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Manchester COMM 1301 Public Speaking - S. Davis

Steve Jobs Commencement Speech

Historical Speech Analysis Paper

Public Speaking

Historical Speech Analysis Paper

Choose one of the iconic speeches from the attached list and write a paper analyzing its use of the five canons of rhetoric – invention, arrangement, style, memory and delivery - which we discussed in class. A copy of the Powerpoint used to discuss the canons is available on Blackboard under Course Content, Powerpoints.

Use the canons to organize the body of the paper. Start off with a paragraph introducing the speech and the speaker, explore each canon in its own paragraph and then conclude the paper. You must use at least 3 sources for this assignment. More is fine, less is not. The speech itself – in any format, like print and video – is one source. You need at least two others, like a newspaper article, book or other source that addresses the speech in some way. Cite your sources using MLA style, both within the paper and at the end on a Works Cited page. (See the MCC library home page for an MLA guide). 

  1. Canon of Invention: What is the topic of the speech, who is the audience and what is the setting? Do some research to learn the context that the speech took place within. For example, what was going on at the time the speech was given and what was its purpose overall? Was it to inform or persuade? What led this speaker to give that speech at that time? Be specific.
  2. Canon of Disposition: Was the speech organized? Could you identify the main points? How were the ideas connected? Again, be specific.
  3. Canon of Style: Address the style of the speech. Was the language casual or formal? Was it accessible to those we imagine were in the audience? Did the speaker use any literary techniques like repetition or metaphor to emphasize their message. Give one specific example from the content of the speech you related to as a member of the audience.
  4. Canon of Memory: How does it appear the speaker learned the speech? Was it memorized, manuscript, extemporaneous or impromptu? Was that appropriate given the topic, the audience, the setting and the time period?
  5. Canon of Delivery: How was the speaker’s delivery? What did you think of their enthusiasm?  Did the speaker use everything at their disposal to deliver the speech like facial expressions and hand gestures?
  6. Overall: Do you think this was a successful speech?  If so, why?  If not, why not?  At the conclusion of the speech what feelings did you have about the topic, the speaker?

Your goal is not to tell me what was in the speech – so and so said this - but to analyze how what is in the speech is, or is not, an example of the use of the 5 canons of rhetoric. For example, "MLK used the extemporaneous delivery technique in his “I Have a Dream” speech. This was appropriate because he was able to maintain some eye contact with the large audience and make use of hand gestures." Certainly, you may quote the speech, but only to use that quote as an example of the use of one of the canons.

Type up your analysis in 3-5 pages, double-spaced. At the top of your first page list your name, the name of the speaker and the title of the speech. A cover page is not necessary. This assignment is due on the day given by the professor during class. You must submit it on Blackboard AND turn in a hard copy in class. Both the online submission and the hard copy are REQUIRED for the paper to be considered turned in. No handwritten or late assignments will be accepted. 

You must get a draft of your paper seen by a tutor at the Academic Support Center (ASC) and turn in a signed form confirming your visit. ASC tutors will not proofread your paper only nor will they sign the required form without reading your paper! There will be copies of the Tutoring Form in the ASC, just ask for one. To count, the form must be filled out and signed by the tutor who assisted you with your paper. If you have a virtual session then just ask the tutor to email me directly about your visit to my email address, sdavis@mcc.commnet.edu.

The signed tutoring form needs to be turned in with the hard copy of the paper or emailed by the due date.  It will not be accepted late.

This assignment must be completed without the assistance of any Artificial Intelligence (AI) interactive systems like ChatGPT, CourseHero, Chegg, and/or any all and similar sites.  These sites should not be used for “tutoring,” seeking “expert answers,” “getting ideas for how to respond…”, “seeing what other students did” or for any other reason. Additionally, sites like “Quillbot” or other websites or software that paraphrase or summarize class materials, or rewrite your text are not acceptable submissions for this assignment. Use of any of these sites often leads to knowing or unknowing plagiarism, or the suspicion of plagiarism, any of which can lead to the implementation of the plagiarism policy for this course, which, stated in the syllabus, is a grade "F" for the course.

This assignment is worth 200 points, 150 points for the paper and 50 for the tutoring session. If you do not complete the tutoring session you forfeit 50 points of the paper’s grade.

Below is the list of speeches from which you may choose for this assignment. You may only use one of the speeches listed here for this paper:

  1. Martin Luther King Jr. “I have been to the Mountaintop” 
  2. John F. Kennedy Inaugural Address 
  3. Franklin Delano Roosevelt Pearl Harbor
  4. Barack Obama “A More Perfect Union” & Speech to the Democratic National Committee 2004
  5. Steve Jobs Commencement Address 
  6. Ronald Reagan “Address to Nation on the Challenger” 
  7. Hillary Rodham Clinton “Women’s Rights are Human Rights” 
  8. Michelle Obama 2016 Democratic National Convention Address 

Websites

Photography of Abraham Lincoln

Films on Demand

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Great Speeches Series - Find thousands of famous speeches in one place!