Comments:

Liza McKenna: In your speech today I thought you had a nice attention getter and really good organization. Your topic was really clear and your speech was pretty easy to follow. I would suggest that you try to end stonger next time though.

Nicole Ritschel: Great attention getter, the quote was interesting. Work on eye contact and fillers. Great structure. I always knew exactly what you were talking about. Your conclusion seemed abrupt. Overall, good job! =)

Tim Neubert: I hate that I am the third person reviewing because I want to say a lot of what was already said. I thought you spoke very clearly and confidently with good knowledge of your subject. There was one or two "umms" but it was not too bad. Over it was very good.

Christina G: I like how you started your speech with a quote instead of a question like most people. I thought you had really good historical background for this speech. It was an interesting topic and I enjoyed it.

Joe D:

-nice attention getter

-good eye contact

-work on your time fillers; you used "umm" and "you know" alot

-conclusion felt abrupt and sudden

Chris Shin

You have a quite nice attention getter. And your topic and Thesis statement is clear enough to understand. Also, historical information about Gandhi and "Gandhi" was strong to support your idea. Delivery was nice as well. Conclusion is sudden but not bad. Good job.

Ryan Wendt:

I liked the topic of your speech, and I think you made several good points. It's probably best to avoid "uhm" and the like, though.

Outline Speech 1:

I. Introduction

A. Attention getter:

1.“They may torture my body, break my bones, even kill me. Then, they will have my dead body – not my obedience”(American Rhetoric). A man named Gandhi uttered these words. Mohandas Gandhi, named one of the “Time magazine’s most influential people of the 20th century”(Time.com) helped to separate the British Empire’s hold on India, eventually leading to India’s independence (IMBD).

2. While one could go on and on about his life, beliefs, and accomplishments, this particular speech, however, is focused on an excerpt from the movie “Gandhi”, made in 1982.

B. Preview:

1. This particular speech was a reenactment of the speech given in 1914 after the British Empire announced requirement of all Indians to submit to fingerprinting as a means of identification, thus outraging the people.

2. In the movie, Gandhi sees their frustration but urges them to fight against them nonviolently. He needed to reassure the people not cave to acts of brutality.

3. He also needed to do so in a convincing way that was empathetic towards his fellow citizens.

C. Credibility:

1. The film “Gandhi” is highly praised and acquired eight Oscar wins (Awards Database). 2. The New York Times also described this movie as “a big, authentic-looking movie, and very sincere” (New York Times).

3. This provides that the film was made with the best intentions in mind and follows closely to actual events in Gandhi’s life.

D. Thesis statement:

1.The film reenactment of his proclamation in the movie “Gandhi" was both necessary and inspirational for both his audience in the film, because of the social aspect, and the actual audience watching the film.

Transition:

It was necessary for Gandhi to stand up and address his fellow citizens with urges of peaceful resistance, because the Indian people were growing more and more frustrated by new laws stripping their individuality.

II. Exigence:

A. The film wanted to portray Gandhi as alive with a great passion inside of him.

B. British control of Indian every day life did not just stop with social aspects: they strived to control commerce and trade, security, and industry also (Country Studies).

C. Country studies, a small division of the Library of Congress website, stated that the British were looking to invest in and profit from this “new landscape”.

1.This need for expansion eventually filtered into the everyday lives of its inhabitants.

D. In the movie, it was announced that General Smut’s new law not only declared it necessary for Indians to submit to fingerprinting, but also that any marriage that was not Christian-based was invalid. If that’s true, than by their calculations, Gandhi said, “every Indian wife and mother is a whore, and men are a bastard.”

2.A frustrated Gandhi responded with the following statement:

“I praise such courage. I need such courage because in this cause I, too, am prepared to die. But, my friend, there is no cause for which I am prepared to kill. Whatever they do to us, we will attack no one, kill no one, but we will not give our fingerprints – not one of us.”

Transition:

But whom exactly is this speech aimed towards?

III. Audience:

A. Like the actual event, the movie portrays Gandhi’s audience to be a large group of Indians who, like him, are being treated unfairly by British authorities.

1.The British Empire, as explained earlier, had almost total control of the daily lives of these people.

2. I can imagine the Indian people felt suffocated, and yearned for their own identity. They became increasingly claustrophobic when laws such as the fingerprinting and marriage laws were proclaimed.

3. Gandhi believed they were being treated “like criminals”, not to mention the blatant disrespect towards Indian marriage unions.

B. This outcry of the people, as well as Gandhi’s retaliation, started to spark some international interest as well – thus leading to the eventual creation of the film.

1. The film audience was no specific category or makeup: old or young, rich or poor, people flocked to see the movie.

2. The actions and words from such a speech really made the movie-going audience think. Gandhi was an inspiration to a lot of people.

Transition:

The speech may lead one to ask themselves, is it the words and the way Gandhi says them, that motivates people to action? Or could any other person be just as convincing?

IV. Constraints:

A. Gandhi, all 5 foot 4 and a half of him (IMBD), was by no means a brooding, intimidating man.

1. He needed strong words to make up for his unconvincing stature.

2. If Gandhi were to crumble at the first sign of opposition, he would have lost all respect. 3.Yet because he endured hunger strikes and physical abuse, while still keeping a peaceful mind, he gained respect and credibility for the words he spoke.

B. It would have been all too easy to follow the crowd, but he stuck to his guns.

1.Like Martin Luther King Jr. almost half a decade after, he knew what was right, persevered and created a following.

C. He had to be cautious to choose his words carefully- such as when he said he wants the people to “fight against their anger, but not to provoke it.”

1.There’s a huge difference between the two, and if a speaker makes the mistake of mixing them up, then there is potential to have grave or even violent consequences.

V. Conclusion

A. Transition:

1.Despite the temptation of violence, it’s easy to see how strong a character Gandhi was through his speeches and actions stressing peaceful resistance.

B. Restate Thesis:

1.The film reenactment of his proclamation in the movie “Gandhi" was both necessary and inspirational for both his audience in the film because of the social aspect, and the actual audience watching the film.

C. Review main points:

1. Many factors led to the disgruntlement of the Indian people.

2. The complete lack of independence and the abuse they endured could have sent them to violence, but the peaceful Gandhi stressed the opposite.

3. He spoke to both his followers in the film and to people globally with his words of inspiration.

4. It was necessary for him to carefully choose his words and live accordingly to gain respect for his beliefs.

D. Decisive Closing:

1.Right along so many other causes in the 20th century- the right to vote, the act of warfare, the AIDS outbreak- so was the strive for an independent nation of India.

2. Such steps in this cause, in particular, would be impossible without people like Gandhi. 3. In 2007, India elected its first female president- just an example of the strides the country has made (New York Times 2).

4. It truly takes courage to stand up and not only proclaim, but act on your beliefs, even in the face of the enemy.

References:

1. The New York Times. Ben Kinglsey In Panoramic “Gandhi”. 8 December 1982. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=940DE7DA143BF93BA35751C1A964948260&scp=12&sq=gandhi+film&st=nyt

2. American Rhetoric. “Gandhi”: Mr. Gandhi Advocates Policy of Nonviolence. 2001-2008. http://americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/moviespeechgandhi1.html

3. Time. Time 100: Leaders and Revolutionaries: Mohandas Gandhi. 2003. http://www.time.com/time/time100/leaders/profile/gandhi3.html

4. Country Studies. US Library of Congress: The British Empire in India, Company Rule 1757-1857. http://countrystudies.us/india/16.htm

5. Awards Database. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: Gandhi. http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/DisplayMain.jsp?curTime=1202093012532

6. IMBD. The Internet Movie Database: Biography for Mahatma Gandhi. 1990-2008. http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0003987/bio

7. The New York Times 2. India Elects First Woman to be President. 22 July 2007. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/22/world/asia/22india.html?scp=1&sq=india+elects+first+woman&st=nyt