How Coca-Cola Formed the Modern Santa

Since we're focusing on advertising again now for our creative writing things, I thought this would be somewhat relevant:
http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/12/15/how-coca-cola-helped-shape-the-modern-day-santa/?hpt=li_mid
Over most of time, there have been different images of Father Christmas/Saint Nick/Santa/Sinterklaas/whatever he's called elsewhere.  Like how traditionally in some countries he'd wear green, and so on.  However, due to effective marketing by Coke, the first image that pops into people's heads worldwide is a fat man in a bright (Coke) red suit.  Not a Turkish guy who apparently prefered wearing green, which is who the character's based on.

Reflection on the Persuasive speech presentations:

1) Which speech did you find the most persuasive?

All of the speeches were very persuasive and each one had a different issue that it tackled and tried to persuade us to side along with their position from it. I would have to say that I couldn’t chose one and so I narrowed it down to the top four which are the following: “The right of Palestine to statehood”, “Is cosmetic surgery really necessary?”, “The killing of children under the age of 18” and “Whether children should be given technology?”. All of these speeches really convinced me and I felt that they had a strong presentation aspect to them.

2) What about the speech made it persuasive? Inspiring delivery? Relevant topic? Strong rhetoric?

The one I will chose to answer these questions for is “Is cosmetic surgery really necessary?” The main thing that made this speech persuasive is the presentation of it. The delivery was a bit of both very natural and very professional, and I believe that is what made it so successful. The topic was also very interesting as I was immediately drawn into what Jana was saying. I found that she used all three different rhetorical techniques into a nice mesh equally dividing the availability of each one. For instance, for logos, she used the example of the North Korean plastic surgery addict and that just moved us all to her position from the matter. She also mentioned a variety of statistics that were all in favor of her persuasive speech. In addition to this she used the rhetorical method of pathos; she did this by aiming the speech at us and really aiming some of the questions at our emotions. The topic that she chose is also very relevant to our age group as in some countries that is when they begin to think about getting plastic surgery done. Since we are also exposed to a lot of media like tv shows, movies and so on we see the actors in a positive aspect when they have plastic surgery and that is what Jana’s speech trying to do convince us that well not everyone is perfect.

3) What do you think did well in your speech?

I am not really sure. I think that the written part was done with a lot of effort and so therefore when I came to perform it I tried to imagine the way I was writing it and try to make it as natural as possible. I think I also successfully manage to really link to the audience and I had stressed my topic quite clearly to do so. Another point I think I did well was to use certain literary features such as metaphors, repetition and similes. I tried to also give good examples that would really make it easier for the audience to visualize what I am trying to portray. I think my presenting was also not what I imagined it to be. I was very nervous about presenting but as soon as I stood behind the stand and began talking I sort of relaxed after that and carried out the rest of my speech as if I was speaking to a friend. I believe that because I practiced it a lot I knew how to say what words and phrases in what ways and so the overall fluctuation of my voice might have had a direct effect on how the speech presented.

4) What do you think you could have done better?

Well looking back at it now, I think there are some things I could have done better and that might have given my speech a stronger persuasive element. For example improving the flow of the information, there were some points in the speech that if but in another area would have had a better effect on the end product. So in other words I could have organized my points a little bit more and should have played around with the placement of certain points. I could have also added more logos into my speech. Even though I tried doing this before by looking for statistics etc. I think that I should have tweaked my topic just a little bit to gain more information and be able to mention some sort of survey, poll, statistics, percentages, ratios and maybe some important dates. The last thing I could have added more of was the metaphor. These were also something that I did not know where to obtain them from or place them and so I could have also tweaked the subject more or instead of having three I would have six plus a really long one that I can carry out throughout my speech and reference it.

Reflection on Persuasive Speeches

1) Which speech did you find the most persuasive?

The speech that i really found most persuasive was Jana's which was about beauty and plastic surgery. even thou the plastic surgery part did not relate to me but the definition of beauty and the way she compared it with what media defines it related to so much to me as an individual.but overall all speeches were very persuasive and interesting.

2) What made it persuasive? Inspiring delivery? Topic? Rhetorical techniques?

What made her speech very persuasive is the way she related the issue to her own personal life and feelings and proved to use as audience how we are related or could relate to that topic or issue. another aspect that made it persuasive is the use of questions and answers in her speech with had us all contemplating on are ways of contributing to the issue and the way we live with it.. the way she pointed out her view which was the view of most teenagers these days clarified many things in her speech, and the fact that she used her self as an example was very brave and inspiring. Her eye contact with the audience, and maintaining steady pace while saying her speech and the confidence she showed while saying her speech all made her speech very powerful and clear to everybody. Jana put in a lot of patin in her speech with supported all the techniques mentioned. Her speech was very powerful yet she approached it in a very calm and serious way which helped to grab the audience's attention.

3) What do you think you did well?

I think what i did well was connect the audience to my speech by simplifying and clarifying my solution to the problem in the issue. My solution to the issue, which was the alleviation of urban poverty, was sharing as the simplest solution, and the repetition of the word itself gave it a much greater meaning which made the audience realize how simple yet great the word and it's meaning is.

4) What could you have done better?

One thing i could have done better was have more eye contact with the audience so that i could have made my issue more interesting to the, another thing was maybe that i should have maintained a better, and more stable body position and stayed calm, where i felt that i was stiff through out the whole speech.

Which speech did you find the most persuasive?

In my opinion I think that Mikheil's speech was the most attractive because firstly he didn't look at his notes even a single time and he was extremely prepared for it and the reasons he fought for having the uniform was very good and convincing.

What about the speech made it persuasive?

Inspiring delivery? Relevant topic? Strong Rhetoric?

I think that the most persuasive thing about his speech was that it was always on topic and never went off topic with giving irrelevant information. Another reason why it was good, was the rhetorical usage and the usage of funny metaphors. By using funny metaphors it gained the attention of many people, even those who weren't paying attention. Also what made all these things flow together was that he had his whole speech memorized therefore he didn't have to stop every 20 seconds and read from his paper.

What do you think you did well in your speech?

I think that my tone was pretty good overall the speech, specially when i used the metaphor "One night of pleasure is not worth a life time regret" because if i didn't emphasize on that people wouldn't remember it as good as they do now. I also think that I used a wide range of statistics which made my speech stronger from the base and all the information that I mentioned during my speech was relevant.

What do you think you could have done better?

There are a couple of things that I would want to do better on for my next persuasive speech. One would be to have a bit more eye contact and to give the speech slower. I would say eye contact because throughout my speech even-though i had eye contact with the audience i think it just wasn't enough so next time i would want to have more eye contact with the audience. Also i would like to slow down a but while saying y speech because it really affected my time management but due to being a bit nervous gave my speech a bit too fast. Overall those are the main two points I would work on for next time that i will be giving a persuasive speech.

Reflection on Persuasive Speeches

Many of the speeches were very inspiring and had such strong techniques used. Tala's speech was very inspiring, the quotations she used, the tone she spoke in and the metaphors she used were very effective and gave me goosebumps while listening. Mikheil's speech was also very persuasive, because he knew how to connect with the audience and his use of sense of humour and examples was also very entertaining. Byanne's speech was also extremely persuasive and is personally, a very sensitive topic to speak about, she really did use great tone and rhetorical questions to address her issue and persuade the audience that Palestine should really be recognized. Jana's speech was also very inspiring and inspired me the most because it was a topic i could relate to since the issue of cosmetic surgery has spread widely.

What i found very effective with Jana's delivery was her aggressive approach to the topic, showing how much of a great issue it has become. Her tone was very suitable to her perspective about the issue, and metaphors also used very well; for example, related cosmetic women to clowns- i loved that. It was an issue that all girls of our generation could relate to, because all girls seek beauty, but beauty is not not perfection, but it is imperfection.

In my speech, i think i did well; was the tone i spoke in to deliver my message. I tried to speak from my heart so that the tone would be suitable to the issue of my speech.

I think if i spoke more confidentially in the beginning of the speak it would have been a bit better; also quoting real life examples people choosing not to have Euthanasia, would help make the speech more persuasive.

Response To The Speech Presentations

1) Which speech did you find the most persuasive?

Every one’s speech was great. It was moving, touching, and unique. Everyone had a special effect from the tone they made us feel to the language they used. But my favorite speech that stood out the most was Jana’s.

2) why? inspiring delivery? topic? etc...

I found Jana’s speech cute yet powerful and inspiring. Firstly the topic in which Jana spoke about was an issue that most teenagers go through and an issue that causes a huge amount of insecurity in most girls. The topic of what beauty is and should we grow up and think of plastic surgery. The part that really made me love her delivery to the speech was the beginning and the end. She started off with a statement by Marlin Monroe “imperfection is beauty” and she ended her speech with that same exact quote. The only difference was that in the end I actually understood the concept and felt what it actually meant. While in the beginning it was just a quote with a true meaning. But I didn’t really feel or understand the true meaning behind the quote until the end. Let us not forget the passion Jana delivered her speech with. She was so passionate about it that it gave her delivery a solid ground and strength that grabbed most of the audience.

3) What did you do well?

Based on the feedback given by my classmates and friends, I think that my language and my use of literary features were the strongest aspects in my speech. I think I had quite good metaphors that highlighted the tone and topic of my speech. Mainly the metaphor describing the bleeding wound of Palestine. Also, I think that I had a good amount of facts and information about death tolls and the dates in which certain events happened that marked a change, which gave my speech a sense of credibility. Finally, I thought that I spoke with confidence I wasn’t nervous and I wasn’t stuttering while talking. I may have a strong vocal delivery but my body movement was slightly stiff.

4) what could you have done better?

I could have done a couple of things better. For starters I could have delivered it with more body gestures and effects to lessen that stiffness I felt that I had. I could have opened myself more to the audience by walking around the class instead of talking in one place. I could have used my hands and arms more widely to emit the passion I knew I had. A powerful speech will not reach its full potential with only a strong vocal delivery but it also has to have strong and passionate body gestures.

1. Which speech did you find the most persuasive?
I think that Tala's speech was one of the most memorable and persuasive ones. I think that's mainly because her issue was very touching and related to many people in the class. Also, throughout her speech she was very serious (her emotions suited the topic) and she changed her tone whenever she tried to stress certain points. Another thing that I think she did really well is that while presenting her speech she rarely looked back at her papers. This showed that she was very confident and prepared, it also made it easier for the audience to connect with her since she was always looking at them. Her body language was also very suitable she did not have any unnecessary or distracting gestures and when she wanted to stress a point she used her hands.
Throughout her speech Tala also used many metaphors as well as rhetorical techniques. She kept asking the audience questions, which made them think even more deeply about her issue.
2. What did you do well in yours?
Judging from people's reactions to my speech I think that it's strongest point was incorporating the story at the beginning and end. Since my topic was not as emotional as everybody else's I had to animate it in order to make it more interesting so I made sure to use different tones and gestures to suit what I was saying. Furthermore, I managed to talk at a consistent speed with a loud and clear voice while having eye contact with the audience; I tried to direct my attention to everyone in the class without making it seemed forced or unnatural.
3. What could you have improved?
I think that if I was to improve anything it would be to manage to be more fluent and to be less nervous. This is obviously hard to control but perhaps with more practice I could get used to it. Also, another thing would be to included more literary features. Since my speech was mostly directed to students it would have been nice to incorporate some rhyme or repetition.

Hi my name is Sheikha.

1) Which speech did you find the most persuasive?

It's safe to say that public speaking is something each and every student in Ms. Dellapa's higher level English class is a master at. Unfortunately, I missed the final speeches that were presented on the last day but nevertheless - regarding the ones I have seen - Jana's speech was most persuasive.

2) What made it persuasive? Inspiring delivery? Topic? Rhetorical techniques?

What made Jana's speech persuasive was that she had a very strong and inspiring delivery. Additionally, I loved the way she took it to a personal level, it almost had me in tears. It isn't easy for people to talk about themselves especially in a not so positive way and seeing Jana do that was so beautiful and inspiring and it made her speech that much more real and persuasive. She had numerous other good things in her speech including her tone of voice and the loudness and clearness of the way words were portrayed.

3) What do you think you did well?

I think what I did well in my speech was my use of rhetorical questions, as well as my use of metaphors when I asked the audience to imagine their children as "lab rats". In addition, I also believe that my tone of voice was relevant to the topic of the speech and I portrayed my speech with a passion.

4) What could you have done better?

In terms of what I could do better, I believe that if I had been less shy, I could look up to the audience and less at the paper. I was looking at the paper a lot, not because i didn't have my speech memorized, but instead because i was trying to avoid eye contact with my audience. Strong speech deliverer's are supposed to have good and strong eye contact with their audience and i believe that this was a main factor i need to work on for future speech's.

Response to persuasive speeches

1. & 2. I found Khalil's speech most persuasive. His way of talking showed dominance and control, and anyone would prefer siding with the confident person who knows what he's talking about. He used a lot of metaphors- my favourite being bargaining with the Angel of Death. I also liked his real life examples, especially the one about the woman who killed her sons, because people could relate to it more (it had an element of pathos and logos in it).

3. I think my favourite part of my speech was my last line- "Determination and drive of the priviledged will destroy the desperation of the destitute and what is deserved will be accomplished so stay dedicated to this dream so that the disarray is disencumbered.
" because of the alliteration. In the movie V for Vendetta, the character 'V' uses this technique, making what he says really interesting. Because of the rhythm and also because the message was very blunt and to the point, I felt it was very powerful.

4. I, however, didn't deliver that line the way I wanted to and was unable to control my tone,pace and pauses, in not only that occasion, but all throughout the speech & I think this will require me getting used to the audience and being able to feel at ease.

Response to Speeches

1) Which speech did you find the most persuasive?

Most if not all the speeches that were presented were very persuasive, however the speech that stood out and appealed the most to me was Dahlia's.

2) What made it persuasive? Inspiring delivery? Topic? Rhetorical techniques?

Considering the fact that I have a "goldfish memory" I will try to remember the most of what happened and appealed to me in her speech.

Dahlia's chosen topic was perhaps slightly different than all the other ones that were presented. The whole audience have witnessed in school the issue that she discussed, and her message clearly came across. What made her speech persuasive was the variety of different tones she used throughout her speech, this made the audience engage more with her speech. Her tone was not formal, like the rest of the speeches, it was more casual. An interesting thing about her speech also, was the story she had in the very beginning of her speech and in the very end. The way she imitated the characters' voices was very amusing and added an interesting tone to her speech. Her body language also was effective and played a major role in her speech as she demonstrated how children will use their laptops and how that will effect their backs. She wasn't very stiff and moved a lot, which contributed to the effectiveness of her body language and speech as a whole.

3) What do you think you did well?

I think that what I did well was the eye contact that I had with the audience. I tried to look at the whole audience throughout the whole speech. Also, my use of metaphors in my speech like referring to climate change as a "dragon" and fossil fuels as"magical mushrooms" also was very effective as when i was presenting I noticed the audience reacting. And finally, the use of rhetorical questions that were asked constantly in my speech made the audience perhaps engage more with my speech.

4) What could you have done better?

One thing I could have done better is my posture and body language, since I barely moved from my spot and did not move my arms a lot. This was due to the fact that I only was the second to present my speech, and I was completely nervous. The use of literary features and rhetorical techniques could be improved as I could add more metaphors in my speech so that it would sound better.

speech post

1) which did you find most persuasive?
I thought Mikheils was the most persuasive
2) why? inspiring delivery? topic?
Firstly because he seemed to know what he was talking about so well without having to read the text or so much as look down. Then there was his humor that really connected with the audience specially because some of the jokes were very related to the audience he was talking to. It showed that he knew who he was talking to. Also he was the only person to walk around and seemed comfortable talking.
3) what did you do well?
I think I did quite well with my tone and speed. It was meant to come across as quite serious. The speed was slow but thats how I had intended to do it since the beginning partially because if I had gone any faster I would have had problems keeping up with myself.
4) what could you have done better?
There was some content I wanted to say that I missed out because I didn't look down at the text often enough to keep note of where I was in the speech. Also I didn't gesture nearly as much as I intended to and I would have preferred if I'd walked around.

Speech Responses

1. What speech did you think was most persuasive and why?
2. What did you do well in yours?
3. What could you have done better?

1. Best speech.  Overall, I think that everyone's speeches were good, and each person with their own style has their strengths and weaknesses.  Also, since people tend to remember what they saw last, the people who presented on the last day have an advantage in this, just because it's fresher in my head.  But if I had to pick one, I'd probably say that Sheikha's was the best, for a few reasons.  The biggest was the way she was able to come across clearly, and show passion and that she cared about the issue.  Also, she used literary techniques well, like rethorical questions.
2. Pretty much nothing.  I didn't fall asleep while presenting it, and that's about it.
3. Everything.  I've given better useless speeches about Kool-Aid than this.  With my speech, I hadn't memorized much of my speech, and had so spend way too much time looking down at my speech instead of up at the audience.  Also, due to my lack of memorization of it, I wasn't really comfortable while speaking, and would go off on tangents freestyling and changing sections of it on the fly.  Also, due to my head being stuck in the paper, I wasn't able to pay much attentioni to what I was doing with my hands gesturing, or how I was standing, so I wasn't really able to use my posture the way I'd planned to to puncuate points that I was making.  In my verbal delivery of it, there really wasn't much passion or strength in what I was saying, and I wasn't able to hold the floor, or control the room like I should've been.  With the speech itself, the biggest of the several weaknesses was the ending.  There really wasn't an ending, since I just said a bunch of vauge things about MUN or whatever while I was making it up.  Though it was an issue that contains a lot of emotional and moral arguments, I didn't feed off of that in my writing.  I should've used more contrasts and examples in my speech.  I also needed to have a wider range of persuasive techniques, like tying it to how famous Nigerians have refused awards from the governement because of how bad the issue is, having anecdotes, or such things.  I also didn't have any memorable line.  There wasn't an abstract hook at the begining to get everyone's attention because they're confused, or a power line that is memorable, sonorus, and can summarize the speech in one sentence.  And that's proabaly skipping a few things I can't think of right now.

About The Speeches

Which speed did you find the most persuasive? What about the speech made it persuasive? Inspire delivery? Relevant topic? Strong rhetoric?

I found Mikhail’s speech the most persuasive out of all. I found it the most persuasive because of his use of relevance, humour, tone, body language and contact with the audience.

Mikhail’s topic was something we deal with on a daily basis, it’s relevant and we can all relate to it. When speaking about his issue, he used things we all understood and know. By using things that are relevant, it allows the speaker to connect with the audience, which he did really well.

His use of humour was fantastic. It kept the audience interested and it wasn’t forced. It was well time and well pulled off. I think he was the only person to use humour in their speech. It’s amazing how effective it was. His tone was quite calm but still very persuasive. It didn’t stay monotonous, every strong point he made, his voice and tone changed to match it.

I was amazed by his body language and eye contact. Mikhail was able to walk around the room, yet still command the attention. He didn’t move his arms around a lot, but when he did, it added to what he said. He barely looked at his paper. Maybe once he looked. It was amazing. Also, his body language was quite open and so it was as if he was open to anyone’s opinion and thus making him approachable.

Mikhail also didn’t overuse metaphors. When he used them, they were appropriate and strong. I was defiantly blown away by what Mikhail had to say.

What do you think you did well in your speech?

Honestly, I don’t know what I did well. I don’t really remember doing my speech. I can only really remember the things I thought I didn’t do well in.

What do you think you could have done better?

I could have done a lot of things better. I barely moved as I was afraid that if I started to move, I would lose my train of thought and freeze. I also went really fast during my speech. I get nervous when I speak to people and the thought from my brain pauses before making it to my mouth. It doesn’t matter how much I know something, I’ll always stumble over my words. I could have probably also have used more literary figures to make it sound that much better.

Speech Blog Post

1) Which speech did you find the most persuasive?

Personally, I thought Dahlia's was one of the strongest speeches that were performed throughout the exercise.

2) What made it persuasive? Inspiring delivery? Topic? Rhetorical techniques?

Honestly, the strongest point throughout the whole of the speech in my opinion was the story that was started at the beginning of the speech and finished at the very end of it. I thought it was an extremely intelligent way of grabbing the attention of the audience, since it was completely different than the rest of the speeches, despite the fact that it was the speech before the last one. There were a number of metaphors used throughout the speech, however the way in which the real life examples were described also played an important role in the success of the speech. The tone of voice that was used was not stern, nor too informal, something once again, that wasn't very popular amongst the rest of the speeches. Many of them were about injustice around the world or humanitarian topics, whereas this one addressed an issue that was not necessarily very popular and brought it out to the audience in an effective way. Posture and body language stood out throughout this speech too, since there was scientific information and orientations of the body that were not only described, but physically portrayed as well. I thought this speech stood out from those performed, since it sent out a different, more personalised, atmosphere around the classroom.

3) What do you think you did well?

From the comments that were said about my speech, I think the strongest points throughout my performance were eye contact and tone. Since I was not part of the audience, I would not know, however I was told that eye contact was spread throughout the whole room and the tone used to address the important issue at hand was appropriate as well. I spoke about the killing of children under the age of 18 at war and a speech about this subject is not one that can incorporate humour or an informal tone. At the same time, it requires the attention of the readers, since the issue is one that might not appeal to some around the classroom. It was therefore important to use as many ways possible to keep sincerity throughout the speech and yet ensure the attention of the audience at all times. I tried to do this by speaking slowly and with a variating, loud tone. In addition, there was a phrase that was repeated at the end of every paragraph, that was supposed to have reminded the audience all the way through of the points that were discussed.

4) What could you have done better?

I used literary features and rhetorical techniques throughout my speech, however I personally think it could be improved by using literary features like alliteration, onomatopoeia, assonance and consonance, since they are associated with audibility and will appeal to the audience more perhaps.

Response to speech presentations

1) which did you find most persuasive?

there were many speeches that stood out to me. for example a couple of my favorite was Talas, Sara A , Mikhail, Dahlias, and my most favorite was Byannes. all of the speeches mentioned above i found was presented very well, and had a lot of effort put into them, both with the content and topic of the speeches as well as the presentation.

but the one which i liked listening to the most was Byannes as mentioned above. the topic that she was talking about was what appealed to me the most.

2) why? inspiring delivery? topic? etc...

as mentioned, the topic byanne used was about the war and conflict in palestine. since im palestinian myself, i could relate to what she was talking about, since i am myself inspired about it as well, and was completely on her side. i feel like she used so many beautiful metaphors to describe what is happening there, the torture, the mistreatment, and the way in which the children and their mothers are suffering. she used a perfect tone of voice and seemed to be very into it while she was talking. i feel like the audience was drawn to her speech because of all the vocabulary she used, and all the strong words in her descriptions.

3) what did you do well?

i feel like i did really well in my delivery. i received positive comments after i was done that i had presented it very clearly, and i seemed very interested in the topic as i was talking which is what makes a speech seem the best. i think i was confident during my presentation, and i had very good eye contact even though i haven't completely memorized my speech, but i tried to make as much eye contact as i could since that is what makes the speech stand out more, and doesn't make it seem boring if i kept looking down at my paper.

4) what could you have done better?

i think that i was abit too stiff during my delivery, because i was just standing in one place and my legs were in the same place as well. if i used more hand gestures or had changed my posture every now and then it might have been a little better.

SPEECH RESPONSES BLOG ENTRY

1) I think the most effective speech that was presented throughout the week was Khalil's. There are a few reasons. First of all, Khalil had a very smooth, persuasive tone that altered in pitch level every time he wanted to convey an important point. This enabled the listener to sink in deeper into the speech and therefore get persuaded/inspired more. Secondly, Khalil found a very effective way of incorporating real life stories into his speech which had an affect over the emotions of the audience and aided in inspiring and persuading them to support his cause. The use of elaborate metaphors (which will be discussed later) and repetition further enhanced   the overall delivery of the speech.

2) Question ONE pretty much answered this question, but I would like to add on more about the literary and rhetorical techniques that Khalil used in his speech. There were quite a few powerful metaphors used in the speech. But, the most powerful and extraordinary metaphor was the one about "Making a deal with the angel of death and end up paying him in misery". This was probably the climax of Khalil's speech and had a very strong effect on me which completely convinced me to support his cause.  The topic was also very relevant in today's society. The reasons behind it controversy are no further than basic human ethics and nature of our emotions.

3) I think the best thing that I did in my speech was the use of humour that kept the audience with me throughout the speech and the numerous list of advantages that the uniforms brought to the wearer, which according to Ms Dellapa, was close to brainwashing the audience into supporting my cause.

4) The first thing I could have done to improve my speech is NOT to break into laughter half way through it. Ok, now lets look at some serious improvements. Next time, I would like to increase the number of literary techniques used in my speech. Even though I had a few, I feel a necessity of having more. Second of all, I would like to touch on more rhetorical devices. My speech about uniforms was mostly Logos based, therefore I would like to bring more Ethos and Pathos into my work the next time.

This is a great sample of a persuasive speech : video

Speech Schedule

Sunday November 27th
Paul Ilori
Rawda Al Suwaidi
Zahrina Stafford Daud
Sara Shiraz

Monday November 28th
Tala Al Taji
Suemya Shabab
Matt Hitchman
Sheikha Al Suwaidi


Tuesday November 29th
Byanne Malluhi
Jana Abu Odeh
Fatima Al Tamimi
Shayan Yazdani

Thursday December 1st
Sara Abbas
Mikheil Ogannesyan
Dahlia Shatila
Khalil Deyab

How a long speech can save your life

Normally, I'll attempt to find any reason to make work I have to turn in as short as possible, in terms of effort, and how long what I write is.  However, I found at least one case when having a long speech was able to save someone's life.

On October 14, 1912, Former US President Theodore 'Teddy Roosevelt (who the Teddy Bear is named after) was shot while leaving dinner.  After being briefly examined by doctors, who decided he merely suffered a superficial flesh wound, he travled to a location where he was supposed to make a speech later that night.  Where he found out that the bullet hadn't killed him because it was slowed down by going through the thick manuscript of his speech.
I personally wouldn't advise this method of bullet protection today, since the 32 caliber bullet he was shot with ovbiously came from a not very high powered gun.
Source

Of course, long speeches still do have their downsides.  William Henry Harrison died 32 days into his presidency, as he gave a 2 hour long Inaugural Address without wearing a jacket in freezing weather, and caught pneumonia, setting a record for the shortest time an American President has been in power that's lasted over 170 years, and causing a major crisis in the US.
Source

I Have a Dream Excerpt

Obama Dedicates MLK Jr. Memorial

Hot Coffee Trailer

Here's the film I was talking about, it was shown on HBO last year and it has some really frightening examples of how media can shape public opinion on an issue.  

http://youtu.be/93fsFvVqviA

President Kennedy Inaugrual Address

Since we're doing a project where we're writing our own speeches, I thought this resource would be useful for the class.  It's an article talking about what made US President John F. Kennedy's Inaugrual Address so successful, and memorable:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12215248

This speech is on the shortlist of memorable American speeches with The Gettysburg Address and I Have a Dream, and an example of the calm behavior, and mastery of speaking that made JFK the youngest US President ever elected, despite what his father's original plans were. (His older brother was expected to be the leader of the political empire before he died in WWII, and his younger brother Robert was assasinated while running for President, five years after John's assasination.)

And here's the speech itself:

Correction of a person, by that person, for the people

I'm doing this post to apologize for shoving my foot in my mouth, and essentially calling out Tala, when I said the '...government of the people, by the people, for the people ...' quote from the Gettysburg Address, was from the US Decleration of Independence, which I checked and found it isn't.  So sorry, to Tala.

Lincoln wasn't the first to express this sentiment, though he was the first to do it using those words.  In 1830, during an address to the US Senate, Daniel Webster said, 'It is, Sir, the people's government, made for the people, made by the people, and answerable to the people.  The people of the United States have decleared that this Constitution shall be the supreme law.'

The phrase was commonly used in the 1850's by abolitionist (of slavery) preacher Theodore Parker, though worded, 'Democracy is direct self-government over all the people, for all the people, by all the people.'  Lincoln apparently marked these words in a copy he had of a sermon by Parker before writing the Gettysburg Address.  Parker also at a different time defiend democracy as, 'a governemnt of all the people, by all the people, for all the people.'

Ironically, a version of the phrase was used by Stephen A. Douglas on July 9, 1958, in a debate AGAINST Lincoln.  He said, 'In my opinion this government of ours is founded on the white basis.  It was made by the white man, for the benefit of the white man, to be administered by white men, in such a manner as they should determine.'  I don't think it's really nessacary to elaborate much on the clear fact that Douglas was was a pro-slavery candidate running against the anti-slavery Lincoln.  Lincoln's opinions on people of African descent however, is a different topic for a different day.

The mistaken idea that the statement is part of American law seems to be held by a somewhat large amount of the American public.  In 1996, then President Bill Clinton said, 'The last time I checked, the Constitution said "of the people, by the people, and for the people." That's what the Decleration of Independence says.' On the bright side, I said this in English class, not on national TV during a Presidential debate like Clinton did.
Source
So that's that.  Que laugh track, and I'll try to keep my mouth shut so I won't make mistakes as often.  Or, is the issue that I wasn't talking as much that class, which is why I did make a mistake?

I Have A Dream

This doesn't really relate to persuasive language, but I thought it was interesting to see how much of an effect Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech had on people. In 2007, the movie Freedom Writers came out. One of the songs that stuck with me the most was one about freedom and included words from the I Have A Dream Speech.

Advertising, or entertainment

Adidas and Nike have a high profile competition for the major shares of the European and American markets in sporting goods, the focal point of which is soccer cleats (or boots, or whatever floats your boat).
Thus, they from time to time will cut at each other, without trying to make it obvious.

Take this video for example. Adidas released it after Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or, (Golden ball award for best player of the year) for the second time in a row.  And of course, the had to rub it in to Nike, whose headlining player, Cristiano Ronaldo, was the last player who isn't Messi to win it, and at times seems to be a super fashion model (no, I'm not going to link to an Armani commercial of Ronaldo walking around in his underwear, if you want to see it, go find it yourself).  The character who shows up around 42 seconds has been said to be a caricture of 'CR7,' and is wearing the colors of his original team, Sporting Clube de Portugal (or Sporting Lisbon) and the Portugese national team, which he captains.

Nike, realeased the below video after taking the sponsorship of the French national side from their longtime jersey makers, Adidas.

The words of the film (its name is literally, 'Le film') are taken from a monologue in the play Cyrano de Bergerac:

French	English Literal	English, poetic
Élégant comme Céladon, Agile comme Scaramouche, Je vous préviens, cher Mirmydon, Qu'à la fin de l'envoi je touche !	Elegant as Celadon (a type of Ancient Chinese ceramic.  If anyone can find something that makes more sense, please do tell me) Agile as Scaramouch (Character in Italian masked opera) I tell you, dear Myrmidon (Achilles’ soldiers in the Illiad) At the end of the poem, I strike	Graceful as Phoebus (Apollo), Round I wheel, Alert as Scaramouch, A word in your ear, Sir Spark, I steal – At the end of l'envoi, I touch
- Tac ! je pare la pointe dont Vous espériez me faire don;— J'ouvre la ligne,—je la bouche. . . Tiens bien ta broche, Laridon ! A la fin de l'envoi, je touche	Tap! I parry (block) the tip (of a sword) that you wished to give me I open  the line – I block … Hold well your spit, Laridon! At the end of the poem, I strike.	Tac! I parry the point of your steel; -The point you hoped to make me feel; I open the line, now clutch Your spit, Sir Scullion – slow your zeal! At the end of the verse, I touch. <>   <> <>   <>
Envoi. Prince, demande à Dieu pardon ! Je quarte du pied, j'escarmouche, Je coupe, je feinte. . . (Se fendant): Hé ! là, donc ! A la fin de l'envoi, je touche !	Prince, as pardon from God. I move a step, I I cut, feint (He thrusts) What! There, then! At the end of the poem, I strike	Envoi. Prince, pray Heaven for your soul’s weal! I move a pace – lo, such! And such! Cut over – feint! (Thrusting) What ho! You reel? At the end of the verse, I touch

Anyways, Nike enlisted the new French Captain, Florent Malouda, and some other people including a top French rapper, to make this.  Missing however, is French playmaker Samir Nasri (other stars Patrice Evra and Franck Ribery were still suspended from World Cup antics).  Wait, I forgot, Nasri's an Adidas guy.

And this is a Volkswagen commercial that ignores almost everything about the car, other than that it has a large gas tank, and can go for more than 13 hours without refuling.  But it is entertaining.