Public speaking Essay 2

Again, no official score for this... paper... but my professor was pleased. He circled the last paragraph and wrote "Very good point."

Lou Bruno

Public Speaking

Comparing Speeches:

MLK and Barack Obama

by Josiah Teal

When analyzing the Inaugural (State of the Nation?) Address given by President Barack Obama to Congress, one notices the sense of hope for the future that is brought out in his speech. This is not the first time a speech was given proclaiming hope for America during hard times. Almost a half a century ago, another man gave a passionate speech of hope and optimism for future generations. In his epically famous speech to a cheering crowd in the city of Washington D.C., Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of the end of oppression for the black community in America.

The similarities the two speeches share are definitely apparent. Both speakers are hopeful that the future of this country will begin to brighten once again, and both speakers are trying to take this country out of hard times. In much the same way the black community looked to King to lead them out of the dark and trying times, many people now are eagerly looking to Obama to single-handedly slay the evil dragon of depression that looms ominously in the shadows and soon thereafter, rain down daisies and butterfly’s all across the land. Everyone will hold hands and sing about cheerfulness all day long and never again will we have to worry about hard times, because there is no need to fear, The Great Obama is here!

While the similarities between the two speeches are evident, there are also many differences. King’s speech still holds the power to move me and I’m a white guy! Obama’s address, while hopeful and optimistic, lacks the level of inspiration the King speech was graced with. Obama’s speech came across more as an instruction manual and progress report than as an inspirational speech. While Obama can speak well and fluently in front of his audience, he failed to affix my attention in the same manner as MLK had done.

An explanation for these differences might come in the form of setting. King was speaking in front of a very large immediate audience out in the open air. While properly equipped with microphones and speakers for projecting his message, the setting was fit for speaking loudly and yelling at key points in the message. While King could feel completely comfortable yelling out “free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, we’re free at last!” an outburst like this would have been entirely misplaced during an address to Congress.

When comparing two speeches, one must remember to not only take note of the differences, but also understand the reasons behind these differences. MLK delivered quite a powerful message to his audience that day. It was a message that still inspires to this day. But when comparing it to an congressional address, I don’t think it entirely fair. The Address delivered by President Obama was not meant to be inspirational, and Obama hadn’t planned on college students analyzing his speech based on the work of Martin Luther King Jr.