In my second essay I chose to do my speech on Oklahoma’s own, Will Rogers. This particular speech was part of his routinely scheduled radio broadcast to the American public. This broadcast was given in October of 1931 during the midst of the Great Depression. At this time America was in great need of laughter, but also needed to hear the truth about matters such as politics, world affairs and anything else we might hear about on today’s televised broadcasts. More than anything, America needed hope, Will Rogers gave America that hope with his radio broadcasts known then as, “Bacon, Beans and Limousines”. In this informative broadcast, Mr. Will Rogers covers many various topics; he starts off by relating to the general public. He does this by talking about current events such as; prohibition, President Hoover and elections, world relations particularly with Europe, the country’s ability to grow its own food and to feed itself, and in his own words he says, “we’ll hold the distinction of being the first country to go to the poorhouse in an automobile”. …show more content…
Born in raised in Oklahoma when it was still Indian territory, Mr. Rogers cowboy’d with the best of them and was pretty handy with a rope. All that said, the words he used and the accent he spoke in were as real as the difficulties we were all facing as a nation. I think he realized that people could see the sincerity in him, despite his southern charm and whimsical yarns they saw a man who came from humble beginnings, and even though he was not hurting financially he had not forgotten where he had come from and stayed true to his humble
Although the nation listened with little hope, the genuineness behind the words Roosevelt spoke opened the ears of many. While many ridiculed Hoover and found ways to belittle his status with phrases such as “Hoovervilles” to describe shanty towns or “Hoover Blankets” to describe the newspapers individuals used as warmth, he practiced denial. While the people of the nation suffered, his approach to keeping the facade that the economy “was on its way” was to preserve and uphold formal attire and protocol in the White House.... ... middle of paper ...
Opening with the event of McKinley’s shooting and the man who shot him, Rauchway quickly zooms out, distancing us from the scene, reflecting on the political status of the President, who “in the instant before he was shot” had “stood at the peak of hi...
In the 1930s, the time of the Great Depression, most Americans were struggling merely to survive while a select few hoarded the collective wealth of the nation. A man named Huey P. Long stands out from many other politicians and promoted economic equality across Americans. In his speech “Every Man a King,” he blames the rich for the strife of the poor. As a lawyer from a poor agricultural community, Long became the advocate for farmers in Louisiana.
These stories are perfect bait for the Comedy Central show, Drunk History, in which the director gets intoxicated with a friend or comedian and then the latter person gives a sloshed retelling of an interesting story from our history. The audio from the drunken telling is recorded and played over a slew of notable actors whom reenact the story with full sets, costume, and production. In one episode; they present the story of Theodore Roosevelt, the formation of his Rough Riders, and their battles during the Cuban War of Independence. While the delivery is not historically precise it does effectively give their viewers an entertaining approximation of what occurred. This may leave viewers confused about the facts of the past, but it also has the probability to entice people into perusing more history and learning more about our past.
Review of Frederick Lewis Allen: Since Yesterday: the 1930’s America. (New York: Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc., 1939), 362 pp.
Politics is dirty and competitive and has not changed between 1879 and 2018. It is a complex system of jargon, charm, facts, and lies. Mark Twain’s “The Presidential Candidate” satirically expresses the essence of both old-world and modern politics as a presidential candidate who blatantly tells the truth of his wrongdoings. As a politician, one must be an open book. Their life must be truthfully written on the pages for the readers to analyze and evaluate their credibility as leaders. “The Presidential Candidate” resonates both in 1879 and 2018 with his use of humor, use of diction and use of subtlety.
Foner, Eric, and John A. Garraty, eds. The Reader's Companion to American History. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1991.
“Climb on one’s back and stand on their shoulders to reach the top” this is what the Coronel Colin Powell hints to recent graduating students from the Howard University in 1994. The Commencement Speech was long enough to motivate the graduating students. In addition, it was proper and formal. When the speech began, Powell was excited by ending on sharing his own experiences and giving great advices for those future professionals. Powell´s Commencement Speech demonstrates his interest by sharing his thoughts, and its language was uplifting and captivating. (502).
On August 31, 1910, former President Theodore Roosevelt visited Osawatomie, Kansas to give a speech and participate in a memorial dedication. (Hennessy, 1910). Roosevelt had declined to run for re-election to the presidency in 1908, deciding to exit politics and go on a yearlong African safari (Ellis, 2001, p. 284). Frustrated with President Taft’s actions, Roosevelt reentered political life in 1910 (Mowry, 1939). In the Osawatomie address, Roosevelt introduced his idea for a New Nationalism. Many of the speech’s components became the bedrock of the Bull Moose campaign used by the Progressive Party in the 1912 election (Spring, 1970). In the address, Roosevelt compares the struggle for economic equality to the one for abolition of slavery fought in the Civil War. He presents a plea for government and citizens to put nation before self to address economic injustice.
The commencement speech given by David Foster Wallace in the autumn of 2005, is a very deep speech that examines the whole idea of a Liberal Arts education at an extremely deep and intellectual level. In the 22 minute long speech Wallace talks about how higher education not only teaches you to think but “how to exercise some control over how and what you think.” (Wallace). Wallace later in his speech stresses the importance of this level of thinking by saying “if you cannot exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed” (Wallace) What he means by saying this is that if you cannot think at a higher level and make sense of real world problems your life will become meaningless and you will become dead inside your head.
“Climb on one’s back and stand on their shoulders to reach the top” this is what the Coronel Colin Powell hints to recent graduate from the Howard University in 1994. The Commencement Speech was long enough to motivate the graduating students. Also, it was proper and formal. When the speech began, Powell was exciting by ending on sharing his own experiences and giving great advices for those future professionals. Powell´s Commencement Speech demonstrates his interest by sharing his thoughts, and its language was uplifting and captivating. (502).
Preamble As we look back upon the 20th Century, we see the birth of American prominence. The century is marked by glorious American achievements ranging from the birth of the Space Age to the development of the Information Age. Now, as we venture through the new millennium, the potential for further American prosperity is enormous. At times this journey will be a perilous quest, but with valiant leadership this nation shall flourish.
Alexander Stephens was the vice president of the Confederate states of America during the civil war (1861-1865) and he is the one who gave the famous speech known as “the Cornerstone Speech” where he stated openly the ideas on which the new government was founded: the supremacy of whites over blacks. Stephens played an important role in drafting the new constitution and he had the opportunity to present the new form of government in the speech that took place in Savannah on March 21, 1861.
... Conference.” Reader’s Companion to American History. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991. Online. Internet. Available at HTTP: http://www.historychannel.com/. 23 Sept 2001.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by the pseudonym Mark Twain, has been central to American literature for over a century. His seemingly effortless diction accurately exemplified America’s southern culture. From his early experiences in journalism to his most famous fictional works, Twain has remained relevant to American writing as well as pop culture. His iconic works are timeless and have given inspiration the youth of America for decades. He distanced himself from formal writing and became one of the most celebrated humorists. Mark Twain’s use of the common vernacular set him apart from authors of his era giving his readers a sense of familiarity and emotional connection to his characters and himself.