MLK & Rhetoric

What is the definition of a speech?

• Formal address or discourse delivered to an audience
• A short amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person
• An account regarded as unreliable or hearsay

Select all of the following scenarios which are benefits or advantages of making a speech rather than writing:

• While you can “speak to” your audience while writing, you can “speak with” your audience when delivering a speech
• Unlike most authors, speakers can physically see and receive real-time response from their audience
• The audience can also see and hear the author; more personal, engaging and memorable

What are the three purposes of speech?

• Inform, persuade and convince
• Inform, entertain and sell
• Inform, persuade and entertain

In a speech, what is the importance of using repetition?

• Audiences don’t always listen very closely to the exact words you’re saying, so you need to repeat your key messages/ideas early and often
• The audience may not understand complex language, it may make the speaker sound like they are “droning on and on,” and the speaker needs time to breathe!
• A speaker should choose words which further relay their main idea and that the audience will understand and remember

In a speech, what is the importance of using limited complex sentences/phrases?

• Audiences don’t always listen very closely to the exact words you’re saying, so you need to repeat your key messages/ideas early and often
• The audience may not understand complex language, it may make the speaker sound like they are “droning on and on,” and the speaker needs time to breathe!
• A speaker should choose words which further relay their main idea and that the audience will understand and remember

In a speech, what is the importance of using focused word choice (diction)?

• Audiences don’t always listen very closely to the exact words you’re saying, so you need to repeat your key messages/ideas early and often
• The audience may not understand complex language, it may make the speaker sound like they are “droning on and on,” and the speaker needs time to breathe!
• A speaker should choose words which further relay their main idea and that the audience will understand and remember

When composing a speech, what are the two forms of repetition you should incorporate to deliver a powerful, memorable and clear message?

• Anaphora
• Epistrophe
• Apostrophe

What is the definition of the literary device, anaphora?

• Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses (sentences/lines)
• Repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses (sentences/lines)
• A punctuation mark used to indicate either possession or plurality

What is the definition of the literary device, epistrophe?

• Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses (sentences/lines)
• Repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive clauses (sentences/lines)
• A punctuation mark used to indicate either possession or plurality

What is the definition of rhetoric?

• A formal address or discourse delivered to an audience
• A formal written or spoken statement, especially one given in a court of law
• The art of speaking or writing effectively