaphor 

compares two different things by speaking of one in terms of the other. Unlike a simile or analogy, metaphor asserts that one thing is another thing, not just that one is like another. The fountain of knowledge will dry up unless it is continuously replenished by streams of new learning.

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A metaphor not only explains by making the abstract or unknown familiar, but it also touches the audience’s imagination. It shows a relationship between things seemingly alien to each other.

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The fact that two very unlike things can be referred to in terms of one another comments upon them both. Metaphors must be chosen carefully, especially in regard to the connotations the image will transfer to the audience. Consider the differences in meaning conveyed by these statements:  That club is spreading like wildfire.  That club is spreading like cancer.  That club is really blossoming now. 14

Hyperbole 

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deliberate exaggeration for emphasis or effect. In your writing the hyperbole must be clearly intended as an exaggeration, and should be carefully restricted. That is, do not exaggerate everything! There are a thousand reasons why more research is needed on solar energy.

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Hyperbole is the most overused and overdone rhetorical figure in the whole world (and that is no hyperbole). 15

Litotes  

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A form of understatement: it is generated by denying the opposite of the word which you want to use litotes can either retain the effect of understatement, or becomes an intensifying expression. Compare the difference between these statements: It is common to have heat waves in the summer. It is not uncommon to have heat waves in the summer. Occasionally it can convey an ironic sentiment by its understatement: We saw him throw the buckets of paint at his canvas in disgust, and the result did not perfectly represent his subject, Mrs. Jittery.

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Usually, though, litotes intensifies the sentiment intended by the writer, and creates the effect of strong feelings moderately conveyed.

Listen to the speech by Martin Luther King    

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream Using the transcript, look at the first few lines down to ‘unearned suffering is redemptive.’ Identify the persuasive language features in the text In particular look for:  Litotes  Metaphor  alliteration  Parallelism  Anaphora  sentence moods  Use of pronouns

The Art of Persuasion alliteration

Litotes

anaphora

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

parallelism

Imperative

2nd person Personal pronoun

In pairs… Read

through the text of a speech written by a student. What effective language features have been used? Think about:     

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Rhetorical devices Use of pronouns Appeals to the emotions Sentence structure Formal/informal language

the register appropriate for the task? What things would you improve on? 19

In groups… 

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You will be modelling your own example of this speech This will be assessed by other members of the class You are going to give a speech at your local community centre about a proposed rock festival in the area. You are going to argue either for or against the festival To begin: think of at least five points for or against your argument. 20

Tips   

Try to start with your strongest point Think about which pronouns you use Try to use at least three of the language features that we have discussed today. E.g     

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Parallelism Anaphora Metaphor Oxymoron Alliteration

Think about the sentence moods that you use and try to be persuasive by using emotive language. Don’t forget: audience, purpose, tenor

Imagine that you are taking part in a school or college debate on the topic: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Young people today do not believe that political ideas are worth fighting for.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Write the speech that you would make as your contribution to the debate. (approximately 300 words) You may take either side of the debate, but you should argue your point of view passionately providing examples to support your argument. Text Z can be used to give you some ideas for the content of your speech.

20 minutes

Chiasmus 

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This could be called "reverse parallelism," since the second part of a grammatical construction is balanced or paralleled by the first part, only in reverse order. E.g. Instead of learned unwillingly paralleled by forgotten gladly The phrase would be followed with gladly forgotten

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So instead of writing, "What is learned unwillingly is forgotten gladly," you could write, "What is learned unwillingly is gladly forgotten."