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Five Lessons in Speechwriting

Five Lessons in Speechwriting. as taken from MLK Jr.’s speech. Five Key Lessons in Speechwriting. Emphasize phrases by repeating at the beginning of sentences Repeat key “theme” words throughout the speech Utilize appropriate quotations or allusions

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Five Lessons in Speechwriting

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  1. Five Lessons in Speechwriting as taken from MLK Jr.’s speech

  2. Five Key Lessons in Speechwriting • Emphasize phrases by repeating at the beginning of sentences • Repeat key “theme” words throughout the speech • Utilize appropriate quotations or allusions • Use specific examples to “ground” your arguments • Use metaphors to highlight contrasting concepts

  3. Lesson #1 • WORDS YOU NEED TO KNOW: • ANAPHORA - repeating words at the beginning of neighboring clauses. • Anaphora is a commonly used rhetorical device. Repeating the words twice sets the pattern and further repetitions emphasize the pattern and increase the rhetorical effect. • Examples • I have a dream… • One hundred years later…

  4. LESSON #2 • Repetition in forms like anaphora is quite obvious, but there are more subtle ways to use repetition. • One way is to repeat key “theme” words throughout the body of the speech. • If you count the frequency of words in King’s speech, interesting patterns emerge. The most common word reveals one of the primary themes of the speech.

  5. MLK Speech – Aug. 28, 1963 • Watch the video here.

  6. RECAP LESSONS 1-2 • In your own words, define anaphora. • Why is anaphora an effective literary device? • Consider more subtle forms of repetition. What purpose do frequently repeated (stand alone) words serve? • What does the frequency of these words reveal? • What patterns might you observe? (Consider the words we looked at last class.)

  7. LESSON #3 • WORDS YOU SHOULD KNOW: • ALLUSION is a reference made in a literary text to another text, a person, place, historical or contemporary event, artwork, or element of popular culture. • Allusions may be executed explicitly (through a direct quotation) or implicitly (with an allusion.) • Implicit is indirect or implied • Explicit is direct or stated outright • You can improve the credibility of your arguments by referring to the(appropriate) words of credible speakers/writers in your speech

  8. Lesson #3 cont’d. • Examples: • In her diary, she nicknamed her best friend Narcissus because of her self-centered attitude. • Rosa Park’s promethean example set the wheels of the civil rights movement in motion. • Don’t fly too close to the sun. • Sticking to the training schedule for track was nothing short of a Herculean effort. • Avoiding procrastination is my Achilles heel.

  9. Lesson #4 • Your speech is greatly improved when you provide specific examples which illustrate your logical arguments • One way MLK Jr. accomplishes this is to make numerous geographic references throughout the speech. • What geographic references does King make? • What is the significance of mentioning Mississippi on multiple occasions? • What purpose does it serve for King to reference “slums and ghettos,” “the South,” and “every mountainside.”

  10. Lesson #5 • Metaphors allow you to associate your speech concepts with concrete images and emotions. • To highlight the contrast between two abstract concepts, consider associating them with contrasting concrete metaphors. • Example: • Contrast segregation with racial justice • King evokes the contrasting metaphors of dark and desolate valley (segregation) and sunlit path (racial justice.)

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