Assessment Task Help (1 Viewer)

[laura-jayne14]

Hi all,

I am currently studying 'Speeches' as part of Module C.

I have this assessment talk and I don't really know where to start. The question is:

"Discuss how Paul Keating's 'Funeral for the Unknown Australian Soldier' and one other speech have questioned established ideas and provoked thought"

NB: this is to be recorded as a 6 minute speech.

A speech about speeches is bizarre and I am unsure how to structure it.

Any help would be appreciated. Please PM me



Thanks

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[Sammy Robinson]

I think that you're looking at speeches for Module B-Critical Study of Text. I'd start with some kind of statement that links your 2 speeches with the topic given-e.g."The most effective speeches are those that appeal to their audiences, both in the ideas they provide and in the passion with which these ideas are delivered. Two speeches which achieve this are Paul Keating's "Funeral Service of the Unknown Australian Soldier 1993" and ___________ since both cause us to question previously held beliefs and rethink established attitudes. Then move onto examining the beliefs and attitudes which Keating is questioning. The main difficulty I think, is that Keating is pretty much reiterating the beliefs that many Australians already hold and not really questioning established ideas. I know this isn't much help, but I suppose you could say that he denounces war, which could be seen as unusual on such a patriotic occasion, thus provoking his audience to consider the necessity of all wars and that he further provokes thought by commemorating the extrordinary sacrifices made by ordinary people. Keating obviously wants to unite all Australians but it is obvious that he wants this done in a away that does not "glorify war over peace."
Some of the other speeches are much easier to relate to this particular question, and you would go on to talk on one of these after your thoughts on Keating. Anwar Sadat's speech is a long one but has so much you could discuss. He's asking his audience to put aside long held hatreds and and divisions for the sake of peace-not only in the Middle East but the whole world. This was truly courageous and very different to "established ideas". Margaret Atwood's speech is likewise thought provoking about the meaning of feminism and whether contemporary attitudes are appropriate and Noel Pearson asks his audience to rethink their views on Aboriginal history impacting on present attitudes. All the best.

 

[strawberrye]

The important thing about structuring a speech is to have an evocative opening and conclusion-don't follow the traditional essay structure if you want good marks for speeches-because it is a speech after all, not a spoken essay, although the main body paragraphs is quite similar. It is a challenging task since you have six minutes, you should either decide whether to have four very short paragraphs or just two extensive ones. Some ideas to get you start thinking include in Paul Keating, he is challenging the established idea that what is lost is bad-particularly when you can't regain it-such as military sacrifice, he is using the concept of what is 'lost' as a platform to inspiring individuals to look forward to what can be gained through national unity and appreciating the value of peace. Furthermore, other speeches you can consider include Anwar Sadat-he is challenging the idea that strict diplomacy will give rise to peace, highlighting instead that honesty, integrity and political transparency are the absolute key to a good faith negotiation, and incorporates some very powerful religious allusions to bind his audience together.

Margaret Atwood is another brilliant speech to consider, she is challenging the established idea (even putting aside a feminist interpretation) that there are adequate literary models, but revealing the importance of having more morally complex female characters-not just purely villainess like 'Snow White's mother' or purely good like Snow White herself. This is equitable measure since there are already morally complex characters, the importance of assimilating what is a part of human nature and translating it into literary interpretation can translate to real life equality.

Another speech of note is Noel Pearson-because he is challenging the established ideas about legal fictions such as terra nulls and placing a very firm critique about the incompetence of politicians in their adherence to the 'popular vote' rather than conscience and lacking any moral leadership, to fail repeatedly in enacting some justice for the Indigenous people, where the case about the failure of the Aboriginal Protector to protect Aborigines epitomises a lot of these things. This is very thought provoking as not many people would have the guts to openly criticised John Howard to such an extensive extent-using some political satire to make it subtle as well.

Hope this helps At the end of the day, the most important thing to remember is that YOU MUST ANSWER THE QUESTION AND NOTHING BUT THE QUESTION TO GET THE BEST MARKS