Reflection Essay

The Art of Speech Making

“Speech was given to man to disguise his thoughts”- Charles M. De Talleyrand (“Speech Quotes” 2011). In the process of studying ancient rhetor’s speeches and constructing my own I came to find that speech writing is an art that makes personal opinions sound wise. From studying the ancient rhetor Isocrates speech Against the Sophists I was able to acquire valuable rhetoric techniques that helped me to develop my own speech, which I choose to mirror similar to Isocrates by arguing against University of Washington’s education system. 

            For this assignment I choose to imitate Isocrates Against the Sophists because in this speech Isocrates took something that was purely his own opinion and made it sound logical, something that I found both interesting and appealing. From studying Isocrates speech, I observed that he used a variety of techniques to make his argument believable to the audience. In my examination, I found that Isocrates used eight rhetorical techniques. He began the speech with his main argument, and then gave a personal statement that he proved with the opinion of someone famous. Following, Isocrates listed the benefits that the Sophists offered. For instance, Isocrates states that the Sophists promise, “to persuade our young men that if they will only study under them they will know what to do in life and through this knowledge will become happy and prosperous” (Bizzel and Herzberg 72). After listing the benefits the Sophist offer, Isocrates asks the audience to question if the benefits our worth the costs, by stating that, “they set so insignificant a price on the whole stock of virtue and happiness” (Bizzel and Herzberg 73),  proving that the Sophists teaching is not worth the cost. Isocrates then goes on to tell the audience to not follow what society has deemed normal, but to trust in your own self will to become knowledgeable and successful. With this idea that it is the individual’s choice in the audiences mind, Isocrates directs the speech towards how society is also to blame in the Sophists dominance over education. He then begins to further list the negatives of the Sophists teaching. Here Isocrates is giving his personal opinion but proves his views with examples that make the Sophists appear negative to seem more convincing to his audience. Finally, Isocrates concludes his speech by repeating that it is the individual’s choice to decide what is right for them, and finishes with a statement that explains that although he is not an expert on the subject, he believes that he has provided enough evidence in his argument to convince the audience that he is right. Ultimately, Isocrates leaves it up to the audience to decide if they are for Sophist teaching or against it; something that I tried to possess in my own speech.

            Following Isocrates theme on arguing against an education system, I decided to make my speech an argument against the University of Washington’s education system. I attempted to follow Isocrates rhetorical techniques in the same order that he used in Against the Sophists. This is evident from my opening argument that follows the same sentence structure as Isocrates beginning statement. Another example of my imitation on Isocrates speech is the statement I made addressing the audience to decide for themselves what kind of education is right for them.  This can be seen from when I say, “ultimately it is up to the individual to decide what they believe to be true. To do this though, people must be willing to open their eyes and to see all sides.” I wanted to evoke the same passion in my speech as Isocrates had in his. In my effort to appear passionate about my topic, I tried to use formal language as Isocrates had done. I personally found the process of speech writing to be difficult. Although I followed the same rhetorical techniques as Isocrates, I don’t believe my speech was as convincing as his. I found it hard to find evidence to support my opinion on University of Washington’s education system. If I had provided more solid proof to support my opinion I believe my speech would have been much stronger and more convincing. In the future, if I write another speech arguing against an institution I would spend more time researching factual examples to support my argument.

            Along with trying to evoke passion into my speech, I attempted to seem enthusiastic in my presentation and voice.  It is my observation that the technique of presentation was one that the majority of ancient rhetor’s used. Through the use of their body movement, voice volume and pronunciation ancient rhetor’s were able to generate specific emotions in their audience. When giving my speech I tried to speak at a fairly loud volume to show that I was serious about what I was arguing. I also made an effort to sound clear and concise to make my audience understand my main point, and to also sound knowledgeable and convincing. Unfortunately, speeches are not my strong suit and I found that I lost my place or stumbled over my words multiple times. On the one hand, this made my speech more authentic, since ancient rhetor’s did not usually memorize their speeches completely or have their speech written in front of them when they presented. On the other hand, I believe that my displacement of thought only brought to attention the serious lack of experience I have in presenting speeches. Overall, I found this assignment rewarding but challenging, and realized the process of speech writing and presenting is an art that can only be done well through excessive practice.

            Speech writing and presenting is a talent that must be done with enthusiasm and creativity. One can only become excellent at the art of rhetorical speech by practicing overtime. Through studying Isocrates speech Against the Sophists, I was able grasp an idea of the techniques needed to make a speech organized and appealing to an audience. I imitated Isocrates speech by constructing a speech against the education system of the University of Washington.  I followed Isocrates order of rhetorical techniques and attempted to use voice and body movement methods in my presentation.  Speeches are a way for people to make their personal thoughts sound right and logical. Through this assignment I discovered this and am able to appreciate the experience that it taught me.