I learned a lot from the video about starting your speech. It was really helpful for the speaker to point out don’ts, especially since they were things I’ve seen happen often during speeches. I also appreciated the explanations for why not to do the things the speakers said not to do. For example, in an attempt to make a connection with your audience and humanize yourself by mentioning your nerves, you make your nervousness the only thing the only thing your audience can notice about you. One of my biggest takeaways from the video was the speaker’s recommendation to start with a personal anecdote or a big picture idea to make the topic of your speech engaging and clear. I definitely want to incorporate both of these ideas into the beginning of my speech and maybe even a visual component.

 

I always use Photo Booth to record videos for school projects because I didn’t know QuickTime Player had the option to record using a camera, I thought it was only used for screen recordings. I’m not sure which one I’ll end up using for my project but it was nice to learn more about the features of QuickTime Player.

Group Members: Amina, Nardi, Yuka

Transcript: https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/PDFFiles/FDR%20Pearl%20Harbor.pdf

Audio: https://www.americanrhetoric.com/mp3clips/politicalspeeches/fdrwarmessage344.mp3 

1. An attention-getting opening
   1. December 7th, 1941 → stating the full date highlights the importance of what happened and what was about to be said in his speech
   2. “Infamy” → dramatic word choice
   3. “United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan” → also dramatic word choice, sets a clear us vs. them mentality (“Japan is the enemy”)
2. An introduction (which includes a thesis statement / proposition of fact, value or policy)
   1. Despite Japan and the United States keeping relatively peaceful relations, the Japanese “deliberately planned” and went forth with bombing the Hawaiian islands.
   2. “The United States was at peace with that nation” → implies the U.S.’s position is one of peace (not aggression)
3. A body preview
   1. Begins with an address on what happened the night before – “the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” This helps the audience understand what the speech is going to be about.
   2. He makes claims
   3. Addresses what the solutions are and the action that will be taken
4. Three or four main points (with transitions between them)
   1. “The United States was at peace with that nation” – the attack was started by them and there is no excuse for it because it was planned
   2. He weeps for the lives that are lost. He talks about how the attack wasn’t only on the US but also other nations by using the repetition “last night …”
   3. “As Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense” – action
5. Aristotelian persuasive techniques (including ethos, pathos, and logos)
   1. “I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost.” → utilizes pathos to lay out how devastating the attacks were, not only on the naval forces, but on the American people. The damages weren’t simply materialistic.
   2. Uses logos and parallel structure to further portray Japan as the enemy
      1. “Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya. Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong. Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam. Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands. Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island. And this morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.
         1. Clearly paints Japan in a negative light
   3. “Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Senate, and of the House of Representatives” → addresses powerful people, invoking a sense of authority and subsequently exercising ethos
   4. “As Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy” → invokes ethos by demonstrating his status and power to control and defend the nation
6. A conclusion (which summarizes main points, and ends with a call to action)
   1. Summarizes main points by saying “Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.”
   2. Call to action is a call to war → “I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.
      1. Reassures the American people by emphasizing “confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph — so help us God.”
7. How does this example help you during the process of creating your own video speech?
   1. This example tells us that the sentences of our speech should be clear and concise. While FDR used large and powerful words, his message was very easy to comprehend which was especially important given the severity of the situation he was referring to
      1. We can use this tactic to draw our audience’s attention to our message rather than fancy vocabulary. By keeping our words simple and concise, our viewers won’t have to worry about abstract and difficult concepts, but rather, their attention will be uniquely diverted to the issue at hand 

After sharing my outline with the group, I received two pieces of feedback: to use personal anecdotes and to narrow down my topic.

My group was very receptive to the idea that I use videos I took as well as personal stories to help make my speech more engaging. They especially liked my idea of using footage I took from the Palestine protest in SF earlier this year. It was also suggested that I talk about people I know who have been affected by targeted Palestinian harassment. Prof Lamsal suggested that I use outside sources for this as well as specifically looking at the Palestinian USC student who is under fire.

As it relates to narrowing down my topic, Prof Lamsal drew my attention to how one could talk about my current topic for hours. He suggested that I instead choose one particular form of legislation to focus on. I plan to focus on proposing an anti-Palestinian discrimination law and use that as my starting point. From there, I can pull examples of my own experiences with discrimination in addition to the experiences of those I know and even figures in power, such as Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.

Group: Amina, Vincent, Yari

Speech link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVxXUFIVUEI

1. Volume (appropriate to our space and audience)
   1. The speaker uses the appropriate tone of volume. She keeps a perfect level of volume to make sure her audience can hear and is listening. We only see a couple people in front of her but we could infer that there is a group of people she is talking to.  
2. Variety of tone (enthusiasm, confidence, and engaging throughout)
   1. The speaker places emphasis on certain words and uses inflection to not only get the audience’s attention but also keep it for the duration of her speech
3. Eye contact with audience members (not floor, wall, or paper)
   1. The speaker maintains eye contact with the audience. She looks around her entire audience and doesn’t only focus one one section. She also looks at her note cards but only as a reminder.
4. Gestures and body movements that flow naturally and expressively 
   1. The speaker uses hand gestures and body movements to emphasize certain points of the speech. 

For my speech, I want to argue against the normalization of taking a pro-Israel stance in the U.S. Palestinians are often doxxed, denied jobs, and faced with other career and life obstructions for their moral and personal beliefs. This is also true, on a smaller scale, for non-Palestinians who are vocal against the occupation of Palestine. This is due to the fact that the U.S. government inherently and blindly supports the occupation financially, politically, and socially. I will argue that this is a normalization of ethnic cleansing, occupation, colonization, white supremacy, and totalitarianism, giving the U.S. a bad rep.

Outline:

• Hook: clips from this year’s SF Palestine protest
• Provide stats and examples of how being pro-Israel is the norm in the U.S. (e.g. Canary Mission, mandatory pro-Israel oath in many states, hate towards pro-Palestine members of Congress, etc.)
• Talk about how constitutional rights are neglected only when it comes to the Palestinian cause
• Introduce proposal: a call to end annual $3 billion military gift to Israel, call for legislation to criminalize Palestinian discrimination in the form of firing people or doxxing them
• Counterargument: U.S. needs to ally with Israel –> raises the question of whether the U.S. and individual Americans are willing to put aside their morals and the values America is based on (freedom of speech, freedom of religion, etc.)
• Conclusion

In his motivational speech, Marc Mero shares the story of his relationship with his mother and what he learned from her death. Marc talks about how, as a teen, he always used to be under the influence and had a disconnected relationship with his mom as a result. He talks about the moment he found out his mother died and attending her funeral. He expresses his grief by walking around the stage and using varying tones. He connects his anger and regret to the friends he chose and the decisions he made along the way, invoking the appeal to emotion, or pathos, as we see much of the audience visibly reacting to his emotions. He talks about his regret because he was rude to his mom due to the decisions he made and the friends he had. Because of his conveyance of regret and grief, he touches his audience emotionally and is able to successfully portray the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people. Additionally, his argument is strengthened by his authority and character, the rhetorical strategy of ethos. Because the events he is alluding to happened to him, and we see him as a successful motivational speaker who turned his life around, the audience is able to trust him and his argument.

Emma Gonzalez’s speech at the March for our Lives rally was mostly defined by her almost 6:00 silence. This silence represented the time it took the shooter to kill 6 students, injure 15, and impact the lives of everyone in the Douglas school community and even people beyond that. The people in the crowd were able to stay engaged during the silence, showing how 6 minutes is such a short amount of time. The silence also represented the unknown of the situation. No one in the crowd had a timer or knew how long Emma planned to stay silent. In other words, there was no end in sight, much like what it must have felt like for those in the school when it was on lockdown. They didn’t know what was happening, who was alive, who had died, who was injured, and if they were going to be next.

Before the silence, she chose to powerfully highlight the names of the people who were killed and injured, and even some things they liked to do on a regular basis. This was effective in reminding everyone that the people affected were not just statistics, but individuals with meaningful lives. Choosing to go into silence after listing the names of the victims was even more powerful because it left their names hanging in the silence. As the last thing Emma said for almost 6 minutes, their names were left at the forefront of the audience’s mind.

Ultimately, though Emma spent most of her time on stage in silence, the length and timing of her silence made her speech incredibly impactful.

Amina and Yuka

1. White Rhinos are famous for their big horns, they are among the endangered species.
   1. White Rhinos are famous for their big horns; they are among the endangered species.
2. The teacher didn’t know if she should laugh or cry; but she knew it was quite hilarious.
   1. The teacher didn’t know if she should laugh or cry, but she knew it was quite hilarious.
3. Three things matter in life; perseverance, commitment, and aptitude for learning.
   1. Three things matter in life: perseverance, commitment, and aptitude for learning.
4. A dog trotted over to the computer in Sara’s office; typed out a perfect letter; and printed it!
   1. A dog trotted over to the computer in Sara’s office, typed out a perfect letter, and printed it!
5. The manager was stunned; but she told the dog; “The sign says you have to be good with the computer, just because you’re good at typing doesn’t mean that you are good with it”.
   1. The manager was stunned, but she told the dog: “The sign says you have to be good with the computer, just because you’re good at typing doesn’t mean that you are good with it.”
6. A man walked into a pet shop and ordered three things, centipede, kitten, parrot.
   1. A man walked into a pet shop and ordered three things: a centipede, kitten, and parrot. 
7. Sama was the best person for the job, because she had an excellent service record in one key area; community health training.
   1. Sama was the best person for the job because she had an excellent service record in one key area: community health training. 
8. Amy served with 4 stars in the army, therefore, she was awarded the Medal of Honor.
   1. Amy served with 4 stars in the army; therefore, she was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Group: Amina, Jash, and Nub

Activity 1

• ORIGINAL: For a long time, my stepson, Jonathan, was unhappy to have me as part of his family, for he resents that he didn’t have both biological parents at home. I try to get to know him better, but he would complain that I invade his privacy. As a newcomer, I understood that our relationship will require effort from both of us. It is not enough that I was friendly. Jonathan also has to want us to be friends, and I was not happy with the two of us being strangers, but I can wait for him to feel more comfortable around me.
• REVISED: For a long time, my stepson, Jonathan, was unhappy to have me as part of his family, for he resents that he didn’t have both biological parents at home. I tried to get to know him better, but he would complain that I invaded his privacy. As a newcomer, I understood that our relationship would require effort from both of us. It is not enough that I was friendly. Jonathan also has to want us to be friends, and I was not happy with the two of us being strangers, but I can wait for him to feel more comfortable around me.

Activity 2

• ORIGINAL:Anne Marie collects antique bottles and loved to turn them into works of art. She will buy bottles if she liked them, but she prefers to find them in the ground. She will find bottles everywhere, but she picked them selectively. However, she has the best luck at construction sites on old farmland, where she spent most of her time. Often, bottles appeared on the surface after a good rain, but they disappear very soon. She will use special tools for excavating bottles, including a set of brushes. She did not want to break the bottles as she removes them from the ground. After finding a new bottle, Anne Marie will add it to her display case and hung on the wall as an artistic piece (Mangelsdorf, 2013, p. 411).
• REVISED: Anne Marie collected antique bottles and loved to turn them into works of art. She will buy bottles if she likes them, but she prefers to find them in the ground. She will find bottles everywhere, but she picks them selectively. However, she has the best luck at construction sites on old farmland, where she spent most of her time. Often, bottles appear on the surface after a good rain, but they disappear very soon. She will use special tools for excavating bottles, including a set of brushes. She did not want to break the bottles as she removed them from the ground. After finding a new bottle, Anne Marie will add it to her display case and hang it on the wall as an artistic piece (Mangelsdorf, 2013, p. 411).

I believe that race is a social construct because there is no scientific difference people of different races. Race encompasses large groups mostly on the basis of skin color. On the other hand, different ethnicities, however, are more specific and people within that ethnicity share the same cultures, practices, values, languages, physical features, and more. Genetically speaking, one’s DNA can give insight into what region of the world they are from and narrow down their ethnicity but not their race because there is not scientific backing for race.

All racial stereotypes have no scientific backing either. For example, the stereotype that Black people commit more crimes (an idea racists use to justify things like police brutality against Black people) is actually rooted in systemic racism. People of all races are equally likely to commit crimes and have violent tendencies, which proves there must be something other than race at play when considering the disproportionate number of Black people and other people of color in prison. Because we know that there is no scientific explanation for race and how many beliefs/stereotypes are products of social dynamics and things like systemic racism, this illustrates how race is but a mere social construct.