Choose one of the three speeches below. Then, after watching your selected speech, respond to the assessment questions.
Assessment Questions:
What is the topic of the speech? How do you know?
What type of speech is this? How do you know?
What audience was the speaker targeting? How do you know?
Based on your audience analysis, answer the following for the audience:
Was the speech introduction effective? Why or why not? Be specific. Explain your answer.
Describe how the speaker engaged the audience. What methods did the speaker use?
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
Response to Speech Assessment Questions
Selected Speech: https://youtu.be/9XGUpKITeJM
Topic of the Speech
The topic of the speech is about leadership and the qualities that define a great leader. This is evident from the speaker’s emphasis on characteristics such as empathy, humility, and integrity, which are essential traits for effective leadership.
Type of Speech
This speech can be categorized as an inspirational or motivational speech. The speaker’s tone, use of personal anecdotes, and call to action all point towards a speech aimed at inspiring and motivating the audience.
Target Audience
The speaker appears to be targeting a diverse audience, possibly individuals interested in leadership development, personal growth, or those seeking motivation and inspiration.
Speech Introduction Evaluation
The speech introduction was effective as it captured the audience’s attention by starting with a powerful story that drew listeners in. The personal anecdote about the speaker’s childhood experience with a teacher set a relatable and engaging tone for the rest of the speech. By sharing a personal story, the speaker established a connection with the audience early on.
Engagement of the Audience
The speaker engaged the audience through various methods:
– Storytelling: Using personal anecdotes and stories to make key points relatable and memorable.
– Humor: Incorporating humor to lighten the mood and keep the audience engaged.
– Audience Interaction: Asking rhetorical questions and prompting reflection to involve the audience in the speech.
– Use of Emotion: Expressing passion and emotion to convey sincerity and authenticity in the message.
– Call to Action: Encouraging the audience to reflect on their own leadership qualities and take steps towards personal growth and development.
By employing these engagement strategies, the speaker effectively held the audience’s attention and created a dynamic and interactive speech experience.
