AU Analysis of Visionary Speech Questions

Select one of the following speeches to use for your analysis of a visionary speech. For this analysis, you are to review the content and the delivery of the speaker that you chose. This assignment is based on content read and discussed in class. Your analysis will focus on the style of presentation and the content of the presentation.

For the style of presentation, the following 4 prompts should guide your evaluation. (Use 1-2 paragraphs to answer each guideline.)

1. Provide examples of colorful, vivid language and imagery, including symbols, slogans, and metaphors used by the speaker.

2. Provide examples of appeal to shared beliefs and traditional values, familiar examples, or anecdotes (short story about a person or event) to which the audience can relate.

3. Identify the repetition in words, phrases, or sentence structure.

4. Evaluate the speaker’s delivery including a vocal analysis of the speaker’s tone, use of inflections, pauses, etc. and an analysis of the nonverbal behaviors used by the speaker which include facial expressions, eye contact, posture, gestures, movements, etc.

For the content of the presentation the following prompts should guide your evaluation. (Use 1-2 paragraphs to answer each guideline.)

1. What need for change does the speaker promote? This can be a need for an individual to change or it can be a larger scale need for change based on a situation that is unjust, intolerable, unfair, or perilous.

2.  Describe a vision of a possible future situation that appeals to people’s hopes and desires for something better.

3. Present a promising, innovative strategy for attaining the vision in general terms without too much detail.

4. Talk about the challenge of achieving the vision, the need for dedication, courage, persistence, creativity, and possibly self-sacrifice.