What Makes A Great Speech So Memorable?

Among all of the famous orators in history, one man who deserves to be remembered well is Sir Winston Churchill. His excellent use of rhetorical devices in his speeches, especially in "The Defense of Freedom and Peace", is inspiring and thought-stimulating to his audience. Whether using the rhetorical question or the allusion or some other device, Churchill employs it in ways that are persuasive and relatable. His speech is plain in that no unnecessarily large or obscure words are used, but his uses of literary devices add beauty and elegance to the message Churchill is attempting to relay. Yet his use of rhetoric is strong, calling forth great emotions and resolves to see Hitler destroyed like Actaeon and to resist digestion by the Nazi beast that seized and devoured Czechoslovakia. It is, in fact, Churchill's brilliant employment of rhetorical devices that make his speeches inspiring and worth remembering years after

Because of these three rhetorical devices, Thatcher’s eulogy appeals to the emotions of her audience. It reflects the loss of a singular dedicated, and hardworking man, who brought peace during times of war and

The Gettysburg Address is one of the most famous speeches in American history. The History Place indicates that on November 19, 1863 President Abraham Lincoln went to a battle field positioned in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania where three dreadful days of battle occurred called the Battle of Gettysburg. While he was attending the battle field to dedicate it as a national cemetery, he read his speech to the public. After the main orator, Edward Everett of Massachusetts, delivered his speech that lasted about two hours, it was Lincoln’s turn. Everyone was shocked that it only lasted a little over two minutes. The speech talked about the men who fought in the Civil War to help create the nation people have today: that it is only fair to honor them

Lincoln’s speech in the Gettysburg Address lasted about two minutes and only few from the large audience comprehended what he had stated (Cochran 1). It was over so quickly that the audience lacked an applause (Cochran 1). Lincoln was very self conscious of his speeches and with a lack of an applause from the large audience, it made lincoln believe that he had failed them. Though they hadn’t understood what he meant at that moment in time, from this day forward Lincoln’s speech had become one of the best speeches in American History that gave a purpose to the nation.

Repetition is the final key rhetorical device in the address. Two examples of repetition are in the opening statement of the Gettysburg Address which set the repetitious nature of the whole speech. Common expression, such as “we,” “our,” and “us,” is used to tie the entire address together, but this set of repletion is outweighed by the other. The word “dedicated” has been used in the speech to not only tie the entire speech together but to also appeal to pathos, an emotional appeal. The words “I” and “you” are absent from the speech, instead Lincoln uses words such as “we,” “our,” and “us,” to include the people of the Union and the Confederacy to unite both parties as a whole under the one

The Gettysburg speech was short, sharp, powerful and one to remember. Still to this day it remains to a well known, well respected speech.

Throughout history, there have been very memorable texts. A lot of these texts have used rhetorical strategies to leave an impact on everyone that reads them. One text that resonated with me was written during the Civil Rights era, when America was being destroyed by segregation. That text is the “I Have a Dream” speech which was written by Civil Rights activist, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. During the course of the speech, King uses various rhetorical devices to persuade his audience to believe that one day black and white Americans will learn to peacefully coexist in society.

Queen Elizabeth wrote an inspiring speech to the Troops who fought for the Armada about their honor and power over this astonishing war. Alongside, Winston Churchill delivered a majestical yet powerful speech about the issue dealing with battle of Britain and the unifications needing to be healed. Queen Elizabeth and Winston Churchill both delivered exhilarating speeches to their troops and counties with the battle of Britain. The Queen delivers her speech to the courageous group of men and women who fought this rigid, enduring war. While Winston delivers his speech to the House of Commons. While analyzing and juxtaposing these two speeches and their contrastive audiences; it is very mere to see the compelling diction, dynamic emotion used in their speeches.

Abraham Lincoln is arguably one of the United States greatest presidents and is well-known for writing one of the most iconic literary pieces in American history, the Gettysburg Address. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is an outstanding 272-word oration, meant to have been a “few appropriate remarks” (Wills), yet it is considered to be one of the greatest speeches ever written, and rightly so. However, Lincoln was not the only one that gave a Gettysburg Address at the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, nor was he “the star of the show” (Emberton). Today, many have forgotten the name of Edward Everett and the importance and value of his Gettysburg Address. Edward Everett was chosen as the main speaker at the ceremony and gave a 2-hour oration, preceding Lincoln’s 2-minute dedicatory remarks, that was highly praised among critics and the audience. Everett’s qualifications, his message within his speech, and his overall purpose have greatly contributed to the value of his Gettysburg Address. Today, it is clear to see that Lincoln’s Address has overshadowed Everett’s Address, but that wasn’t the case in 1863. The question left to answer, should Everett’s Gettysburg Address be considered just as valuable and praiseworthy as Lincoln’s speech?

Speeches have important roles in history with many different purposes. One of the great speeches in history is former U.S president Ronald Reagan’s “Berlin Wall” speech where he spoke about the importance of freedom to the German people and in an act of encouragement to the German people told Mikhail Gorbachev to “Tear down this wall!” Another amazing speech came when Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain gave a speech to 120 mutineers from the Maine regiment. This situation where he used a speech to rally 120 mutineer soldiers who were tired and defeated to come march with his corp who were already dwindling in numbers. How Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain’s character traits are shown by the speech,The words that resonate with me the reader, how viewing Chamberlain’s speech in the film Gettysburg enhances his words, and also how the two mediums of video and print compare.

The time of the speech was towards the end of the civil war, when the North and the South where still fighting after a bitter 4 year war. The battle of Gettysburg had already been fought and Lincoln had given the distinguished Gettysburg address just a few months before. He spoke of freedom, devotion, and the ideals for which he believed the Union stood. Lincoln had also already written the emancipation proclamation which had freed the slaves of the south in the previous year. The audience which

Queen Elizabeth uses rhetorical strategy and the style of her speech in order to help convey her message. By beginning her speech with, “My loving people”

According to Barbara Silberdick says “Students used to memorize 272 words, but it is not completely what Abraham Lincoln said during the Civil War, The words that students memorize is what Abraham Lincoln wrote by hand.” Back then The famous speech about the Gettysburg Address was an important one. The Gettysburg address was basically the battlefield cemetery of Pennsylvania. In his speech he also stated that all many were created equal no matter what color. Many people have disagreed about the speech that Abraham Lincoln gave but some have also said that it was good to bring the nation closer.

Our use of words and language has an immense impact on the messages we project. In Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Mark Antony uses strong speech making techniques to persuade the audience of his claim. Antony was a friend of Julius Caesar’s and speaks at his funeral. Brutus, another noble man like Antony, talks before him and causes the audience of Plebeians to believe that Caesar was a bad ruler and an unambitious man. Brutus claims that he believed he was helping his country by helping to kill Caesar. Mark Antony involves the use of repetition and irony to reverse the meanings of Brutus’ words, effective word choice and language to discredit Brutus, and theatrical gestures to sway the crowd of his claim that Caesar was a generous leader.

Giving a successful speech is difficult; however, it is quite gratifying once mastered. Convincing speeches are often compelling, inspiring, engaging, and unforgettable. In William Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, the character, Antony, has an adept, rhetorical knack that enables him to persuade others easily which goes to his advantage. As a result, Antony shows the power of rhetoric and language as well as their relationship to political power.