An Analysis of Top Speeches: McConaughey, MLK, & More - Essay Sample

Introduction

The speeches analyzed in the essay are among the top speeches of all time, and still bear essential figures of speech and other forms of literature.

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Analyses

1. Matthew McConaughey's Oscar Acceptance Speech, 2014.

McConaughey previewed his speech by appreciating the hosts of the event, the Academy, as well as the audience for attending. After that, he exhibits full control over his pace and goes on to give a roadmap of his speech, which highlights three main points for his speech. The roadmap is so natural and contains simple words that would be used in a normal conversation.Matthew's three points were based on three things he needs each day. These include something to look up to; something to look forward to; and someone to chase.

McConaughey uses the chronological speech pattern, in which he puts across the three main points that he mentioned as his roadmap. He makes sure to explain each of the points while providing relevant examples for the audience to relate to. This is done in order of how the items were listed in the introduction.

Matthew reviews his main points at his final bullet point. He uniquely pulls off his speech by tying everything back together using the three points he relayed. He also concludes his speech with three words "alright, alright, and alright" (Matthew, 2014), which is symbolic to the three points addressed.

2. Lupita Nyongo's Speech on Black Beauty, 2014.

A. Black Beauty. She used storytelling in her speech to connect with her audience. She told the audience of how her mum encouraged her back in the days and about a letter sent to her by a fan who she inspired. Lupita also made her speech short and sweet making it memorable to the audience.

B. Power language is mostly used to create images in the mind of the audience. Lupita used metaphors when she explained how she felt when her fan sent her the letter. She said, "My heart bled a little when I read those words" (Lupita, 2014). She also used other imagery in her speech as when she said what her mother used to tell her that you can't eat beauty.

3. Verbal and Non-Verbal Delivery from Amy Cuddy's TED Talk "Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are."

Verbal delivery in the speech was efficient as the speaker was audible enough for the audience as there were fewer questions and the audience is seen concentrating and listening keenly to the speaker. The talk itself told us how participating in class can have an impact on your body language. Pronunciation was good enough for the audience as they laughed and clapped signifying that they were following. Rate of speaking of the speaker was also up to the audience's satisfaction.

Non-verbal delivery in the talk was used in the form of the tone of the speaker such as when she is asking a question. Also, facial expressions and gestures were used to convey the message. The talk itself talked about nonverbal communication such as power and dominance as well as powerlessness.

4. Lee Mokobe's TED Talk "A Powerful Poem about what it feels like to be Transgender."

The attention getter and closing remark of the poem exhibit a strong connection in that at the start, the persona blames God for creating him that way; but at the end, he thanks God for making him understand that he was perfectly created the way he is. So there is the aspect of conflict in the two sections.

"I was the mystery of an anatomy, a question asked but not answered", "Can you see how easy it is to talk people into coffins", and "I befriended silence in the hopes that my sin would burn" (Lee, 2015).

"She fears that I'll die without a whisper, that I'll turn into "what a shame" conversations at the bus stop"; "She claims I have turned myself into a mausoleum, that I am a walking casket, news headlines have turned my identity into a spectacle, Bruce Jenner on everyone's lips while the brutality of living in this body becomes an asterisk at the bottom of equality pages"; and "Can you see how easy it is to talk people into coffins,to misspell their names on gravestones" (Lee, 2015).

Pathos was an essential tool of persuasion in the poem. Pathos employed in the poem helped to stir up emotions in the audience, such as pity, sympathy, and sorrow. Besides, this style helped in making the audience digest the challenges, such as stigma, that transgender people encounter.

Their pop culture references are useful in connecting with the audience. This is because such references are familiar to the general public. For instance, the mention of Bruce Jenner helps relate to the issue of transgender and how Bruce was the headline of media platforms because of gender-related issues.

Juxtaposition used in the poem creates conflict in the message being conveyed. It also poses irony as to how one would seek for a helping hand in God, yet nothing can be done since creation is permanent.