How to Analyze a Speech
How to Analyze a Speech
Chances are you've heard at least one speech in your life. A speech is a formal address given to an audience.
People give speeches for many reasons. Some of those reasons include:
- to commemorate an event
- to honor a person
- to support a cause
- to promote a political candidate
- to send an important message
- to entertain at an event
There are many different parts of a speech. Whenever you listen to or read a speech, you can break down those parts to figure out exactly what the speaker (or person who gives the speech) is saying.
The main parts of a speech you want to look at include:
- Audience and Purpose
- Content and Tone
- Structure
- Delivery
One of the best-known speeches ever given is Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. In this lesson, we'll use that speech as an example.
AUDIENCE AND PURPOSE
When ever someone gives a speech, two of the most important aspects of the speech are the purpose of the speech and who the speech was meant to address (the audience).
To get to this information, you can ask the following questions:
- Who was the speaker?
- Where was the speech given?
- When was the speech given?
- Who was the audience?
- Why did the speaker give the speech?
If we use the "I Have a Dream" speech as an example, we can answer the questions like this:
- Who was the speaker? Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Where was the speech given? The Lincoln Memorial
- When was the speech given? August 28. 1963
- Who was the audience? 250,000 people at the Memorial, millions on the radio, all Americans
- Why did the speaker give the speech? To show Americans that the goals of freedom and equality were attainable and to encourage them to work towards equality
CONTENT AND TONE
The content and tone cover what the speaker says and the feeling or emotions contained within the words the speaker uses.
Questions you can ask to analyze the content and tone include:
- What were the main points the speaker made?
- What was the attitude of the speech?
- What information stood out in the speech?
If we look at the "I Have a Dream" speech as an example, we can answer the questions like this:
- What were the main points the speaker made? One-hundred years after the Emancipation Proclamation, African-Americans were not free. The Declaration of Independence promised "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Now is the time to act. Those working for change should conduct themselves with honor and dignity.
- What was the attitude of the speech? The cause was urgent and serious. Martin Luther King, Jr. was tireless in his fight and also full of hope.
- What information stood out in the speech? He had a dream that everyone would get along and be like brothers. "Let freedom ring..." References a lot of important American documents and songs.
STRUCTURE
The structure of a speech focuses on how an author organizes the information.
Questions related to structure include:
- Did the speech have a beginning, middle, and end?
- Did the speaker use any repetition? If so, what was it?
- Did the speaker use parallel structure? If so, how?
- What did you notice about the sentence structure?
- How did the ideas in the speech progress?
Looking at the "I Have a Dream" speech, we can answer the questions as follows:
- Did the speech have a beginning, middle, and end? Yes. It started with the history (Five score years ago), moved into the fight and described that it was imminent, and then focused on the dream.
- Did the speaker use any repetition? Yes. He repeated the words "I have a dream" and "Let freedom ring" to emphasize what he wanted to see happen.
- Did the speaker use parallel structure? If so, how? Yes. He said "We cannot walk alone." Then he said, "We cannot turn back." He also repeats "We cannot be satisfied" and "We can never be satisfied" before many statements. He also says “We will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together.”
- What did you notice about the sentence structure? In the beginning, the sentences were longer. He started many of the sentences in the same way in a paragraph (for example, "One hundred years later..." Towards the end, the sentences get shorter and more powerful.
- How did the ideas in the speech progress? Martin Luther King, Jr. started out with the history, and then moved to why the movement is important now. As he spoke, his words and ideas became more powerful and emotional.
DELIVERY
If you're just reading a speech, it's hard to analyze the delivery, but if you're listening to a recording of a speech or watching a speech on TV or in person, you can focus on how the speaker's appearance and voice help or hurt the speech.
Questions to ask include:
- How was the speaker dressed? Was it appropriate?
- How did the speaker's voice help or hurt the speech?
- What impression did the speaker create?
In the case of the "I Have a Dream" speech, we can answer the questions as follows:
- How was the speaker dressed? Was it appropriate? He was wearing a suit. It was appropriate for the speech.
- How did the speaker's voice help or hurt the speech? His voice helped the speech. He paused after key phrases and emphasized key phrases such as "I have a dream" and "Let freedom ring" to really make them stand out.
- What impression did the speaker create? His voice energized people. He gave the speech like a Southern preacher, full of emotion and passion.
Now that you've analyzed the "I Have a Dream" speech, try your hand at analyzing a few other speeches. The practice questions and worksheets below will help you.
Related Worksheets: