Speeches that Inspire, Speeches that Spit Fire

JFK’s 1963 “peace speech” at American University primarily emphasised:

• The impossibility of peace

• The need for mutual understanding between nations

• U.S. nuclear superiority

• The League of Nations’ legacy

• A call to arms

Red Jacket’s 1805 speech The White Man and the Red protested:

• Native Americans losing their land

• Forced religious conversion

• U.S. taxation on tribes

• Military recruitment of Indigenous people

• Expansion of slavery

Haile Selassie’s 1936 League of Nations speech condemned:

• Soviet invasion

• Italian aggression in Ethiopia

• British imperialism in India

• Japanese expansion in Asia

• U.S. neutrality acts

Robert Menzies’s “Forgotten People” speech was primarily about:

• The struggles of middle-class Australians

• The plight of Indigenous Australians

• Conscription during WWII

• The Labour Party

• Women’s suffrage

Nehru’s “A Tryst with Destiny” (1947) celebrated:

• Pakistan’s creation

• India’s independence from Britain

• Gandhi’s philosophy

• Churchill’s war leadership

• The United Nations

Which rhetorical technique is most visible in Nehru’s speech?

• Pathos and poetic imagery

• Sarcasm

• Repetition of statistics

• Humour and satire

• Silence

Why did some view JFK’s peace speech as naïve?

• He underestimated Cold War rivalries

• He ignored Europe’s role

• He praised communism

• He avoided nuclear issues

• He denied U.S. involvement in wars

William Wallace’s Braveheart speech is remembered for appealing to:

• Scottish nationalism and freedom

• Religious authority

• English loyalty

• Wealth and trade

• Royal power

President Whitmore’s Independence Day speech succeeded because it:

• Emphasised shared human struggle against aliens

• Focused only on American bravery

• Used sarcasm

• Mocked enemy weakness

• Avoided emotion

The West Wing’s “streets of heaven” speech is powerful because of its:

• Religious and poetic imagery

• Scientific detail

• Humorous delivery

• Absence of pathos

• Criticism of opponents