Transcript Slide 1
Unit 2: Nonfiction
Speeches
Truth is not only stranger than
fiction, it is more telling. To
know that a thing actually
happened gives it a poignancy,
touches a chord, which a piece
of acknowledged fiction misses.
—W. Somerset Maugham
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What is nonfiction?
• Nonfiction is prose writing that explores real
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lives
places
things
events
ideas
What are the most popular
forms of nonfiction?
• The most popular forms of nonfiction are
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biographies
autobiographies
memoirs
essays
speeches
informational text
What are your favorite
types of nonfiction?
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Biographies
Self-help books
Autobiographies
Newspaper, magazine,
and Internet articles
• Eyewitness accounts of
newsworthy events
• Essays
• Memoirs
What are the purposes of
nonfiction?
• To entertain readers
• To enlighten readers by providing information,
explanation, or instruction
• To persuade readers to understand a particular
viewpoint
• To offer advice or guidance for readers
• To present snapshots of the human experience
for readers
Speeches
• Many of the world’s great leaders have used
speeches to change the course of history.
• The following people have made historically
significant speeches during moments of crisis:
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Martin Luther King Jr.
Chief Seattle
Abraham Lincoln
Sojourner Truth
Susan B. Anthony
Winston Churchill
Speeches
• Other memorable speeches have been given at
turning points in the lives of coaches and
professional athletes.
• The following people
made memorable speeches
that continue to inspire
audiences:
– Babe Ruth
– Knute Rockne
– Lou Gehrig
Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to
convert, to compel.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
How can the power of words effect change?
What makes a speech historically significant or
memorable?
Speeches
• A speech is a public address written to be
delivered orally.
• A speech may be classified as formal or
informal, depending on the
situation in which it is
presented.
Formal Speeches
• A formal speech
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is often presented in a planned situation
requires preparation by the speaker
uses conventional language and syntax
has a clear purpose
presents a main idea and supporting examples
contains logical, emotional, and ethical appeals
sets an emotional tone
has a unifying theme
Informal Speeches
• An informal speech
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is often presented in an unplanned situation
requires little preparation by the speaker
may use casual language and syntax
has a clear purpose
presents a main idea and supporting details
contains logical, emotional, or ethical appeals
sets an emotional tone
Which of the following is an example of a
formal speech?
A. a political speech
B. a sermon
C. a commemorative speech
D. a dedication speech
E. All of the above
E is correct!
All of these types of speeches are delivered in a
predetermined, formal setting.
Types of Speeches
• There are three major types of speeches:
– impromptu speeches
– memorized speeches
– extemporaneous speeches
Impromptu Speeches
• An impromptu speech requires no advance
preparation.
• Examples of impromptu speeches include
– award acceptance speeches
– team pep talks
– informal dinner toasts
What are the advantages and disadvantages of an
impromptu speech?
Advantages
Disadvantages
Memorized Speeches
• A memorized speech is written in advance and
memorized word for word.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a
memorized speech?
Advantages
Disadvantages
Extemporaneous Speeches
• In an extemporaneous speech, the speaker
refers to notes or an outline occasionally.
• Several famous speeches were
extemporaneous.
– John F. Kennedy’s inaugural
address is one example.
– The line “Ask not what your
country can do for you…ask
what you can do for your
country” comes from this speech.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of an
extemporaneous speech?
Advantages
Disadvantages
Elements of Speeches
• Most speeches share the following common
elements:
– an established purpose
– a main idea
– the use of rhetorical devices
• These elements may be
easier to identify when
analyzing written versions
of speeches.
Purpose of Speeches
• The two most common purposes for giving a
speech are
– to explain something to listeners
– to convince others to accept a position and respond
in some way
• Many memorable speeches are persuasive
speeches given to inspire change. For example:
– Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech
– Nelson Mandela’s “Glory and Hope” speech
Main Idea of Speeches
• The main idea of a speech is the central
message that the speaker is trying to get across
to listeners.
• Sometimes, the main idea of a speech is stated.
• More often, the main idea of a speech is
implied.
Main Idea of Speeches
• Good speakers understand the need to support
their main idea.
• Types of support for a main idea include
– logical evidence that appeals to listeners’ minds
– emotional language that appeals to listeners’ hearts
– ethical arguments that appeal to listeners’ values
• Elie Wiesel uses emotional and ethical
support in his “Keep Memory Alive”
speech.
And now the boy is turning to me: “Tell me,” he asks. “What have you
done with my future? What have you done with your life?”
And I tell him that I have tried. That I have tried to keep memory alive,
that I have tried to fight those who would forget. Because if we forget, we
are guilty, we are accomplices.
And then I explained to him how naïve we were, that the world did
know and remain silent. And that is why I swore never to be silent whenever
and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must
always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence
encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.
—from “Keep Memory Alive,”
by Elie Wiesel
Rhetorical Devices
• Speakers also use rhetorical devices to appeal
to the emotions and ethics of their listeners.
• Rhetorical devices are techniques used by
speakers to achieve a particular effect on
listeners.
• Three common types of rhetorical devices are
– parallelism
– repetition
– rhetorical question
Parallelism
• In parallelism, the writer emphasizes the equal
value or weight of two or more ideas by
expressing them in the same grammatical
form.
Repetition
• Repetition is a writer’s intentional reuse of a
sound, word, phrase, or sentence.
• Writers often use repetition to emphasize
ideas.
Elie Wiesel uses both parallelism and repetition
in “Keep Memory Alive.”
I remember: it happened yesterday or eternities ago. A young Jewish boy
discovered the kingdom of night. I remember his bewilderment. I remember
his anguish. It all happened so fast. The ghetto. The deportation. The sealed
cattle car. The fiery altar upon which the history of our people and future of
mankind were meant to be sacrificed.
—from “Keep Memory Alive,”
by Elie Wiesel
What is the effect of these rhetorical devices?
Rhetorical Question
• A rhetorical question is a type of question that
is asked for effect but is not meant to be
answered.
• A rhetorical question is meant to get listeners
thinking about something.
Chief Seattle asks rhetorical questions in his
speech “Yonder Sky That Has Wept Tears of
Compassion.”
How then can we be brothers? How can your God become our God and
renew our prosperity and awaken in us dreams of returning greatness?
—from “Yonder Sky That Has Wept Tears of Compassion,”
by Chief Seattle
Why do you think Chief Seattle chose to use
rhetorical questions in his speech?
Ethos, Pathos, and Logos
• When speakers give persuasive speeches, they
use a variety of techniques to get others to
adopt their point of view.
• One way that persuasive speakers
form arguments is by establishing
ethos, pathos, and logos.
Ethos
• Ethos refers to the character of the person
giving the argument.
• To establish ethos in a persuasive
argument, speakers
– align themselves with others known
for their expertise or goodness
– show that they share the values of
their audience
– acknowledge other viewpoints
Pathos
• Pathos is persuasion based on arousing
emotions.
• Pathos provides a personal appeal
that has the power to move
listeners, change attitudes, and
produce actions.
Logos
• Logos is based on logic, or reason.
• A person who uses logos
strives to convince the
audience through a clear,
logical argument that his or
her position is the correct one.
SUMMARY: Speeches
• An effective speech
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has a clear purpose and audience
has a relevant main idea and supporting examples
uses logical, emotional, and ethical appeals
incorporates rhetorical devices to achieve a
particular effect
– establishes ethos, pathos, and logos