Speeches

Speeches are a major part of society. They can change people’s feelings on topics and can calm a crowd. They can anger the crowd and in general they can motivate and move people. Every president has his inaugural address. This speech is very important because it is the first impression that the president makes on his new nation. As a country we want a strong leader who can make good decisions and one who is out for the good of the people. Speeches can be very influential. Whether it is for motivation or to get people through a difficult time. Maybe even to get people riled up a bought something. In John F Kennedy’s inaugural speech he addresses the crisis of the cold war. He addresses how many nations are going into an arms race and are building up their nuclear weapons. He addressed the fear every one had of a nuclear war. In addition to speeches going on about current affairs many well known speeches have occurred in books. Julius Caesar written by Shakespeare had many well remembered and studied speeches such as the one given by Mark Anthony at the funeral of Julius Caesar. Many similarities and differences can be seen between both of these speeches even though they were written and spoken to a crowd many years apart.

Many similarities between John F Kennedy’s speech and the speech of Mark Anthony can be seen. In Kennedy’s inaugural address he is addressing the citizens of America who have come to listen to their new president speak. In the speech given by Mark Anthony he is addressing the citizens of Rome and informing them on things that have happened recently. Both of these speeches are for the benefit of the citizens. The speech was given to inform them and to help them. In addition they both use similar tactics such as when Kennedy pauses and waits for a reply or a cheer from his crowd. In this way he includes the crowd in his speech and makes them feel more important. In the speech given by Mark Anthony he too pauses and waits for replies from his audience and by doing so includes them more and grasps their attention. These orators both show great understanding of the art of public speaking because they find ways to include their audiences and to make them included in their speech. Another similarity in these speeches is that they both appeal to the listeners emotions in some way or another. In Mark Anthony’s speech he is stirring the crowd’s emotion and getting them angry about the death of Julius Caesar and how he was wrongfully murdered by his own friends. In John F Kennedy’s speech he was stirring the emotion of nationalism and how not to be afraid and how as a united nation they can over come all. This is important because it stimulates the listener on a deeper level because many people are strongly affected by their own emotions and sometimes they don’t think straight if their emotions get in the way. This is the case in Julius Caesar when the crowd kills innocent people because they are stirred up. In both of these speeches strong leaders and speakers were a vital role in the success of the speech itself. The speakers were fluent and their tone was stirring and they believed what they were saying. They spoke with emotion and control and this is what helped bring the support of the crowd.