UNIT EIGHT:  SPEECH WRITING

UNIT EIGHT:  SPEECH WRITING

The Short Prose Reader Assignments:  Read in The Short Prose Reader "I Have a Dream" (466-474).

Read Model Speeches on Course Page below: "Gettysburg Address," "On the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr." and "President Obama's First Inaugural Address"

Review the Pro / Con web site and choose a controversial topic to address in your speech.

Short Paper:   Speech Paper

Model Speeches:

Abraham Lincoln "Gettysburg Address":

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. (Begin the same sentence)

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. (Triple parallel structure sentence) The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. (Dual parallel sentence) It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us.   (Begin the same sentence)-- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. (triple parallel structure sentence)

Abraham Lincoln

November 19, 1863

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free; one hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination; one hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity; one hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land. (parallel structure: four times) and (begin the same sentences)

So we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition. In a sense we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was the promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note in so far as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so we have come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy; now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice; now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood; now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children. It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content, will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the worn threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protests to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy, which has engulfed the Negro community, must not lead us to a distrust of all white people. For many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of Civil Rights, “When will you be satisfied?” We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality; we can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities; we cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one; we can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating “For Whites Only”; we cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro in Mississippi cannot vote, and the Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No! no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until “justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations.  Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi. Go back to Alabama. Go back to South Carolina. Go back to Georgia. Go back to Louisiana. Go back to the slums and ghettos of our Northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.  Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I HAVE A DREAM TODAY!

I have a dream that one day down in Alabama — with its vicious racists, with its Governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification — one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I HAVE A DREAM TODAY!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low. The rough places will be plain and the crooked places will be made straight, “and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.  With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brother-hood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.  And this will be the day. This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning, “My country ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my father died, land of the pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring.” And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire; let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York; let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania; let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado; let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that. Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia; let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee; let freedom ring from every hill and mole hill of Mississippi. “From every mountainside, let freedom ring.”

And when this happens, and when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: “Free at last. Free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.”

Source: Martin Luther King, Jr., I Have A Dream: Writings and Speeches that Changed the World, ed. James Melvin Washington (San Francisco: Harper, 1986), 102-106.

Robert Kennedy speech on the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.  (1968)

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I'm only going to talk to you just for a minute or so this evening, because I have some -- some very sad news for all of you -- Could you lower those signs, please? -- I have some very sad news for all of you, and, I think, sad news for all of our fellow citizens, and people who love peace all over the world; and that is that Martin Luther King was shot and was killed tonight in Memphis, Tennessee.

Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to justice between fellow human beings. He died in the cause of that effort. SUMMARIZE COUNTER ARGUMENT:  In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it's perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in. CONCEDE:  For those of you who are black -- considering the evidence evidently is that there were white people who were responsible -- you can be filled with bitterness, and with hatred, and a desire for revenge.

CONVERSE:  We can move in that direction as a country, in greater polarization -- black people amongst blacks, and white amongst whites, filled with hatred toward one another. Or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand, and to comprehend, and replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand, compassion, and love.

For those of you who are black and are tempted to fill with -- be filled with hatred and mistrust of the injustice of such an act, against all white people, I would only say that I can also feel in my own heart the same kind of feeling. I had a member of my family killed, but he was killed by a white man.

But we have to make an effort in the United States. We have to make an effort to understand, to get beyond, or go beyond these rather difficult times.

My favorite poem, my -- my favorite poet was Aeschylus. And he once wrote:

Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget

falls drop by drop upon the heart,

until, in our own despair,

against our will,

comes wisdom

through the awful grace of God.

What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love, and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black.

So I ask you tonight to return home, to say a prayer for the family of Martin Luther King -- yeah, it's true -- but more importantly to say a prayer for our own country, which all of us love -- a prayer for understanding and that compassion of which I spoke.

We can do well in this country. We will have difficult times. We've had difficult times in the past, but we -- and we will have difficult times in the future. It is not the end of violence; it is not the end of lawlessness; and it's not the end of disorder.

But the vast majority of white people and the vast majority of black people in this country want to live together, want to improve the quality of our life, and want justice for all human beings that abide in our land.

And let's dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world. Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people.

Thank you very much.

--------------------------------------

#17  VARY YOUR SENTENCE STRUCTURES:  notice how Robert F. Kennedy employs anaphoristic, dovetail, and triple paralle structure sentences with short declarative sentences to emphasize key phrases

-  Dual parallel sentence: a parallel structure that opposes two phrases or clauses.

(Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.)

(Avoid making careless errors in your sentences; do not avoid experimenting with new sentence structures.)

-  Triple parallel sentence: a parallel structure that strings three phrases in a series.  

(Every man who has ever undertaken to instruct others can tell what slow advances he has been able to make, and how much patience it requires to recall vagrant inattention, to stimulate sluggish indifference, and to rectify pervasive apathy.)

-   Dovetailed sentence: sentence structures that use the last word of the last independent clause as the first word in the new or second independent clause.  

(He talked at length about the war game. Game, however, is an inappropriate term for strategies that lead to death.)

-  Begin-the-same (anaphoristic) sentences: sentences that employ anaphoras or the repetition of words or phrases that begin sentences.  

(The flies tormented the donkeys. The flies buzzed around the heads of the porters. The flies buzzed and hissed around our tent until we were driven to complete madness.)

-   End-the-same sentences: sentences that repeat words or phrases that occur at the ends of sentences.  

(Most of the errors you make in this essay are unacceptable. Comma splices are unacceptable. Fragments are unacceptable. Inconsistencies in tense and person are unacceptable. With misspellings, almost every word you have written is unacceptable.)

-   “The And” (paratactic) sentence: sentences that add conjunctions where they are not normally present in a series.  

(The endless panoply of tears and scowls and guilt and contempt and boredom and self-loathing will never cease to depress me.)

(I lover her and I need her and I can’t live without her and I will do anything to be with her.)

First Inaugural Address  (2008)

By President Barack Hussein Obama

My fellow citizens:  I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you've bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors (triple parallel). 

I thank President Bush for his service to our nation -- (applause) -- as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath.  The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace.  Yet, every so often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms.  At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we, the people, have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears and true to our founding documents. 

So it has been; so it must be with this generation of Americans. (dual parallel)

SUMMARIZE THE COUNTER ARGUMENT:  That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood.  Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred.  Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.  Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. (triple parallel).  Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many -- and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics.  Less measurable, but no less profound, is a sapping of confidence across our land; a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sights. (dual parallel)

CONCEDE:  Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real.  They are serious and they are many.  They will not be met easily or in a short span of time.  But know this America:  They will be met.  (Applause.)

CONVERSE:  On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.  (dual parallel)  On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics.   (dual parallel)  We remain a young nation. (simple declarative) But in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things.  The time has come (begin the same sentence) to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea passed on from generation to generation:  the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.  (triple parallel)

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation we understand that greatness is never a given.  It must be earned.  (simple declarative)  Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less.  It has not been the path for the faint-hearted, for those that prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.  Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.  (triple parallel)

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.  For us, they toiled in sweatshops, and settled the West, endured the lash of the whip, and plowed the hard earth.  For us, they fought and died in places like Concord and Gettysburg, Normandy and Khe Sahn. (begin the same sentence) 

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life.  They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions, greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction. (dual parallel)

This is the journey we continue today. (simple declarative)  We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth.  Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began.  Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week, or last month, or last year.  Our capacity remains undiminished. (begin the same sentence)   But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed.  Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.   (triple parallel)

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.  The state of our economy calls for action, bold and swift.  And we will act, not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth.  We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.  We'll restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost.  We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories.  And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.  All this we can do.  All this we will do. (begin the same sentence) 

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans.  Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.  What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.  (dual parallel)

The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works -- whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.  Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward.  Where the answer is no, programs will end.  (begin the same sentence)  And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account, to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.  (triple parallel)

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill.  Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched.  But this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control.  The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.  The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity, on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.    (dual parallel)  (Applause.)

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.  Our Founding Fathers -- our Founding Fathers, faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man -- a charter expanded by the blood of generations.  Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience sake.  

And so, to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born, know that America is a friend of each nation, and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity.  And we are ready to lead once more.  (Applause.)

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.  They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please.  Instead they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.   (triple parallel)

We are the keepers of this legacy. (simple declarative)  Guided by these principles once more we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort, even greater cooperation and understanding between nations.  We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan.  With old friends and former foes, we'll work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet.

We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense.  And for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken -- you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.  (Applause.)

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness.  We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers.   (almost triple parallel) We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.  (dual parallel) To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.  (Applause.)  

To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.  (dual parallel) (Applause.)

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.  (begin the same sentence)   And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders, nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect.  For the world has changed, and we must change with it. (dovetail sentence)

As we consider the role that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who at this very hour patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains.  They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. 

We honor them not only because they are the guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service -- a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves.  (dual parallel sentence)

And yet at this moment, a moment that will define a generation, it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all. (dovetail sentence) For as much as government can do, and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.  It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours.  It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child that finally decides our fate. (begin the same sentence) 

Our challenges may be new. (simple declarative) The instruments with which we meet them may be new. (end the same sentence) But those values upon which our success depends -- honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old.  These things are true. (simple declarative)  They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. 

What is demanded, then, is a return to these truths.  What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition on the part of every American that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept, but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task. (begin the same sentence) 

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.  This is the source of our confidence -- the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.  This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed, why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall; and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served in a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.  (begin the same sentence)   (Applause.)

So let us mark this day with remembrance of who we are and how far we have traveled.  In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river.  The capital was abandoned.  The enemy was advancing. (simple declarative)  The snow was stained with blood. (simple declarative)   At the moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words to be read to the people: 

"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America:  In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words.  With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come.  Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Thank you.  God bless you.  And God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)

Persuasive Speech Assignment

Writing Invitation

For this assignment, we invite you to choose an issue about which there are two or more viewpoints and then research and defend one of these viewpoints in a concise, thoughtful, and persuasive speech which you will deliver in class. Speaking carefully, developing the counter arguments (#49), conceding points (#50), and conversing within this context through your argument (#51). Here, we’d like you to join this tradition by selecting an issue that matters to you and taking a side.

Review the Pro / Con web site and choose a controversial topic to address in your speech.

A. Topic

The topic must be presently open for debate and approved by the teacher. For example:

B. Length

The speech should be 8-10 minutes in length. You will be graded on time management, so rehearsal is strongly recommended.

C. Presentation

You will be graded on the following:

✓ speaking from notes, not from memory (but not reading the speech)

✓ making eye contact with the audience

✓ speaking clearly, slowly, and with the appropriate volume

D. Research

Your project must include research. You need not go beyond the Pro / Con web site but you may.

Primary Secondary

• questionnaires • articles in magazines

• surveys         • articles in newspapers

• observations • books

• interviews • internet

You must cite at least three credible sources in your speech, naming the source for the information you use. Two of these sources of information should be a quote, which should be introduced and analyzed.

E. Organization

A. Introduction

• Opener

-Bridge

• Define necessary terms

• Give background and history of issue

B. Proposition

• What you propose should happen or be done

• Must be stated positively

C. Body Paragraphs

• Address the counter argument #49

-Logical appeals of counter argument: (passage and analysis?)

         -Emotional appeals of counter argument (passage and analysis?)

-Ethical appeals of counter argument (passage and analysis?)

-Concede a point or points #50

-Converse by developing your argument #51

-Logical appeals of your argument: (passage and analysis?)

         -Emotional appeals of your argument (passage and analysis?)

-Ethical appeals of your argument (passage and analysis?)

• Support and explanation (examples) for those reasons

D. Conclusion

• Restate proposition

• React to importance of the issue and your solution

            • Call to action

Persuasive Speech Topics

You may choose a different topic from your persuasive paper from the PRO / CON LIST and use the research provided under these topics from this link.

The persuasive papaer topics were:

1.  Is Standardized Testing Improving Education?

2.  Should Law Enforcement be Allowed to Racial Profile?

3.  Should Illegal Immigrants be allowed to become Citizens?

4.  Should Performance Enhancing Drugs be allowed in sports?

5.  Are Social Networking Sites Good for our Society?

or you may choose any of the topics from this link or below and conduct your own research:  

Debate Topics

The 50+ main debate topics at ProCon.org are listed below along with their respective core questions. Our topics are presented in one of two types of ProCon.org websites. A "standard" site  consists of many pro/con questions and expert responses related to the debate topic and takes more than 1,500 hours for us to build. A "micro" site  takes about 400 hours to build and offers the top pro and con arguments of one core question. Both types of sites also have left column research projects, historical backgrounds, readers' comments, quotes, photos, and more.

Debate Topics on ProCon.org Issue Sites

OTHER TOPICS TO BE CONSIDERED:

Acid Rain

Adoption

o Should adoption rulings be reversed (i.e. Baby Richard)?

o Should interracial adoption be allowed?

o Should single parents or gays be allowed to adopt?

o Should adoption records remain sealed?

o When is a parent too old to adopt?

o Should the orphanage system be reestablished?

o Should foreign adoptions be encouraged?

Advertising

o Should beer advertising be banned from television?

Affirmative Action

An Aging Population

o Will an aging population be harmful to America?

o Should Social Security be rescued?

o Is the outlook for retirees bleak?

o Are nursing homes beneficial?

Aids

Alcohol

o Should the health benefits of alcohol be promoted?

o Is advertising liquor on television and radio irresponsible?

o Do television liquor ads promote underage drinking?

o Is Alcoholics Anonymous effective?

o Do children of alcoholics benefit from recovery groups?

American Foreign Policy

o Should the United States force democracy upon other nations?

o Does United States foreign aid harm other nations and/or the U.S.?

o Should a permanent UN military force be established?

o Should China be condemned as a violator of human rights?

o Did the Persian Gulf War weaken the U.S.?

American History

o Are women and African Americans treated fairly in American history textbooks?

o Was the Salem Witchcraft hysteria caused by a fear of women?

o Was the Mexican War an exercise in American imperialism?

o Have historians overemphasized the slavery issue as a cause of the Civil War?

o Was the New Deal an effective answer to the Great Depression?

o Was it necessary to drop the atomic bomb at the end of WWII?

o Did the antiwar movement prolong the war in Vietnam?

o Was Christopher Columbus a hero?

Animal Rights

o Should animals be used for experimentation and research?

o Should pets be neutered?

o Is eating meat detrimental?

o Is hunting animals morally acceptable?

o Do zoos preserve endangered species?

Birth Control

o Should condoms be distributed in schools?

o What is the truth about RU-486? (Birth control pill)

Body Art

Business

o Are CEO's paid too much?

Byron School Referendum

Capital Punishment

o Death Penalty - Yes or No?

o Should executions be televised?

Censorship

o Can a city ban offensive art?

o Should flag burning be banned?

o Are stronger child pornography laws needed?

o Should hate speech be tolerated?

o Should government funding of the arts be restricted?

o Are movie ratings effective in curbing violence?

o Should video games be censored?

o Should internet pornography be censored?

o Should television programs be censored?

Child Abuse

o Is child testimony in abuse cases generally credible?

o Can orphanages be beneficial for needy children?

o Is spanking detrimental to children?

Cloning

o Is cloning of humans ethical?

Consumerism

o Is consumerism killing the earth?

o Are Americans becoming too materialistic?

o Has the increase of large chain stores such as Walmart been beneficial to consumers and

their communities?

Crime and Criminals

o Does community-based policing prevent crime?

o Should violent juvenile criminals be tried as adults?

o Can prison boot camps reform young criminals?

o Do victims' rights threaten defendants' rights?

o Should tough laws target gangs?

o Is juvenile crime a serious problem in the schools?

o Does television violence contribute to juvenile crime?

o Are curfews effective and constitutional?

Discrimination

o Reverse Discrimination:  rejection of affirmative action

o Is affirmative action unnecessary and divisive?

o Are women victims of discrimination in the workplace?

o Have middle-class blacks overcome discrimination?

o Is Hispanic poverty caused by racism?

o Are Asian Americans a model minority?

Divorce

o Does divorce help or hurt children?

o Should it be more difficult to obtain a divorce?

Dress Codes

o Are student dress codes a violation of civil rights?

o Do student uniforms affect the culture of a school?

Cosmetic Surgery

o Is cosmetic surgery a good or bad thing?

o How old should you be to get cosmetic surgery?

Driver's License Requirements

o Should school dropouts lose their driver's licenses?

o Should the age requirement for driving be raised to 18?

Dropouts

o Should students be allowed to dropout from school before 18?

Drug Abuse

o Should pregnant addicts be prosecuted?

o Should the war on drugs be abandoned?

o Should employees be tested for drugs?

o Are the D.A.R.E. programs and other anti-drug programs effective?

o Should students' lockers and belongings be searched for drugs?

o Should student athletes be drug tested?

Drunk Driving

o How should drunk drivers be punished?

Eating and Food

o Are Americans eating themselves to death?

o Is vegetarianism a healthier way of life?

o Is eating meat a moral way of life?

o Is milk consumption harmful?

o Are vitamin supplements beneficial?

o Does our culture support eating disorders?

Education

o Should the government offer school vouchers?

o Does tenure help or hurt the educational system?

o Are teachers paid enough?

o Should school start later in the day?

o Is it more important to desegregate schools or have neighborhood schools?

o Should students be allowed to choose the school they attend?

o Should tracking and ability grouping be eliminated?

o Is home schooling an effective method of education?

o Should we have year-round school?

Elections

o What happened in the 2000 Presidential election?

o Should the electoral system be replaced?

Environmental Preservation

o Is consumerism killing the earth?

o Should recycling be required?

o Is global warming a serious threat?

o Are electric cars a good strategy for reducing air pollution?

o Is America's drinking water safe?

o Is nuclear power a viable energy source?

o Is the EPA effective?

Euthanasia

o The case for or against assisted suicide

o Do people have the right to die?

o Do hospices provide the best care for the dying?

o Are living wills beneficial?

o Should physician-assisted suicide be legalized?

Evolution vs. Creationism

Evolution vs. Creationism

Persuasive Speech Topics

o Should evolution be taught in schools?

Flu Shots

o Are flu shots necessary?

o Whose fault is the flu shot shortage?

Foreign Languages

o Why is it important to study foreign languages in school?

Gambling

o Is compulsive gambling an uncontrollable disease?

o Should casino gambling be prohibited?

Genetics

o Should genetically altered foods be sold?

o Could genetic screening of embryos harm society?

o Will genetically altered animals benefit humankind?

o Is DNA fingerprinting reliable?

Gun Control

-Should there be an individual right to bear arms?

Hate Crimes

o Should there be special laws against hate crimes?

o Should hate speech be tolerated?

Health Care and Insurance

o Should the government provide health coverage for everyone?

o Has managed care hurt patients' rights?

o Should health care be so expensive?

o Are mental disorders the same as other diseases and should they be funded equally?

o Is plastic surgery safe or necessary?

o Are there too many specialist physicians in the health care system?

o Is alternative medicine safe and effective?

o Can chiropractors help heal many ailments?

o Can mental attitude affect biological disease?

High School Graduation Requirements

o Should students be required to pass Regents Exams to graduate?

o Should students be required to fulfill community service before graduating?

o Should states require a minimum competency test for high school graduation?

Holidays

o Should we celebrate Columbus Day? Did he really discover America?

o Should we celebrate Halloween?

o Can we sing Christmas carols in school?

Homeless

o Is the extent of homelessness exaggerated?

o Can shelters help the homeless?

o Should the homeless be banned from cities?

Homosexuality

o Should gays be allowed to marry?

o Should gays be allowed in the military?

o Should school programs stress the acceptance of homosexuality?

o Can sexual orientation be changed?

o Is there a biological influence on male homosexuality?

Hunting

o Is hunting animals morally acceptable?

Immigration

o Are illegal immigrants harming America?

Persuasive Speech Topics

o Should America admit all immigrants?

Land Use

o Are we losing too much farmland to development?

o Are wetland regulations fair to property owners?

-Should we preserve more wilderness (3% of US land is designated wilderness)

Marijuana

o Should marijuana be legalized?

o Should doctors be able to prescribe marijuana for severely ill patients?

Media

o Does the press exploit private tragedy? (Princess Di, John F. Kennedy, Jr., etc.)

o Is there too much violence in the media?

o Are movie ratings effective in curbing violence?

o Does television violence contribute to juvenile crime?

Military and Defense

o Should we reinstate the draft?

o Should women be allowed to go to war?

o Should gays be allowed in the military?

o Should the U.S. retain a significant nuclear arsenal?

Motorcycles

o Should people riding motorcycles be legally required to wear helmets?

Music

o Does popular music teach immoral values?

o Should Napster be legal?

o Why is music and fine arts education so important?

National Language

o Should English be the National Language in the U.S.?

o Does bilingual education hold back a student's progress in the U.S.?

Parenting

o Should parents be held accountable for the actions of their children?

o Should parents spank their children? (Corporal punishment)

o Should male circumcision be commonplace?

o Do working mothers harm children?

o Does day-care harm children?

Police Brutality

Pornography

o Are stronger child pornography laws needed?

o Does pornography harm children?

o Should internet pornography be censored?

o Who decides what material is pornographic or not?

Prescription Drugs

o Should we be able to get prescription drugs from Canada?

o Is the FDA reliable and efficient?

o Are the drug companies running up the cost of health care?

Prisons

o Should prisons rehabilitate criminals?

o Do prisons create a criminal personality?

o Will building more prisons solve prison overcrowding?

o Can prison boot camps reform young criminals?

Prostitution

o Should prostitution be legalized?

Religion

o Should women be allowed to be priests?

o Should priests be allowed to marry?

o Should we be strict about the separation of church and state?

o Should the words "under God" be in the Pledge of Allegiance?

Reproduction

o How old is too old for a woman to give birth to a child?

o What are the rights of a father in an artificial insemination?

o Should pregnant mothers who smoke, drink and use drugs be prosecuted?

o Is surrogate mothering a valuable service?

Right to Privacy

o Is the government infringing on our rights to privacy?

Rights of Children and Teenagers

o Should children be allowed to divorce their parents?

o Should parents be informed of college students' grades or behavior?

o Should students' lockers and belongings be searched for drugs?

o Should student athletes be drug tested?

School Safety

o School safety - how much is too much?

o Is juvenile crime a serious problem in the schools?

School Year

o Should we have year-round school?

Sex Education

o Should we have sex education in schools?

o Should schools provide condoms?

o Can sex education programs prevent teenage pregnancy?

Sex Roles

o Is growing up tougher for boys than girls?

o Should men and women share domestic responsibilities?

o Has women's increased participation in the work force harmed society?

o Are women victims of discrimination in the workplace?

Smoking

o Should smoking be banned in all restaurants?

Special Education

o Should disabled children be mainstreamed?

Sports

o Should professional athletes be looked at as role models?

o Can competitive sports be unhealthy?

o Should college athletic programs be reformed?

o Has athletes' greed marred professional sports?

o Should steroids be banned from sports?

o Are professional athletes paid too much?

Stem Cell Research

Steroids

Street Racing

o Should street racing be legalized?

Tanning

o Should tanning be banned for teenagers?

Terrorism

Transplants

o Should we allow people to sell their organs for transplants?

o Should humans be allowed to receive animal organ transplants?

o Should newborns without brains be used as organ donors?

Video Games

o Do violent video games cause violence in people?

o Should video games be censored?

War in Iraq