Michael Chiang

Speech 1 Outline

I. Introduction

A. Attention Getter: Out of the 2.59 million American soldiers that served in the Vietnam War, 58,148 soldiers were killed and 304,000 were wounded. (Vietnam War Facts)

B. Thesis & Credibility: “We Were Soldiers” was a movie of great magnitude that not only brought Hollywood a superb war movie, winning Top Box Office Film in 2003 (IMDB), but also told the story of the soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War.

C. I chose a speech given in the movie, “We Were Soldiers,” by Lt. Colonel Moore – portrayed by Mel Gibson – before him and his soldiers shipped out to Vietnam.

D. Preview: In “We Were Soldiers,” Lt. Colonel Moore, led 400 young soldiers into what was later known as “The Valley of Death” against 2,000 North Vietnamese Soldiers. (IMDB) Although the men were outnumbered and overrun. Prior to the battle, Lt. Colonel Moore delivers a speech to his men and their families of confidence, unity, and patriotism. In my following speech I will mention the exigence, audience, and constraints of the speech given by Moore.

E. Transition: Now let me tell you why they made another movie about the Vietnam War.

II. Exigence

A. The movie “We Were Soldiers” was made by Hollywood not only to be a hit, but to pay tribute to the soldiers of the United States 7th Calvary, who fought during November of 1965 in “The Valley of Death.” (NYTimes)

1. “We Were Soldiers” was a movie that displayed the courage of the soldiers who fought in Vietnam, specifically showing the younger generation what happened during the Vietnam War, and what the soldiers had to endure.

B. In the movie, why does Lt. Colonel Moore give a speech to his men and their families?

1. Prior to the Vietnam War, American soldiers were never trained to fight in the jungle.

2. Being the first time that these soldiers would be stepping into foreign territory, it would seem logical for Moore to ensure his men and their families that he knows what he’s doing as the leading officer of his Calvary, and to reiterate to his men that he “will be the first to set foot on the field,” “the last to step off,” and that he “will leave no one behind.” (American Rhetoric)

C. Transition: If you have not thought about it just yet, there are three audiences that listen to Lt. Colonel Moore’s speech.

III. Audience

A. The three audiences that listen to Moore’s speech are the soldiers, the soldier’s families, and the viewers watching the movie.

1. First, Moore’s speech to his soldiers sends the message that they work as a whole. As he calls out the ethnic and religious backgrounds of his men, and ends with the statement that they are one, and that their unifying bond that holds them together is impenetrable by the Vietnamese army.

i. Moore also shows to his men that he is capable of being their leader, and that no matter how much pressure they will be under, he will be there to guide his men safely back home – dead or alive.

2. Second, The families of the soldiers who listen to Moore delivering his speech listen for his sympathy and his promises to God that he will bring their loved ones back home.

3. Last but not least, the speech directed toward the viewers who are watching this movie bring them to the edge of their seat, as it foreshadows the battle that is to come.

i. This speech brings a sense of patriotism, and hope to the viewers that the soldiers will all come home alive.

B. Transition: As Moore’s speech appears to be inspirational and full of adrenaline, promising his audience the things he is sure of, he does a bold move by also stating the things he is unsure of.

IV. Constraints

A. Moore tells his soldiers and their families that he “will leave no one behind.” (Americanrhetoric), however, he is not afraid to go beyond his constraints and further tell his men and their families that he specifically cannot promise that he will bring everyone back home alive – stating that they are up “against a tough and determined enemy.”

B. Moore is able to instill courage and pride into his men, as well as instill hope into their families, promising that he will stay behind to make sure that his men, dead or alive, all return home.

C. Transition: With the boldness of Moore’s speech, the Lt. Colonel is able to hearten his men, their families, and the viewers of the movie for the upcoming battle.

V. Conclusion

A. Restate Thesis: “We Were Soldiers” is a movie that not only brought its viewers a better understanding of what happened during the Vietnam War, but also a tribute of the bravery and courage of the soldiers of the United States 7th Calvary.

B. As the speech given by Lt. Colonel Moore portrayed by Mel Gibson was able to reach multiple audiences, giving them a sense of unity and pride for serving their country.

C. Lt. Colonel Moore has been able to show great courage as a leader of his men and their families as they mentally prepare themselves to enter “The Valley of Death.” (NYTimes)

Bibliography

1. "Vietnam War Facts." Vietnam War. 2003. Otherground. 4 Feb. 2008 <http://www.vietnam-war.info/facts/>.

2. Scott, A. O. " FILM REVIEW; Early Vietnam, Mission Murky." New York Times 1 Mar. 2002. 5 Feb. 2008 <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9900E6DD1331F932A35750C0A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2>.

3. "We Were Soldiers." The Internet Movie Database (IMDB). 2008. 4 Feb. 2008 <http://imdb.com/title/tt0277434/>.

4. "American Rhetoric: Movie Speech 'We Were Soldiers.'" Americna Rhetoric. 2008. 4 Feb. 2008 <http://americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/moviespeechweweresoldiers7thcavalryaddress.html>.

Hey mike. Good topic choice. We Were Soldiers was a great movie and Mel Gibson's a cool guy. Your speech had great structure and flowed really well. Smooth. -Nate Scarbrough

Quan,Zou: Your topic is pretty attractive which is maybe because "We were soiders" is also one of my favorite movies. Your whole speech was pretty clear and the structures were well-organized. Nice speech!

Joe Belack: Your eye contact struggled a bit. Your volume, transitions and closer were very good. Pace could have been a bit better.

Maria Martin: It was cool to hear you talk about a movie; you were easy to listen to, made good transitions from point to point, and backed up your facts with some credibility. You may want to work on your flow a little but overall you did a really good job.

Scot Brown: One thing I think your speech could have used to mention is how the movie serves as a remedy to our national illusion of what combat in the Vietnam war was like. Whereas we think of Vietnam as G.I.s slogging through nice paddies and shooting at Charlies in the trees, this film presents the much more realistic version of high intensity conflict between regular state army's, in this case in the Ia Drang valley. Considering all the misconceptions Americans have about Vietnam, this may have been something they were trying to address. Along with that, more could have been said about the treatment of the enemy in this film, and how you think that relationship was supposed to be represented. These suggestions may seem like content for the second speech, but if you address the idea of the audience's misconceptions (about Vietnam), it can be seen as context as well.

YB: You made good overall eye contact and you also made your speech flow smoothly. Your speech was easy to follow and your references and facts gave great credibility. Good job.