TOW #13: Charles Kennedy Speech - A Drink Problem

http://www.famous-speeches-and-speech-topics.info/famous-short-speeches/charles-kennedy-speech-a-drink-problem.htm

Charles Peter Kennedy was a British Liberal Democrat politician, who was Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 1999 to 2006 and a Member of Parliament from 1983 to 2015.

Kennedy acknowledges his co workers and the people he feels he has hurt because of his drinking problem. He admits that he “ should have been willing to talk about it more openly before” but just could not involve others until he figured out the problem himself. Grieving in this way, he says thank you to the people that have stuck with him and supported him through his journey as well as the public, people who deserve to know what has been going on in the life of the politician who helps make such big decisions. Speaking to his audience in such a way is an attempt to persuade his audience to forgive him because he had admit how wrong he was in his actions and not being more public about the issue sooner.

Although he know he has had a problem, he is smart and acknowledges his current state and says he is capable of leading the party. To prove he cares for the party he extends the decision to the rest of the members of the party to decide if he is worthy of continuing his position. Doing so, he shows he cares for the audience trying to show he is a good, worthy leader and should continue his position. He does not go on a tangent about how great he is and all he has done for his people. It would defeat his purpose. Kennedy keeps his speech brief to show he is not trying to sway his audience one way or the other and he genuinely wants what is best for his people.

TOW #12: Live Your Legacy Now by Barbara Greenspan Shaiman

Live Your Legacy Now by Barbara Greenspan Shaiman is a book about the author’s life about how she survived the holocaust and realized she wants to strive to make meaning in her life and inspire others to do the same. Not only that, but she wants to guide people in improving their own life as well as the life of others.

Speaking in first person, Shaiman is able to write the book as the speaker and explain to the readers her point of view to inspire the readers on a more personal level. Her goal is to provide the readers with tools and strategies to help them create significant and meaningful change in other people’s lives and their own. In her memoir, she is able to become vulnerable in her approach to making her audience feel motivated to create meaning to life.

She structures her ten step system within sections. She splits it up this way to make the topic sentences bold so the readers can either skip steps to find one’s they need to look over again or draw attention to the main ideas of each step. The process analysis mode is used to help direct her audience so they have a step by step understanding to her process and how she plans to help people achieve her mission. Some steps listed include: “Identify your core values, interests, and skills, Reflect on how you can use these assets to create meaningful projects that make a difference locally or globally, Share these experiences with family, colleagues, and friends to create cultures of caring at home, at work, and in your community.” Her step by step system is written in this way to guide the reader in a quick and easy fashion so make her process simplistic and not hard to follow.

Her step by step system appeals to a large audience making her purpose achievable in every socioeconomic background possible. This way, she is able to see her system applied amongst all backgrounds allowing everyone a chance to try and make a positive change in their life and the lives of others.

TOW #11: Chief Seattle's “Oration of 1854”

Chief Seattle was a native man who was wise and led his people with great soul. Governor Stevens came to his land and said that he was now in charge of the Indian affairs. He gave a speech describing his plan for the Indians and Chief Seattle gave this speech in response.

In his speech, he mainly uses compare and contrast to emphasize the differences between the white man and the natives as well as to educate the Governor about his people and their lifestyle. He says in the beginning how there are “hostilities between the red man and his pale-face brothers” to create labels for them based on race (6). All of the contrasts said after stem from their race. Not only are white men more populated but have a God that “cannot love his red children” (9). The Chief continuously argues that their God hates his people and only loves his white children. Therefore, they “are two distinct races and must remain so” (10). The paragraphs full of contrast show not only how many differences there are but show that the native people are not going to be so simply accepting of the proposal presented to them by the white man.

Chief Seattle also continues to educate the white man about his people and religion so they have a better understanding of who they are before they agree to give up land. The native people’s land is sacred to them and they value every inch of it unlike the white man. He says, “The ashes of our ancestors are sacred and their final resting place is hallowed ground, while you wander away from the tombs of your father’s seemingly without regret” (10). Chief Seattle believes that their lives are very different and wants the white man to understand how they live, approach religion, and how they worship and treat the dead because they are values and concepts not adopted by the white man. Chief Seattle makes remarks about their culture and way of life so the white man can do with the land as the original owners (the natives) wanted and intended the land to be like. Their values are strong and they hold true to them.

At the end of the speech he makes a final remark about the potential result of agreeing to the proposition. He says that the natives want the white man to understand that the “white man will never be alone” (20). Chief Seattle makes it clear that they take pride in their ancestors and they stay with them in their burial ground. The white man cannot remove what was already left their by the natives and no matter what they cannot change that.