Differences and Similarities of Malcolm X's and MLK's Use of Character in Their Speeches

Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. are notable African American individuals in history. They both stood up for what they believed in but in different ways. Malcolm X's and MLK's use of character within their speeches displayed differences and similarities. The use of character was different in that Malcolm X was a Muslim and believed in Muslim principles. Malcolm X spoke to African Americans with a sense of urgency. He believed that white people were the enemies and to dismiss them and arm themselves for war. He believed in fighting back physically. His most famous line, "By any means necessary." Whatever had to be done to get freedom and fair treatment he was all for it whether it be violence or nonviolence. MLK's peaceful protests helped him rise to national fame. MLK followed the Christian faith. Although he may have been physically attacked he never reacted with violence. MLK wanted all the races to come together and for hatred and violence to be put to a halt. He felt that justice could be done through nonviolent protesting, passive resistance, and what he called "weapons of love." 

Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. expressed their views through assertive, hard-hitting, powerful speeches. Both men passionately expressed their views on race and equality. Both men had a vision and exhibited the true qualities of a leader. They stood up for something that few people of their race did at this time. Both men used their religious background in attempt to create protests and demonstrations for the advancement of African Americans.They preached and fought for the rights of African Americans during the 1960s. They were the voice of their people, and although they took different approaches, the end result being freedom, was kept in sight by both men. They are remembered as men who tried to instill strength and power to their people so that they could overcome all the hatred that surrounded them.

Emotional Speech-writing Activity: Storytelling

Opening to Sydney's speech:

Thank you ladies and gentlemen, My name is Sydney Smith. I am 15 years old. I attend Lee High School in Huntsville, Alabama. I am the oldest of four children. My younger siblings and I live with our mother in a small 3 bedroom apartment. Since our father passed away of colon cancer two years ago my mother has been working  two jobs to care and provide for my siblings and I. I really love school and I enjoy learning. I have always been a straight A student. All of my teachers tell me that I'm very smart and that I shouldn't have any problem being accepted into the best colleges in the country. Two months ago a college fair was held at my high school. I was very excited to meet all of the college representatives and learn about the highlights of each individual college. I collected several college brochures and took them home to share with my mother. I couldn't wait to share my excitement with her. I waited up for my mother to come home from work. I knew she was tired having worked a double shift but I had to share the college brochures with her. Upon reading the highlights and listening to my information about each individual college her smile begin to fade away. She said that she was so very proud of me and that it was her dream for me to attend college. She then explained to me that with the overwhelming costs of living expenses, needs of my siblings and I, growing debt, and paying for the medical bills that were accumulated before my father passed away the added expense of college tuition seemed impossible  It is a dream of mine to attend college someday. However, with the rising costs of college tuition my dream is becoming a nightmare. Surely, there must be something that can be done. Surely, I can't be the only student in this position. Surely, this should not be. 

Analysis:

In the opening to Sydney's speech I am using the emotional strategy of storytelling. Through storytelling Sydney is able to get closer to her audience by telling them what she is going through and some of the challenges in her life. She is telling her story in hopes that the audience will understand the point that she is trying to make in her speech regarding the rising costs of college tuition. She wants the audience to be able to identify with her situation or put themselves in her shoes. By telling the audience her dream to go to college and that her dream may be impossible due to her background and the rising costs of college tuition, she wants to motivate and spark a call for action in the hearts and minds of those who are in a position to bring about change.

This is an effective emotional beginning because Sydney connects with the audience and let's the audience know that she is human. Although she is young, she has a valid concern that needs to be addressed and needs action. Emotions will help the audience remember this young girl who has aspirations of attending college. When she says, "Surely this should not be" she is making an attempt to make an emotional impact on the audience. She wants the audience to take action so that she and many others who are in her position will have the opportunity to fulfill their  dream by attending college without drowning in a sea of debt. 

Emotion Analysis

From observing the speeches in class, I would say the most effective use of emotion that I have seen/heard are compassion and hope. Given the context of each speech, either a single event has taken place or several events have taken place over time which the speaker declares a call for a change and/or restoring hope to the people. The speaker begins their speech by shedding light on a sad event or the troubling times to show compassion in effort that the audience will feel compassion as well. The speaker changes the tone of the speech by emphasizing a a call for change and instilling hope in the audience.

In the movie "Chariots of Fire" the speech given by Eric Liddell has an overall theme of hope and faith. He compared faith to running a competitive race. He is able to make the connection of the high and low points of running a race to the high and low points of life to the workers in the audience. In his speech he says,"It's hard. It requires concentration of will, energy of soul. You experience elation when the winner breaks the tape -- 'specially if you've got a bet on it. But how long does that last? You go home. Maybe your dinner's burnt. Maybe, maybe you haven't got a job. So who am I to say, "believe," "have faith," in the face of life's realities?" He then goes on to say that there isn't a formula for running a race and likewise there isn't a formula for being successful in life. Everyone must run their race in his or her own way. Everyone must live their life in his or her own way. In spite of setbacks and challenges you must have faith in the Lord and finish the race. The Lord will give you the strength and fight to power on through the race. The Lord will also give you the strength and fight to power on through life no matter the challenging circumstances you may encounter. The emotion of compassion and hope are effective in this moment because the speaker is conveying to the audience that he knows of the challenges that people may be encountering in their personal lives but they must have faith in the Lord to carry on. 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - "I Have A Dream" Speech

The "I Have A Dream" speech by Martin Luther King is remembered as one of the best speeches ever given. His elevated rhetoric calling for racial justice and an integrated civilization became a chant for the black community. His voice became the benchmark for understanding the social and political disruption of the time and gave the nation the words to express what was happening during this time. The key message in his speech is that all people are created equal and, although this was not the case in America at the time, Martin Luther King felt it must be the case for the future. He delivered his speech passionately and powerfully.

Martin Luther King's forum for giving this speech consisted of two components. The first being a call for action. The first half of his speech portrays not an idealized American dream but a picture of a turbulent American nightmare of racial injustice. He emphasizes "now is the time" to bring awareness and raise consciousness to the oppressed black community and inequality. The second component being the resolution or "the dream," for a better future of racial equality,harmony, and integration. His speech had a very strong message for white people and hints at revolution but as a whole the speech was mostly about peace and offering a vision everyone could buy into. At the end of his speech he brings in a unifying closing theme about freedom.

Sarah Palin's Republican National Convention Speech Analysis

In my opinion I feel Sarah Palin's speech at the 2008 Republican National Convention was suitable and captivated her intended audience. I'm not a supporter of Sarah Palin nor do I agree with many of her ideologies and political views. However, while watching and listening to her speech I took an objective approach of analysis. Although I felt her speech was sarcastic and excessive at times, she was able to achieve what she set out to do and for that reason I feel her speech was successful. With several "Go USA!" chants and "I'm an ordinary person just like you!" stories she was able to grasp the audience's attention and pull them in.

One line from her speech that stood out to me was, "I love to drive myself to work. And I thought we could muddle through without the governor's personal chef, although I got to admit that sometimes my kids sure miss her." In this line I feel that she is trying to convey that she is an ordinary person just like everyone else. She is saying that she can do without the personal luxuries and services that the common folk don't have at their disposal. She is saying that she loves to do all the common tasks that everyone else does and she is not above doing these tasks. This line was effective because it appealed to a broad group of common people.  The audience and supporters want to feel that they have someone who is on their side and someone that they can relate to. In this line and essentially throughout her speech her underlying message is "Hey, I'm just like all of you!" Upon hearing this line the audience applauds and cheers for her. 

First Speech Questions

"HELP! The Spotlight Is On Me!"

Public speaking tends to be a common source of stress for everyone. Many people have some degree of uneasiness or fear associated with public speaking. Getting up and speaking in front of a group of people can produce nervousness, fear, tension, and anxiety. Even experienced public speakers feel an adrenaline surge at the opening of a speech. For some, public speaking  can create a paralyzing fear that makes public speaking very difficult.

I believe the fear of disapproval and rejection are the primary fears behind public speaking. When we are one on one or within a group of family or friends we can have greater control over whether someone approves of us or likes us. Most often times the people who know us accept us, our opinions, and thoughts. However, when we are speaking to a group of people that we don't know it's impossible to say something that everyone approves of us and likes us. Some people may like what we have to say and agree with us, while other people may not care to hear what we have to say or care to be there. Some people won't be able take their eyes off of us and some will be restless and looking around the room. Regardless, of the reason the end reaction will always be the same. We will have 10, 20, 100 sets of eyes all on us. That is dozens the times the possible disapproval we would ever encounter when interacting with people. I have been told the best way to combat the fear of disapproval and rejection is to look past the audience's acceptance and execute your message without anticipating their reaction.

A good speech moves an audience where the speaker wants it to go. I feel a good speech is well articulated with a clear beginning, middle, and end. The speaker should be themselves and be relevant to the their audience. The question of the audience is usually "Why am I here?" or "Why should I care?" The job of the speaker is to answer the why question first and then answer the how. The speaker can deliver a great speech as long as they focus on the purpose of the speech and strive to achieve the purpose in the minds and hearts of an audience.

A bad speech has the potential to turn the audience against the speaker. As the speaker the important thing to remember is that you want your audience to hear the message of your speech. A bad speech can make the audience lose interest because it doesn't present the message clearly. Bad speeches often fail to introduce the topic. The speaker should prep the audience for what he/she intends to say. A bad speech will also include little or no evidence to support the message. For the audience to buy into what the speaker is saying, they must provide facts that support their statement. Without these facts, the speech is simply the speaker's opinion and adds little credibility to their message. 

~ First Lady Michelle Obama ~

              

Hello English 101!

Hello, my name is DeShara Johnson. I'm originally from Georgia. I currently reside in Puyallup, Washington with my husband Terrell and our one year old son Jalen. This is my first quarter at Green River Community College. I'm really excited about this course as well as excited about learning and working towards my education goals. I love spending time with my family. I especially love playing with my little boy and watching him grow. Motherhood is filled with exciting and challenging moments but I wouldn't change any of it for the world. I am beyond blessed to have my son. I enjoy listening to music, reading, writing, and running. I have a passion for health and fitness and I aspire to become a personal trainer. My goal for this course is to become a better writer and be able to analyze and confidently articulate my opinions to others.