Political speeches

Learning
outcome: Language in Cultural Context.

1 Which outcome

2 Area

3 Topic

1
Analyse how audience and purpose affect the structure
and content of texts.

2
the use of persuasive language in political speeches

3
Language and Power

1 Gettysburg address: http://www.ourdocuments.gov/print_friendly.php?flash=false&page=transcript&doc=36&title=Transcript+of+Gettysburg+Address+(1863)

2 Martin Luther King: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

3 Malcom X: The ballot or the bullet:
http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/065.html

4 Mubarrak Speech: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/20112221313603381.html

Assignments:

Lesson 1

1 All these speeches are based on
persuasion. Take 5 minutes and come up with words and phrases you think of as
persuasive.

2 Read the Gettysburg address and analyse
how he persuades his audience. Look at words, structure, rhythm, etc.

3 How does what you find reflect the
audience he was addressing? Does it sound like a proper speech or is there
anything odd about it?

4 Choose one of the group to read the
address out loud to the entire class.

Lesson 2

1
In addition to the elements you looked at in the Gettysburg
Address, also look at diction, pauses, intonation, etc. In short, anything
having to do with delivery.

2
How do these extra elements add to the persuasive
nature of the speech?

3
Are there any similarities between Lincoln’s and MLK’s
speech?

4
How does what you find reflect the audience they were
addressing?

Lesson 3

1
Look at the first 3 minutes of Mubarrak’s speech on
YouTube. (no subs)

2
Look and comment on his body language; gestures,
facial expressions, etc

3
Look at the video again with the text in front of you.
Underline the persuasive elements.

4
Now look at the MLK video again. Comment on the body
language here.

Lesson 4

Choose one of the following
assignments. Work in pairs, write together and have one of the two deliver the
speech!

1
Re-write the first 20 lines of Mubarrak’s speech in
the style of MLK and specify the audience.

2
Choose a local issue and write a speech on that. Who
are you addressing.

3
Write a speech for the Egyptian opposition, stronger
than Mubbarak’s speech. Specify your audience!

Evaluate the speeches of each group. Why are
they effective or not?