Analyzing Inspirational Speeches

Explore the work of other speakers whose presentations are relevant to your own.

Log on to TEDTalks, YouTube or AmericanRhetoric.com or other sites and explore the speeches of three other presenters.

Submit an analytical essay of 1000-1500 words, which compares the three presentations/speeches in an integrated way and explains the influence and relationship between these inspirational speeches and your own.

The three speeches you choose to analyse may be relevant for a number of reasons.

-Theme

-Topic

-Style

-Technique

Fully explain the relevance of each selected inspirational speech to your own presentation.

Speeches must meet the following criteria:

One must be from the current calendar year.
One must be from a lesser-known speaker specific to your field.
None may be speeches studied on the course calendar.
Discuss what makes each speech successful, and also consider their less successful points.

Include a full title page, references page, and introduction, which must include the full name of each speaker, and the year s/he is speaking, as well as the title of the speech. (From then on, refer to your speakers by LAST NAME, not first name, as this is an academic setting).
To demonstrate mastery of the concepts discussed in the course be sure to reflect on the following points:

Opening
The influence of age, culture, gender, roles and values in the context of these speeches.
Content
Structure
Language used
Rhetorical devices
Contrast/Balance
Appeal to emotion vs logic
Connection to the audience
Motivation theory
Body Language
Use of a Persona
Organization of the speech
Memorable highlights
Conclusion

*Please ensure you properly cite the information you take from other sources, using the APA citation guide. All assignments must refer, at minimum, to the course notes, the course readings, the speeches you have chosen, and at least one external supporting source. Assignments without references will receive a mark of 0.

List of ineligible speeches: (Resulting in a mark of 0%)

Ellen DeGeneres’s Commencement Speech, Tulane University
Oprah Winfrey’s 2008 Commencement address to Stanford University
Steve Jobs’ Commencement Address to Stanford, 2005
Amy Cuddy: “Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are” on TEDTalks
Margaret Heffernan: “The Dangers of Willful Blindness” on TEDTalks
Martin Luther King: I Have a Dream
Nancy Duarte “The Secret Structure of Great Talks” on TED Talks
Bill Gates’ presentation “Mosquitoes, Malaria and Education” on TEDTalks
Benjamin Zander “The Transformative Power of Classical Music” on TEDTalks
Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insight on TEDTalks
Hans Rosling: HIV: New Facts and Stunning Data Visuals on TEDTalks
Randy Pauch’s “The Last Lecture” on YouTube

Start Date
Sep 8, 2020 6:00 AM
Due Date
Nov 16, 2020 11:59 PM
Attachments
Assignment Three ENL1829 Art of Oratory.docx (16.79 KB)

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