George Carlin Ceremonial Speech
by For my Oral Communication class, my final speech that I was to write and deliver was something that I felt was a touching tribute to a man that had brought laughter to so many while simultaneously pissing off so many others. I wrote my "ceremonial" speech about George Carlin and the impact he made on many other comedians’ lives. What follows is the outline. I am also submitting the manuscript as well as a separate entry.
A. Robin Williams: “George Carlin was the living embodiment of the First Amendment. In the traditions of Mark Twain & Jonathan Swift, he dealt w/ the insanity of the world w/ the one-two punch of humor and honesty w/ no apologies.”
B. Joan Rivers: “He would have loved all the attention he’s getting right now. Just don’t say he ‘passed away.’ ‘Passed away to where?’ he would ask.”
C. Kevin Smith: “Dammit. My favorite memory of Carlin is sitting the audience @ one of his Vegas shows as he did his ‘People I Can Do Without’ routine. When he got to ‘guys over the age of 10 who wear their baseball hats backwards,’ he tossed in ‘Kevin, you’re exempt from this,’” he reported on his official website.
Transition to Second Main Point: Carlin had an impact on many peoples’ lives, mine included. (Interject personal narrative)
II. Carlin’s impact on my life and others.
A. Carlin inspired so many other comedians: Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Bill Cosby, Lewis Black, Jay Leno, etc.
B. Carlin unlikeliest host of children’s programming: Thomas the Tank Engine & Shining Time Station (as “Mr. Conductor”)
Transition to Third Main Point: Carlin has been criticized for a long time for being controversial.
III. Because of his penchant for graphic language, Carlin performed all of his 14 televised comedy specials on HBO.
A. Carlin anti-religious but was accepting of those around him who were religious.
B. Carlin paved the way for shows like Daily Show & Colbert Report by challenging society and conventional politics for about 40 years.
Transition to the Conclusion of the Speech: The comedian and actor had a string of heart problems that finally took their toll on him.
CONCLUSION
No one, however, had as much heart and passion as George Carlin. He admittedly loved every minute of his life, even the moments that sucked (like the heart attacks). From TV to movies to performing stand-up comedy in front of all of his adoring fans, George Carlin has touched a lot of people’s lives; sometimes in a good way and sometimes, he had people fuming with anger. No matter what anyone thinks or thought of Carlin, they all agree that he was a man passionate about life and how he impacted the lives of those around him. He will truly be missed.
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