The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The ability to stand in front of a national audience and confidently deliver a moving speech is a talent that should not be easily dismissed. Some naturally have this talent and some work incredibly hard for it. However, not all speeches are as compelling as Mel Gibson’s speech in Braveheart. The speeches that we have viewed in class thus far are all decent speeches, but some have stood out and others have been less than memorable.  The speech that I found particularly moving was the Jimmy V speech. The speech I found to be subpar was Clint Eastwood’s speech.

 When Jimmy Valvano took the stage, his speech was already looking promising. Simply because of the coach he was and the overwhelming battles that he was facing, Jimmy’s speech promised to be inspirational. Besides the ethos that he had before taking the stage, Jimmy’s speech had other useful techniques. He used pathos and connected well with his audience. His charming wit and story telling helped bring a humorous and fun-loving environment. Finally, before ending the speech he inspired the crowd by helping them understand that life was valuable and to enjoy every second.

In comparison to Jimmy V’s speech, the speech that I found to be ineffective was the speech delivered by Hollywood director Clint Eastwood. While Eastwood’s was funny and unique, it lacked certain qualities that would make it good. His lack of preparation was obvious as the speech was confusing and all over the place. Although his ethos makes the speech recognizable, his lack of preparation and purpose makes it bad.