Summary Of Kill A Mockingbird - 987 Words

To Kill A Mockingbird Racial relations have always been hard. No matter, if they were between Christians and Muslims, Germans and Jews, or even the White and Black men, we have always been racially prejudiced as a whole people. A lot of countries’ government workers like to separate the minority just because of their skin color or the sound of their voice, especially, the white and black men in the United States. Many families are still not letting their daughters date a dark skin. Many cops are literally arresting African Americans for everything. It hasn’t changed much through history. I believe all we have done to change this prejudice is getting rid of an abundance of segregation laws and many more friendships are biracial. Our history of prejudice is horrible, yet it is evolving into something a little smaller, such as, the Tom Robinson case in the ‘30s, the Scottsboro Trials in the ‘30s, the Emmet Till Murder Trial, and also the case of Bruce v. Samue ls. The Tom Robinson Case in To Kill a Mockingbird was very racially prejudiced from the start. The difference between the Ewells’ version of Tom Robinson and the actual Tom Robinson is that the Ewells’ version of Tom had every intention to rape a white woman and couldn’t control his animalistic lust or needs and the actual Tom was a great husband and father, and he was also kind, compassionate, and all-around loved people. The Ewells’ version of Tom Robinson had no motivation but to just rape her. The actual TomShow MoreRelatedSummary of To Kill a Mockingbird891 Words   |  4 PagesIn To Kill a Mockingbird many morals about the themes in the novel are portrayed through different issues and events. The major themes are appearance vs. reality courage, maturity and prejudice. Each of these themes has an event in the novel that help the reader understand its message. Courage is shown by different characters in varying ways throughout the novel. These characters are Jem, Boo Radley, Mrs. Dubose and Atticus. Jem shows a small amount of courage when Atticus decides to face a lynchRead MoreSummary Of Kill A Mockingbird 1080 Words   |  5 PagesAnna Bolger Mr. Connell English 1 8/18/201 Summer assignment 1. To Kill a Mockingbird took place in the nineteen thirties during the great depression. It was in a small town called Maycomb, Alabama. The author used this setting because most of the Midwest was desperate and racism affected the lives of about everyone. This was not however the only setting the story could take place in. For instance the story could’ve taken place around the George Zimmerman trial in modern trials. 2. The chief conflictsRead MoreSummary Of Kill A Mockingbird 1034 Words   |  5 PagesJack Scott Mrs.Olsen Pre AP English III-8 29th April 2016 To Kill a Mockingbird Chapters 1-11 Retest assignment The novel of TKAM takes various readers across the world into the many places of human life behavior that is compelling to the individuals containing dramatic experiences of kindness,love,passion,and cruelty, all in which is present throughout the book. The reasons for exploration in the novel’s larger questions takes place within the own perspectives of the children in whichRead MoreSummary Of Kill A Mockingbird 1030 Words   |  5 Pages The setting of To Kill a Mockingbird is in Maycomb County, which is a unrealistic district in Southern Alabama. The years are in the early 1930s, the time of the Great Depression when poverty and unemployment were a widespread in the U.S. The town of Maycomb is pretty sloppy because streets are not paved and got turned into red slop ( red mud). The people in the town are really nice and had a bunch of old ladies baking delicious cakes and town sheriffs saying folsky things. The courthouse isRead MoreSummary Of Kill A Mockingbird 1406 Words   |  6 PagesTo Kill a Mockingbird: Crit 1, 3 4. Answer in full sentences and provide evidence from the text to support your answers. Evidence includes explanation and quotes. When you are quoting put the page number next to the quote. Eg ( p 28) Chapter 22: Although Atticus did not want his children in court, he defends Jem s right to know what has happened. Explain, in your own words, Atticus reasons for this. (Look at the speech beginning, â€Å"This is their home, sister†.) p 231. Atticus feels thatRead MoreSummary Of Kill A Mockingbird 724 Words   |  3 PagesRyan Saunderson Mr. Chishty Eng/LA 9 12 February 2017 To Kill A Mockingbird Questions 1 Describe each of the following members of the Finch family: (a) Atticus, (b) Scout, (c) Jem, (d) Calpurnia. Atticus- Scout and Jem’s father. Atticus is a widowed lawyer in Maycomb County that comes from a family that has always lived in the area. Atticus seems to be a very progressive person, has a dry sense of humor. Scout- Jean Louise Finch, or â€Å"Scout†, is very intelligent as she knows how to read and writeRead MoreSummary Of Kill A Mockingbird Essay713 Words   |  3 PagesEmily Hontiveros Ms. Albuquerque English I - Honors 11 September 2014 To Kill A Mockingbird â€Å"But I want to play with Walter, Aunty, why can’t I?† She took off her glasses and stared at me. â€Å"I’ll tell you why,† she said, â€Å"Because- he – is – trash, that’s why you can’t play with him† (Lee, 256). Imagine you were a small child hearing those words being told to you. You would not fully understand the reason why your aunt decides that, but you comply to her verdict. Flash forward to now, you’reRead MoreSummary Of Kill A Mockingbird 1645 Words   |  7 PagesTo Kill a Mockingbird is told from the view of Jean Louise (Scout) Finch. It is through her we are introduced to the social injustice, racial prejudice and problems rife in Maycomb’s society. Through Lee’s use of characters, objects and events we see how these issues are permeated into society, and I will be delving into these and explaining how they present the town of Maycomb. In chapter 2 Lee presents the town of Maycomb to be poverty stricken, emphasised through the characterisation of WalterRead MoreSummary Of Kill A Mockingbird 839 Words   |  4 PagesTo Kill a Mockingbird –Intervention (Postlude) It was the beginning of yet another cold night. The sun was descending into the great unknown, allowing for the moon to take its place until the morning. Mayella stood and watched this phenomena, something she had never paid much attention to before. She stood silently before the filth and chaos of the junkyard, admiring the beauty of something so simple, something so full of wonder. It had now been a mere two weeks since her father’s death, though itRead MoreSummary Of Kill A Mockingbird 2082 Words   |  9 Pages‘TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD’ CHAPTER ONE: †¢ Maycomb is a poor, old and small town. Atticus Finch has a farm called Finch’s Landing that has supported their family for many years. †¢ Radley is a loner and because of the stories about Boo Radley †¢ The narrative voice and viewpoint are both from scouts point of view CHAPTER TWO †¢ Scout wants to go to school with Jem and she likes to read, that’s why she is looking forward to starting school. †¢ Jem is embarrassed of what Scout would do so he doesn’t want

The Return Midnight Chapter 12 Free Essays

â€Å"Stefan. Stefan!†Elena had been too nervous to stay out of the bedroom for longer than the five minutes it had taken to show herself to the sheriffs. It was Stefan the officers real y wanted and couldn’t find, not seeming to consider that someone might backtrack and hide in a room that had already been searched. We will write a custom essay sample on The Return: Midnight Chapter 12 or any similar topic only for you Order Now And now Elena couldn’t get a response out of Stefan, who was locked in an embrace with Meredith, mouth pressed tightly over the two little wounds he’d made. Elena had to shake him by the shoulders, to shake both of them, in order to get any response. Then Stefan reared back suddenly, but held on to Meredith, who would otherwise have fal en. He hastily licked blood from his lips. For once, though, Elena wasn’t focused on him, but on her friend – her friend whom she’d al owed to do this. Meredith’s eyes were shut, but they had dark, almost plum-colored circles under them. Her lips were parted, and her dark cloud of hair was wet where tears had fal en into it. â€Å"Meredith? Merry?†The old nickname just slipped out of Elena’s lips. And then, when Meredith gave no sign of having heard her: â€Å"Stefan, what’s wrong?† â€Å"I Influenced her at the end to sleep.†Stefan lifted Meredith and put her on the bed. â€Å"But what happened? Why is she crying – and what’s wrong with you?†Elena couldn’t help but notice that despite the healthy flush on Stefan’s cheeks his eyes were shadowed. â€Å"Something I saw – in her mind,†Stefan said briefly, pul ing Elena behind his back. â€Å"Here comes one of them. Stay there.† The door opened. It was the male sheriff, who was red-faced and panting, and who had clearly just lapped himself, returning to this room after starting from it to search the entire first floor. â€Å"I have them al in a room – al but the fugitive,†the sheriff said into a large black mobile. The female sheriff made some brief reply. Then the red-faced male turned to speak to the teenagers. â€Å"Now what’s going to happen is that I’m going to search you† – he nodded at Stefan – â€Å"while my partner searches you two.†His head jerked, ear-first, at Meredith. â€Å"What’s wrong with her, anyway?† â€Å"Nothing that you could understand,†Stefan replied cool y. The sheriff looked as if he couldn’t believe what had just been said. Then, suddenly, he looked as if he could, and did, and he took a step toward Meredith. Stefan snarled. The sound made Elena, who was right behind him, jump. It was the low savage snarl of an animal protecting its mate, its pack, its territory. The ruddy-faced policeman suddenly looked pale and panicked. Elena guessed that he was looking at a mouth ful of teeth much sharper than his own, and tinged with blood as well. Elena didn’t want this to turn into a pi – that was, a†¦snarling match. As the sheriff gabbled to his partner, â€Å"We may need some of them silver bul ets after al ,†Elena poked her beloved, who was now making a noise like a very big buzz saw that she could feel in her teeth, and whispered, â€Å"Stefan, Influence him! The other one’s coming, and she may already have cal ed for backup.† At her touch, Stefan stopped making the sound, and when he turned she could see his face changing from that of a savage animal baring its teeth back to his own dear, green-eyed self. He must have taken a lot of blood from Meredith, she thought, with a flutter in her stomach. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. But there was no denying the after-effects. Stefan turned back to the male sheriff and said crisply, â€Å"You wil go into the front hal way. You wil remain there, silent, until I tel you to move or speak.†Then, without looking up to see if the officer was obeying or not, he tucked the blankets more tightly around Meredith. Elena was watching the sheriff, though, and she noticed that he didn’t hesitate an instant. He made an about-face and marched off to the front foyer. Then Elena felt safe enough to look at Meredith again. She couldn’t find anything wrong in her friend’s face, except her unnatural pal or, and those violet shadows around her eyes. â€Å"Meredith?†she whispered. No response. Elena fol owed Stefan out of the room. She had just made it to the foyer when the female sheriff ambushed them. Coming down the stairs, pushing the fragile Mrs. Flowers before her, she shouted, â€Å"On the ground! Al of you!†She gave Mrs. Flowers a hard shove forward. â€Å"Get down now!† When Mrs. Flowers almost fel sprawling on the floor, Stefan leaped and caught her, and then turned back to the other woman. For a moment Elena thought that he would snarl again, but instead, in a voice tight with self-control, he said, â€Å"Join your partner. You can’t move or speak without my permission.† He took the shaken-looking Mrs. Flowers to a chair on the left side of the foyer. â€Å"Did that – person – hurt you?† â€Å"No, no. Just get them out of my house, Stefan, dear, and I’l be most grateful,†Mrs. Flowers replied. â€Å"Done,†Stefan said softly. â€Å"I’m sorry we’ve caused you so much trouble – in your own home.†He looked at each of the sheriffs, his eyes piercing. â€Å"Go away and don’t come back. You have searched the house, but none of the people you were looking for were here. You think further surveil ance wil yield nothing. You believe that you would do more good by helping the – what was it? Oh, yes, the mayhem in the town of Fel ‘s Church. You wil never come here again. Now go back to your car and leave.† Elena felt the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She could feel the Power behind Stefan’s words. And, as always, it was satisfying to see cruel or angry people become docile under the power of a vampire’s Influence. These two stood for another ten seconds quite stil , and then they simply walked out the front door. Elena listened to the sound of the sheriff’s car driving away and such a strong feeling of relief washed over her that she almost col apsed. Stefan put his arms around her, and Elena hugged him back tightly, knowing that her heart was pounding. She could feel it in her chest and her fingertips. It’s all over. All done now, Stefan thought to her and Elena suddenly felt something different. She felt pride. Stefan had simply taken charge and chased the officers away. Thank you, she thought to Stefan. â€Å"I guess we’d better get Matt out of the root cel ar,†she added. Matt was unhappy. â€Å"Thanks for hiding me – but do you know how long that was?†he demanded of Elena when they were upstairs again. â€Å"And no light except what was in that little star bal . And no sound – I couldn’t hear a thing down there. And what is this?†He held out the long, heavy wooden staff, with its strangely shaped, spiked ends. Elena felt sudden panic. â€Å"You didn’t cut yourself, did you?†She snatched up Matt’s hands, letting the long staff fal to the ground. But Matt didn’t seem to have a single scratch. â€Å"I wasn’t dumb enough to hold it by the ends,†he said. â€Å"Meredith did, for some reason,†Elena said. â€Å"Her palms were covered with wounds. And I don’t even know what it is.† â€Å"I do,†Stefan said quietly. He picked up the stave. â€Å"But it’s Meredith’s secret real y. I mean it’s Meredith’s property,†he added hastily as al eyes fixed on him at the word secret. â€Å"Well, I’m not blind,†Matt said in his frank, straightforward way, flipping back some fair hair in order to look more closely at the thing. He raised blue eyes to Elena. â€Å"I know what it smells like, which is vervain. And I know what it looks like with al those silver and iron spikes coming out of the sharp ends. It looks like a giant staff for exterminating every kind of Godawful Hel acious monster that walks on this earth.† â€Å"And vampires, too,†Elena added hastily. She knew that Stefan was in a funny mood and she definitely didn’t want to see Matt, for whom she stil cared deeply, lying on the floor with a crushed skul . â€Å"And even humans – I think these bigger spikes are for injecting poison.† â€Å"Poison?†Matt looked at his own palms hastily. â€Å"You’re okay,†Elena said. â€Å"I checked you, and besides it would be a very quick-acting poison.† â€Å"Yes, they would want to take you out of the fight as fast as possible,†Stefan said. â€Å"So if you’re alive now, you’re likely to stay that way. And now, this Godawful Hel acious monster just wants to get back up to bed.†He turned to go to the attic. He must have heard Elena’s swift, involuntarily indrawn breath, because he turned around and she could see that he was sorry. His eyes were dark emerald, sad but blazing with unused Power. I think we’l have a late morning, Elena thought, feeling pleasurable thril s ripple through her. She squeezed Stefan’s hand, and felt him return the pressure. She could see what he had in mind; they were close enough and he was projecting pretty clearly what he wanted – and she was as eager to get upstairs as he was. But at that moment Matt, eyes on the wickedly spiked staff, said, â€Å"Meredith has something to do with that?† â€Å"I should never have said anything at al about it,†Stefan replied. â€Å"But if you want to know more, you’d real y better ask Meredith herself. Tomorrow.† â€Å"Al right,†Matt said, final y seeming to understand. Elena was way ahead of him. A weapon like that was – could only be – for kil ing al sorts of monsters walking the earth. And Meredith – Meredith who was as slim and athletic as a bal erina with a black belt, and oh! Those lessons! The lessons that Meredith had always put off if the girls were doing something at that exact moment, but that she always somehow managed to make time for. But a girl could hardly be expected to carry a harpsichord around with her and nobody else had one. Besides, Meredith had said she hated to play, so her BFFs had let it go at that. It was al part of the Meredith mystique. And riding lessons? Elena would bet some of them were genuine. Meredith would want to know how to make a quick escape mounting anything available. But if Meredith wasn’t practicing for a little light music in the drawing room, or for starring in a Hol ywood Western – then what would she have been doing? Training, Elena guessed. There were a lot of dojos out there, and if Meredith had been doing this since that vampire attacked her grandfather she must be pretty darn good. And when we’ve fought grisly things, whose eyes have ever been on her, a soft gray shadow that kept out of the limelight? A lot of monsters probably got knocked out but good. The only question that needed to be answered was why Meredith hadn’t shown them the Godawful Hel acious monster staker or used it in any fights – say against Klaus – until now. And Elena didn’t know, but she could ask Meredith herself. Tomorrow, when Meredith was up. But she trusted that it had some simple answer. Elena tried to stifle a yawn in a ladylike way. Stefan? she asked. Can you get us out of here – without picking me up – and to your room? â€Å"I think we’ve al had enough stress this morning,†Stefan said in his own gentle voice. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers, Meredith is in the first-floor bedroom – she’l probably sleep very late. Matt – â€Å" â€Å"I know, I know. I don’t know where the schedule went but I might as well make it my night.†Matt presented an arm to Stefan. Stefan looked surprised. Darling, you can never have too much blood, Elena thought to him, seriously and straightforwardly. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers and I wil be in the kitchen,†she said aloud. When they were there, Mrs. Flowers said, â€Å"Don’t forget to thank Stefan for defending the boardinghouse for me.† â€Å"He did it because it’s our home,†Elena said, and went back into the hal , where Stefan was thanking a flushing Matt. And then Mrs. Flowers cal ed Matt into the kitchen and Elena found herself swooped up in lithe, hard arms and then they were gaining altitude rapidly, with the wood staircase emitting little creaks and groans of protest. And final y they were in Stefan’s room and Elena was in Stefan’s arms. There was no better place to be, or anything else either of them real y wanted now, Elena thought and turned her face up as Stefan turned his down and they began with a long slow kiss. And then the kiss went molten, and Elena had to cling to Stefan, who was already holding her with arms that could have cracked granite, but only squeezed her exactly as tightly as she wanted them to. How to cite The Return: Midnight Chapter 12, Essay examples

Prepare First Speech free essay sample

Since this Is a public speaking class, It means that you will Indeed have to present speeches! Since many people become nervous at this prospect, I like to get the first one done early in the semester. Its like ripping Off band-aid: rip it off fast to feel less pain. Your Introductory Speech is your first baby step into this field. This assignment is meant to be easy. Its meant to be a way to get you up in front of the group and doing something for 2-4 minutes, not to be a heavy, taxing assignment. Therefore, If you find that its really hard, youre doing it wrong!Take a deep breath, remember Its supposed to be simple, and start over again. Because I want this assignment to be easy and I want everyone to be on about the same level, this Is the one speech in the semester where Im going to give you topics to choose from rather than just letting you pick something on your own. Dont worry, after this one you can talk about any appropriate subjects you want, but for now, your choices are limited to five. Topics Your first topic option Is called a coat of arms speech. A coat of arms is also often called a family crest.In Medieval heraldry, pictures were emblazoned on a nights shield or armor which represented that persons character or ancestry. A family crest has pictures that tell about a familys history. Dont worry; Im not going to ask you to research your genealogy! Instead, for this topic, I want you to create your own personal coat of arms. To do this, you should choose between 2 and 4 objects that represent something about you. For instance, If I were to create a coat of arms for myself, I would choose a golf club, a suitcase, and a roller coaster because those represent three of my favorite hobbies. I love to play golf (though Im not very good at t), I seek any opportunity to travel, and Im a huge roller coaster nut who will go anywhere to ride the latest and greatest ride. You could choose hobbies, as I have done, or you may choose a person or people, a pet, something related to your future career, etc. You can choose anything that tells us a little bit about you, who you are, and what you like. You dont have to get deep and personal, Just tell us some basic, surface-level things about yourself.Since some people dont Like to talk about themselves, you have other options as well. Your second topic to choice Is: If you loud invite any three people to dinner, living or dead, fictional or non-fictional, who would they be and why? Who would you most like to meet and talk to, either from the past or the present? What would you like to learn from them? Since they dont have to be living, I could choose Adolph Hitler if I wanted to. Since they can be fictional, I can choose Bugs Bunny I f I want to. They dont have to be famous people or characters, either.I know someone who would be at the top of my Invitation list would be my grandmother, who died 25 years ago, and Id just like to sit down and talk with her gain. You might also address what that combination of people would be like at dinner. Are Hitler and Bugs Bunny going to get along, or will there be trouble? Will my grandmother be able to put Hitler in his place? Your third topic option is: if you were going to be stranded on a deserted Island, what three books would you want to have with you? Do you want to entertain yourself with fiction? Would you prepare coconuts or How to build a raft and get off a deserted island? When I bring up this topic option in a live class, students often groan that they dont read or eke a lot of books, so Im not completely hung up on your choosing them, but I would like you pick some form of media such as magazines, music, movies, newspapers, journals, etc. Well Just pretend you have a lifeti me supply of batteries so you can watch those movies or listen to that music! Your first three choices have all been informative-type speeches, because youd Just be telling us about yourself, the people youd like to meet, or the books youd like to have.Your fourth topic option is a persuasive one: a sales speech. You can sell us any product or service. It can be a eel product, or you can make up a fake one (and yes, it can be funny and creative). I know that many students I have in class work in sales, and if thats the case with you, you can sell us the product you sell at work. The bottom line is: if you choose this option, your goal is to make us want the product by the end of your speech. Keep in mind that it isnt meant to be a TV commercial; it should still be a proper speech in proper speech format.Your final option could be either informative or persuasive, depending on how you approach it. It is a speech about your pet peeves. What are the little nit-picky things other people do that really get on your nerves? Is it people who chew with their mouth open or fail to replace the toilet paper roll when it runs out? Is it all the bad drivers in Columbia? You could approach this topic option in a couple of different ways. You could pick out two or three different pet peeves and talk about each, or you could give two or three reasons why one thing is a big pet peeve of yours.For instance, I once had a woman in class who talked about the three things she found most irritating at Wall-Mart. Keep in mind that pet peeves are supposed to be minor irritations. Something like domestic abuse, for instance, isnt a pet peeve, but a major social issue! Hopefully, you find at least one of those topic options appealing. Remember the assignment is supposed to be easy, so choose the one where ideas come to you most easily. Sometimes, upon first hearing the topic choices one stands out as THE one youre going to do, but when you sit down to write it you cant think of anything to say.If thats the case, try another one to see if the ideas come to you more easily. You want the writing part of this to be easy so that youll have plenty of time to practice your speech before its due. You may also consider using a visual aid with this presentation. Its not a requirement, but if youre particularly nervous about speaking, you might consider it for a couple of reasons. First, having a visual aid may make you less nervous because it gives the audience something else to look at for a moment rather than you!Second, the visual aid will help you remember what you want to say in your speech. If I have a golf club lying on the table, Im not likely to forget that I want to talk about golf! The visual aid could be an actual object, a picture, a power point slide show, or whatever may be appropriate for the subject youre discussing. Writing and Organizing the Speech Regardless of which topic option you choose, your speech should contain certain basic elements that are present in all speeches that you will present in this class.First, the speech should begin w ith an introduction to lead the audience in to the main content of the speech. You should spend 10-15% of your speaking time setting up the speech in the introduction and it should include at least these two a speaker first stands up to speak, the audience is doing a hundred other things rather than listening. Theyre talking to each other, daydreaming, reading, doodling, and who knows what else? So, your first goal as a speaker is to get the audience to stop doing those things and to want to listen to what you have to say.You can accomplish this by having an effective attention device as the opening of your speech. There are several techniques you can use to draw the audience in. Attention Getters 1. You could ask the audience a question, which forces them to participate in some way. You could ask a rhetorical question that makes the audience wonder where youre going with the speech, or you could ask for a show of hands in response to our question, which forces them to physically participate. In order for this to be an effective device, though, you have to make sure its a good question!If the question has an obvious answer, instead of drawing the audience in, youll turn them off For instance, I once had a student who started his speech with How many of you have ever watched television? The audience laughed and nobody raised their hands. The speaker then timidly said, No, really. Raise your hand if youve ever watched TV. The audiences sighed and grudgingly held up their hands. The audience felt that it was obvious that they had all seen TV before, and resented having to actually answer that question, so the speakers attention getter backfired. . You could tell a joke. Humor is actually a wonderful way to begin a presentation. It lightens the mood and makes the audience want to hear more. Most speakers report feeling the most nervous right before starting their speech, so if you can tell a good Joke and get the audience laughing, it will help you feel like theyre with you and youll start to relax. There are a couple of catches to this technique, though. First, the audience may expect you to continue to be funny throughout your speech. Second, you want to make sure its a good Joke!If you tell a Joke, youve got wait for laughter written in your notes, no one laughs, and you can hear the crickets chirping, it will make you more nervous! 3. You could use a quotation. If youre choosing the people you would invite to dinner or the books youd take to a deserted island, this could be a good attention device for you. Choose a powerful quotation from one of the people or a dramatic passage from one of your books, and it can help to set the mood of your speech. 4. You could make a shocking statement or give a surprising fact or tactics to begin the speech.A surprising fact about the subject can make the audience want to hear more about your subject and your research. 5. You could use a visual aid or physical demonstration to draw the audience in. For instance, if one of the objects youve chosen to represent yourself is something unusual, it may make the audience curious about what youll be discussing. I once had a student that opened his speech in a way that scared me to death. He stood up and started talking, when suddenly; another man burst in the door and attacked him! I was panicked! I thought, Oh no, a fight! Theyre going to kill each other! Just as I was getting ready to call security, it became clear that this was a pre-planned skit for a speech about self-defense. The speaker was showing how to get out of a hold by an attacker. It was frightening, but it definitely got our attention! Not everyone is comfortable with being quite that dramatic, though, so feel free to use one of the gently draw the audience into your speech and topic. For instance, if I were doing my coat of arms speech, I might tell a story about a day at the amusement park. These are the main techniques speakers use to start a speech. You might also reference a historical event or a previous speaker.The main thing I want to get across to you is that you should NOT start a speech by stating the topic. Saying, My name is Cindy and today Im going to tell you about my coat of arms is boring and not likely to make the audience interested. Dont say, My speech is on Or My topic is. .. Use a good, well thought-out attention getter. Keep in mind as well that the attention getter MUST be related to the content of the speech in some way. Dont tell a random Joke, for instance, tell a Joke thats related to something youre actually owning to talk about in your speech.I feel that the attention getter is one of the hardest parts of the speech to write, and I would save it as one of the last things I write. You want to know what your main content is going to be before you decide how to start the speech. These with Preview of Main Points The second part of the introduction is to have a clear thesis that previews the main points youll discuss in the body of the speech. Just like a paper has a central thesis its trying to get across to the reader, a speech has a central thesis its trying to get across to the listeners. The thesis takes your entire speech and summarizes it in one sentence.It is THE thing you want the audience to remember, even if they remember nothing else about your speech. The thesis includes a preview of the main points that will be discussed in the body of the speech as well. This means that Im literally going to state my main points in my introduction, as part of that thesis. For instance, a potential thesis for my coat of arms speech might be something like, manfully get to know me better once you see how much I like golf, travel, and roller coasters. Now the audience knows that Ill be discussing those three pacific topics in my speech.One thing youll learn in this class is that most people arent particularly strong listeners, so you have to keep reminding them of what you want them to know. A general rule of speech making is tell me what youre going to tell me. Tell me. Then tell me what you Just told me. The preview is telling them what youre going to tell them. Vive had some students in the past that really hated the idea of doing a preview. They were afraid it would make the speech boring and repetitive or that it was giving away all the potential suspense in their speech.Well, it might be a bit repetitive, but thats a necessary evil when dealing with oral communication. Its also still possible to leave people in suspense while still previewing the body. For instance, in my three people Id invite to dinner speech I could have the thesis of: The three people Id most like to have to dinner include a relative, a historical figure, and a cartoon character. Vive still previewed, but the audience wont know which relative, historical figure, or cartoon character Vive chosen until I talk about them in the body.The Body Once youve previewed your points, then you move into the body of your speech. The body is where youll develop your ideas and spend 80% (the vast majority) of your speaking time. Generally, the body will be developed like this: l. Main Point A. Support Transition: II. Main Point B. Support Ill. Main Point Your speech should have at least two main points and no more than four (considering your short time limits for your speeches). If youre doing the coat of arms speech, the main points will be each object that youve chosen to represent yourself. If youre talking about three people, each person will be a main point. If youre talking about three books, each book would be a main point in your speech. With the pet peeve speech, the main points would be either each different pet peeve or each different reason one thing is your pet peeve. The sales speechs main points are less obvious. You could give three reasons to buy your product, or spend one point explaining what your product is and one point showing why we should buy it. You have options with the sales, but do make sure the points are distinct and memorable if you choose that option.The support for your main points includes any examples, descriptions, definitions, explanations, etc. That youre using to explain why that object, book, person, etc. Is meaningful. Remember, this speech is supposed to be 2-4 minutes long, so it wouldnt be enough for me to say l love to play golf, traveling is really fun, and roller coasters are really great. That would take me about 10 seconds! I need to give some detail. Maybe I could tell my most embarrassing moment playing golf and my proudest accomplishment. In the travel point, I could talk about some of my favorite destinations and places Id like to visit in the future.In the roller coaster point I could talk about some of my favorite rides and the roller coaster club I belong to. Ultimately, your support should explain why meeting is meaningful in your speech. Between each main point you need a good transition to smoothly bridge the gap between your main ideas. You dont want to Just stop talking about one thing and start talking about another. You want to lead the audience into the next point smoothly. Again, the audience is potentially full of poor listeners, so anytime youre shifting gears in your speech, you need to signal that to the audience.For example, I might use a transition like, While golf is my most frustrating hobby, riding roller coasters is my most exciting hobby, or The only way o get to the best roller coasters is to travel. This lets the audience know that Im done talking about one point and moving on to the next. It could be as simple as numbering your main points such as, My second hobby is riding roller coasters. You just want to make sure that you make it easy for the audience to follow and remember. The Conclusion The last part of your speech is the conclusion, which makes up 5-10% of your speaking time.In the conclusion, youre essentially doing the opposite of what you did in the introduction. You will review your main points and give the speech closure. In the introduction, you told the audience what you were going to tell them with youve Just told them in your review, such as Now you can see how much I like golf, travel, and roller coasters. This means that Vive told the audience three times in three minutes what my three favorite things are, and if they dont know what they are, I dont know where theyve been! Vive done my best as a speaker to get them to remember those three things about me. Just like you dont want to begin a speech with My topic is You dont want to end a speech with Thats it, or Im done. You want to leave an impression on the audience or leave them with something to think about. Many of the techniques we used to start a speech could be used as closure as well, such as a dramatic statement, a quotation, or reminding the audience of the most important piece of information from your speech. One technique I used to like to use when making speeches was to tell part of a story in the attention getter, but not tell how things turned out until the conclusion. This makes the speech feel like its come full circle. At this point in the semester, Ill be happy if you do anything beyond Just stopping or saying Thats it. One of the things Vive noticed in beginning speakers is that they often dont have a conclusion at all. They just stop talking after theyve finished with the body. Dont make this mistake! Take some time to wrap up and summarize what youve discussed in your speech. Just as with the attention getter, the closure to the speech is one of the more difficult things to write. Think it through and come up with a good closing line. Part of opening and closing a speech is not Just what you say, but how you say it. To gain attention, increase your volume a little (not to a shout, but louder than your normal invitational level). Projecting energy and enthusiasm will also help to draw the audience in. When concluding, slow the pace and drop your tone, and the speech will sound finished. That closing line should be the cue for the audience to start clapping! When its all said and done, the speechs structure should look like this: Introduction l. Attention Getter: el. Thesis with Preview of Main Points: Body Conclusion l. Summary/Review: II.Closure: You may notice that speeches are structured very similarly to the essays you youve taken many writing classes in high school or college. Yes, in structure, peaches are very similar to papers. However, written English and spoken English are not entirely alike. For instance, in a formal English essay youre not to use contractions. You write things like will not, cannot, or could not. Well, such formal language would sound very odd in an oral presentation! You wouldnt sound natural if you didnt say, wont, cant, or couldnt. So, oral language is slightly less formal than written language.However, its slightly more formal than everyday conversation. We dont typically use a lot of slang in a formal speech. Its also recommended in Ritter language to use third person rather than first or second person, which is also inappropriate for oral communication. Vive had students say things like, My audience will discover by the end of my presentation that Thats far too formal! You dont want to distance yourself from the audience by calling them my audience. You should say, mille will discover To make the audience feel like theyre a part of the message.Always keep in mind that speeches are all about audience, not about the speaker. You want the audience to feel connected to you, not separated from you. Delivering Your Speech Now that you have your topic and know how to write and structure your speech, the only issue that remains for your first speech is how to deliver the message to the audience appropriately. There are four different types of speech delivery, but only one of them is appropriate for the speeches youll present in class. First, well discuss the three that are NOT appropriate for our purposes.Types of Speech Delivery The first type of speech delivery is the one that most beginning speakers want to use, but isnt really appropriate for our class. It is calumniators delivery. When speaker is using a manuscript, they have the speech written out word for word and they are essentially reading it to the audience. Manuscript delivery is typically used when accuracy is vital. The President of the United States will use a manuscript for his speeches (reading it from a teleprompter), because the world is watching him and its important that s/he speaks accurately.Newscasters use manuscripts because they are trying to accurately report the news. A. Advantages: There are certainly advantages to using a manuscript when speaking. If you have a manuscript, there is no way you will forget an important detail in your speech. It will be well organized, and probably timed out perfectly. So why dont I want you to use this style of delivery in class? B. Disadvantages: Complete and utter perfection is not an absolute necessity for our purposes. People who use manuscripts will typically stick their face in the paper and read in a monotonous drone that doesnt keep the attention of the audience.Their eye contact is terrible because they have to read what theyve written. Worst of all, when they do look up to try to make eye contact, when they look back down, theyve lost their place and have to take time to find it again. Ultimately, youre hurting yourself and the effectiveness of your message by reading it to the audience. As a result, we will not be using manuscripts in this class. I want to hear speeches, not papers read aloud. 2. Some people feel that if they cant use a manuscript to read it word for word, theyll memorize the speech word for word and present it that way.There are some occasions where its appropriate for a speaker to a tour guide may memorize their spiel, or an actor or actress will memorize their dialogue. A. Advantages: Honestly, I cant think of many advantages to memorizing a reservation. If its truly, perfectly memorized, it may carry the same advantage of not leaving out vital information that the manuscript format has. It will also be perfectly timed for the occasion at which youre speaking. B. Disadvantages: However, the potential disadvantages here are great. What happens when your mind goes blank and you cant remember what you wanted to say?Youre likely to be embarrassed and feel like giving up. Memorized speakers also tend to have the same kind of monotonous drone that manuscript readers have, as if theyre reading the speech from their own brain. No, I want you to have a positive experience with public speaking, and I dont believe that memorizing, with its great potential forgetting, is the way to give you that. 3. The third type of delivery, impromptu, is the most spontaneous and natural-sounding delivery, but its still not the one I want you to use in this class. When someone speaks impromptu, theyre winging it, or speaking off the cuff. Theyve spent no time preparing or practicing the speech, theyre Just deciding what to say as theyre saying it. There are certainly times in life when you have to speak well impromptu. Lets say a company you work for has a meeting and someone brings up how much the budget should be cut in your division. You didnt know that issue would be discussed at that meeting, but youd better be able to coherently defend your divisions budget on the spot! A. Advantages: As stated above, its the most natural-sounding delivery style.Impromptu speakers are very conversational and tend to have great eye contact with the audience. B. Disadvantages: People that are not very experienced with impromptu speaking tend to be disorganized, losing the structure we talked about in the writing section above. Since they havent thought about their message before, they often dont have enough support for their ideas. Admittedly, I know for a fact that several of my students in the past have presented this first speech impromptu (because they forgot it was due that day! ), and they did a fine Job.However, all of the other speech assignments in this class have a research requirement, thus forcing you to plan it in advance and making impromptu impractical for the class. 4. That leaves the fourth and final type of delivery, which is obviously the type I want you to use for your classroom speeches. Its calledextemporaneous delivery. If you placed the different types of delivery on a continuum, it would look like this: Least Prepared Impromptu Extemporaneous Manuscript/Memorized Most Note that extemporaneous delivery falls smack in the middle, meaning that it has elements of the other three types of delivery.Like manuscript and memorized, you have thoroughly prepared and practiced your speech. Youve planned out major elements, such as your attention device, transitions, supporting ideas, etc. And youve practiced it well enough that you know that material well. However, like impromptu, youre choosing the exact words of your speech as you speak. This means that each accessory going to use the exact same words each time you say it. The extemporaneous speaker uses a brief set of notes to go by, usually in outline form. The outline format makes it easier to find your place when you look down at your notes.A. Advantages: Using extemporaneous delivery will give your speech a spontaneous and conversational feel that the memorized and manuscript formats lack. It also allows you to better adapt to feedback from your audience. Since youre not stuck with following a set manuscript, you can explain more when the audience looks confused, or move on to a more interesting point if the audience looks bored. B. Disadvantages: It will not sound quite as spontaneous as the impromptu speaker, and its certainly not as easy as reading a preset script to the audience.I know that the extemporaneous style may sound a little challenging for some of the more nervous among us, but its truly the most effective means for delivery the types of speeches well be presenting in this class. Use your speaking notes to your advantage. Limit the amount of material you put in your outline to keep it sounding spontaneous, but also include delivery cues to help you present the speech more effectively. If you have a tendency to want to read, occasionally write in your notes, Look up! If you have a tendency to talk too fast, occasionally write, Slow down! These kinds of cues can help you overcome bad habits. Some people prefer note cards for their speaking notes because theyre more portable and they allow you to move around the room. You may use a couple of note cards if you choose. I always preferred to type my outline onto a single sheet of paper so I could lay it on the podium and see everything at once at a glance. The choice is yours, but keep in mind that you will be graded on using extemporaneous delivery! Reading to me will seriously hurt your score!Final Thoughts on the First Speech: Dont let nerves keep you from preparing the speech! Some people get so nervous at the thought of speaking that they put off preparing. If you wait until the last minute, all the things you fear are likely to come to pass. Prepare early and practice often! Its also best to practice for people, if you can find someone willing to listen to you. A person would be able to tell you that youre going too fast, for instance, when you may not notice that practicing by yourself. Dont take anything to the front of the room with you that you dont need.I once had a young man who took a pen with a click top up to the podium with him and he proceeded to click that pen for the duration of the speech! The audience was more obsessed with whether or not hed manage to click it than whole time than in what he was saying. Pens also tend to make good batons and drumsticks. Leave the pen at your desk. You may also want to take any keys or change out of your pockets so you wont be tempted to rattle them throughout your presentation. On speaking day, well go on a volunteer basis, so whoever wants to go first can go first (and usually someone ants to be first to get it over with).