speeches essay v3

 

Question:

Albert Nguyen

1015 words

To what extent has your personal response to your prescribed text text been shaped by the

enduring power of the ideas of the composer? The enduring power of the ideas of the composer is a vital factor in the success of any speech. However, the composer must be able to express these ideas through synthesis of clear purpose, rhetorical techniques and universal values, in order to have a timeless appeal. Without both, a speech cannot appeal to any audience. The speeches have three intents: to persuade their intended audience to change their attitude as with Egyptian President Anwar Sadats Statement to the Knesset, reinforce their mindset and beliefs, as in Prime Minister Paul Keatings Funeral service of  the Unknown Australian Soldier which tried to synthesize feelings of unity and reinforce national identity, or to do both, consolidating the beliefs of the audience while challenging them to think new things. Such is the case with Aung San Suu Kyis Keynote address to the Beijing Conference on Women. Sadats historic address to an antipathetic Israeli Knesset in 1977 focuses on the need for a permanent peace based on justice in the Middle East, by employing powerful rhetoric to persuade them of values of tolerance, peace and duty. Sadats stance against war is revealed early in so complexed by its sanguinary conflicts where he alludes to the 30 years of conflict between Israel and Arab states. He synthesizes a feeling of unity through we all, Muslims, Christians and Jews, worship God and no one but God. using inclusive pronouns, a technique which is repeated throughout the speech, as Sadat makes direct appeals to the audience to join him in his dream of  peace. The obstacles in the way of Sadats road to peace are also acknowledged. A clear example can be seen in the asyndetic anaphora of barrier of suspicion, barrier of fear, a barrier of distorted interpretation used to batter the conscience of the Knesset, making the audience more responsive to his claim appealing for the vital necessity of peace that builds and does not destroy. The speech was a major short-term success, as it was well-received by the Israeli Knesset, and a standing ovation in the West. However, many Arabs were disappointed by the speech because they felt that Sadat had put Egyptian interests ahead of Arab unity. Nonetheless, the notion of trust established through repetition of Let us be frank as well his powers of persuasion using rhetoric was an important reason the speech was able to make the political and personal impact it had. Like Sadat, Keating uses great rhetorical flourish, but in his case to create an atmosphere of  solemnity and patriotism at the funeral service of the Unknown Australian Soldier, which in turn implores the Australian audience to consolidate their belief in the values of peace, mateship and unity. Throughout the course of the speech Keating aims to commemorate the dead and to venerate the power and worth of ordinary people. The opening line We do not know this Australians name and we never will, uses assonance and repetition to establish the euphony expected of an eulogy. The anaphoric emphasis of We do not know serves to augment the anonymity of the Unknown Australian Soldier, a symbol of the Anzac legacy, a cornerstone characteristic of the Australian identity. An inclusive tone is used throughout the speech, as in he is all of them, and he is one of  us as well as inclusive inclusi ve pronouns such as we and us. To this Keating adds the emotive power of  the implications of abstract nouns such as courage and sacrifice to confirm the audiences deeper understanding of what it means to be an Australian.

As such, Keatings speech was

well-received because of his call to patriotism and the ideals of national pride expressed, thus

consolidating beliefs and generating unity among Australians. The enduring power of Keatings beliefs, such as in unity and patriotism, along with rhetorical skill, has allowed it to remain relevant to Australians today. Aung San Suu Kyi was speaking to a sympathetic audience of mainly feminists at the Beijing Conference on Women, employing personal experience and rhetorical manipulation to spur her captivated audience on to contribute to the emancipation of women throughoutthe world. Rhetorical devices, such as cumulative listing and allusion, are manipulated to support those matters which occupy all my waking thoughts these days: peace, security, human rights and democracy., as well as to exalt the nature of women, as seen in For millennia women have dedicated themselves almost exclusively to the task of nurturing. The outmoded Burmese Proverb the dawn rises when the rooster crows is emphatically juxtaposed to the representation of  women as models of selflessness and compassion, with their capacity for compassion and self-sacrifice, their courage and perseverance. The symbolism of common hopes acknowledges the collaborative entity of the greatest concourse of women. Universal values such as that of  tolerance and security are added by Suu Kyi to give her speech a broader spectrum. Although this speech was met with outrage and fear by the Burmese junta, the international community acknowledged her speech as an advocating of human rights, gender equality, democracy and peace. We can see that the speech still resonates with modern audiences due to the enduring ideas of the composer, the continued relevance of these ideas as well as her power to express this through language techniques. The force of rhetoric combined with uplifting moral value is also a keystone in the making of a speech. Both of these combine to resonate with an audience despite divergent contexts. This can be seen clearly in the cases of Egyptian President Anwar Sadats Statement to the Knesset, Prime Minister Paul Keatings Funeral Service of the Unknown Australian soldier, and Aung San Suu Kyis Keynote to the Beijing Conference on Women. Therefore, the composers enduring beliefs must also be reinforced by the power of rhetoric.