Online Task 4

SPEECH is one of the interesting alternative text to be used in the literature classroom. The speech provided for you in the module is one by Martin Luther King.

1. Think of at least 3 benefits of using speeches by famous figures, in the classroom.

“The power of speech by famous figure has the same effect on the condition of the soul as the application of drugs to the state of bodies; for just as different drugs dispel different fluids from the body, and some bring an end to disease but others end life, so also some speeches cause pain, some pleasure, some fear; some instil courage, some drug and bewitch the soul with a kind of evil persuasion.”
The benefits are: 

i) Normally, speeches by famous figures are well prepared and it has been proofread for many times before they are finalized to avoid grammatical errors.  Therefore, it would be a suitable text to be used in the classroom.

ii) Normally speeches by famous figures are persuasive. Therefore, if students read more of this type of speech, they can learn the techniques of persuasive speech and apply this particular skill in their real life.

iii.) Normally speeches by famous figures reflect higher level of critical thinking skills. Therefore, it might sharpen the critical thinking skills of the students if such speeches are used in the classroom.  Moreover, students become motivated to be the best they could be, as individuals and  students.

2. Go to www.youtube.com and find the audio-visual on the speech. In not less than 50 words, state would the audio-visual be of any use in helping understand the speech better? State your reasons.

Speech : Informative speech : Great Wall China

Visual aids can enhance speaker's credibility besides increasing audience focus and interest.  The speech that i watch in you-tube is an informative speech about Great Wall China. In order to deliver his speech on that particular topic, speaker uses overhead and computer generated presentation which i think is very effectively interesting.  Visual ‘illustrations’ are major complements in this speech and it is directly influence the thoughts and helps me to understand the speech better. The audio-visual usage is simple, relevant and reinforce the content of the speech and maintain my interest to keep watching it. Apart of that, the visual aid also gives the necessary variation to help maintain audience attention and interest.  This speech can be used at all level of learning because it is easier to understand with its useful visual aids 

3. Who is Martin Luther King?

Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, activist and prominent leader in the African American civil rights movement. His main legacy was to secure progress on civil rights in the United States and he has become a human rights icon. King is recognized as a martyr by two Christian churches. A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. There, he raised public consciousness of the civil rights movement and established himself as one of the greatest orators in U.S. history. In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means. By the time of his death in 1968, he had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and opposing the Vietnam War, both from a religious perspective. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. national holiday in 1986.
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr. )

4. Based on the questions below, analyze the features of the given written speech:

a. What is the purpose of the speech?

The purpose of the speech was to send the message to the American government and the white people to stop the racial discrimination and the social injustice on the African-Americans. The speech clearly states that the African-Americans also wanted equal rights and opportunity in reality and not just in words as stated in the promissory note of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. It helped a lot to stop the racial discrimination. It really showed that the Negros are human beings too and it showed the Whites that Negros have gone through too much of pain and suffering. It was basically to tell everyone and to show everyone that he meant business. Martin Luther King, Jr. believed that non-violence was the way to go and this speech with thousands of people watching it seriously showed that it was time for a change. It was a message of hope and Martin Luther King, Jr. hoped that blacks and whites could live amongst each other in peace.

b. What is the tone of the speech?

The speech had dramatic shifts in tone such as from enraged to cautionary to hopeful. I find the speech to be quite sarcastic at certain points. Overall, the speech was eloquent, passionate, intellectual, persuasive and honest.

c. What interesting major feature(s) can you see from the speech? (i.e.Repetition of phrases, emphasis on certain things said etc)

The interesting major feature(s) which I can see from the speech are:-

i.) Repetition of phrases such as “I have a dream”. This phrase was mentioned eight times throughout the speech.Repetition of phrases such as “one hundred years later”. This phrase was mentioned four times throughout the speech.Repetition of phrases such as “now is the time”. This phrase was mentioned three times in the speech.Repetition of phrases such as “free at last!”. This phrase was mentioned three times in the speech.Repetition of phrases such as “be satisfied”. This phrase was mentioned five times in the speech.Repetition of the word, “negro”. This word was mentioned fifteen times throughout the speech.Repetition of the word, “free”. This word was mentioned twenty four times throughout the speech.  Repetition of the word, “freedom”. This word was mentioned nineteen times throughout the speech.

ii.) emphasis on certain things said.

- Martin Luther King, Jr. states that after a hundred years later, the blacks are still oppressed and marginalized by the whites by emphasizing on the phrase, “one hundred years later”.
- Strong words like ‘manacles’ and ‘chains’ were used to depict the sufferings of the blacks. Their ancestors were once slaves and they were chained and manacled. These words have connotative meanings and are used to show that the blacks were denied social justice and are tied to poverty.
- The phrase, “the bank of justice is bankrupt” is quite sarcastic and funny.
- “Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children.”
By making that statement, he wants the blacks to be given equal treatment and equal opportunities as the whites.
- “In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”
By making that statement, he is telling all the blacks that the struggle for equality must be done in a peaceful way without using any force as it could spur racial tension.
- “Some of you have come fresh from narrow 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.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s statement above might suggest that many of the black audiences were just released from prisons and lockups. Maybe many of them were released on bail. Meanwhile, the second sentence shows that the many of the blacks were suffering from police brutality where they were beaten up badly.
- “There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" we can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
By making the statement above, he is saying that the blacks will never stop fighting for their rights until they are granted equal rights as the whites.
- "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
By making that statement, he means that all human being are equal in god’s eyes and should be given equal treatment.

d. Any interesting facts that you can gather based on the background of the speech?

From the background of the speech, I learned that many black people were marginalized and were denied of social justice and equal rights. Many of the blacks were jobless and they were suffering from poverty at that time. They were fighting for their rights and they wanted it urgently because they were tolerating this situation for more than a hundred years. From it, I also learn that many of the blacks were suffering from police brutality where they were beaten up badly. They were thrown into lockups and prisons. They felt that all human being are equal in god’s eyes and should be given equal treatment. From the background of the speech, I also learn that the blacks will never stop fighting for their rights until they were granted equal rights as the whites.

5. Suggest a while-reading activity that can be derived from this particular speech.

While- reading activity:  Student will be given a printed speech of Martin Luther King “I have a dream”.  Based on the speech students are asked to underline King’s dream that students found in the text as they read it.