Lecture Notes: Analyzing Rhetoric in Speeches

Introduction

• Presenters: Andrew and Dave from IB English.
• Focus: Analyzing powerful speeches using rhetoric.
• Aim: Understanding how rhetoric is used to inform and persuade.
  • Thanks to Maggie Hagan for providing speeches.
• Speeches Discussed:
  • A speech from a film based on a true story from the 1970s.
  • A speech from Barack Obama's 2008 political campaign.

Key Concepts in Speech Analysis

• Ethos: Speaker credibility through humor, reputation, or background.
• Pathos: Evoking emotional responses from the audience.
• Logos: Logic and reasoning supported by facts, statistics, or authority.
• Modality: Degree of certainty in language.
  • High modality: Words like "must."
  • Low modality: Words like "might."
• Structural Moves:
  • Organization of speech (e.g., beginning with anecdotes, concluding by circling back).
  • Sentence-level structure (e.g., repetition, anaphora, antithesis).
• Language Moves:
  • Use of connotations, hyperbole, varied tone, mood/atmosphere.
  • Metaphors and motifs to shape meaning.

Speech from "Remember the Titans"

• Context:
  • Film: Based on 1970s Virginia high school integration.
  • Coach Boone speaks to his football team at Gettysburg.
  • Team is racially divided (50% African-American, 50% white).
• Speech Features:
  • Connection of Past and Present: Locating in Gettysburg links historical fights to current struggles.
  • Ethos: Use of hypophora (posing a question and answering it).
  • Language Techniques:
    • Imagery: Violent and visual imagery of war and bloodshed.
    • Pathos: Emotional appeal through graphic descriptions.
    • Inclusive Language: Repeated use of "we" to foster unity.
    • Juxtaposition: Past vs. present struggles.

Annotations of "Remember the Titans" Speech

• First Paragraph: Connects past and present through location and ongoing struggle.
  • Hypophora and colloquial language.
• Second Paragraph: Depicts violent imagery of the Civil War.
  • Visual and color imagery (green/red contrast).
• Third Paragraph:
  • Highlights destructiveness of hatred.
  • Inclusive language emphasizes unity.
  • Metaphor of dying on the field metaphorically.

Conclusion

• Provided a framework for analyzing speeches using rhetoric.
• Encouraged viewers to think about global issues and develop comparative skills for future analysis.
• Next session will focus on comparing speeches and enhancing personal speech delivery skills.

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Note: The video includes a clip of Denzel Washington performing the speech; viewers are encouraged to watch for further understanding.