performance and occasion

Performances are highly affected by the occasion or situation someone is in. Two performances that I gave was my Salutatorian speech in high school and a toast at my sister’s wedding. Because of my audience and the occasion that was being celebrated, my performances were different.

My salutatorian speech at my high school graduation was very formal in which I was not only in the presence of my classmates, but also of my community members and leaders, my family, and my teachers and school administrators. It was an honor for me (accepting the honor of being salutatorian) and it was my responsibility to thank everyone for sharing the occasion with us and also to share my story to inspire my classmates. I was polite, articulate, humble, and confident. Because I wanted to present myself as appreciative, humble, and deserving of the honor of speaking at my graduation, I spoke of things that was appropriate and was approved by my audience.

In contrast, my sister’s wedding was far more casual. First of all, it was not my accomplishment being celebrated, but the union of my sister and her husband. I did not feel as much pressure and that I was being judged by my audience because I was ultimately surrounded by family who know my good, bad, formal, and informal sides. Because of this, my toast, compared to my graduation speech, was full of humor, sarcasm, and childhood memories. I was more relaxed and comfortable if, for example, I stumbled over my words or something. My sister’s wedding was more intimate being surrounded by family in contrast of being surrounded by all of my classmates’ families.

Because of the different audiences and the different purposes of my performances, my performances were different. Acting the way I did at my sister’s wedding at my graduation ceremony would not have been deemed appropriate by that particular audience in that context.