Public Speaking Take Home Test
Check syllabus for the due date
This test asks you to find 6 examples in speeches. You will find 6 examples of colorful
language in “real life” speeches. These examples need to come from speeches made by
professionals. These can be political, social, or religious but they must come from speeches (not
book clips, movie clips, or literature samples). They cannot come from websites that list examples
nor can they come from news articles or commentaries that talk about the speeches, but they must
come from the speeches themselves.
You can only use each speech once. This means that you must use 6 different speeches.
You must work independently on this test and may not share your answers with others, nor may
you ask others for help. (You may ask me to clarify items if needed).
There are 6 items that you are asked to locate. Tests that are turned in late will be docked
a letter grade for being turned in late on the day they are due and will loose an additional letter
grade for every day thereafter.
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Answers must be typed.
You need to print off the internet page where you found the information. (Only need to print
the page it occurs on and not the entire speech).
Examples need to come from full text speeches and not websites that give only brief
examples of speeches
Can only use each speech once
Use the internet to locate speeches that are ceremonial in nature. This means eulogies, tributes to
people, speeches to memorialize an event or an occasion. These speeches must be in a
“professional context.” To clarify, these may not be college student speeches. Print off a copy of
the speeches where you located these items. Follow the examples provided for how to write out
your answers.
May Not Use
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I Have a Dream Speech, Mountaintop-Martin Luther King
Give Me Liberty of Give Me Death- Patrick Henry
Ask not what your Country Can Do For You—John F. Kennedy
Same examples as given in class in the lecture on fallacies
Speeches from the class website
Any website that does not include the full text of the speech
LANGUAGE DEVICES
In class we talked about colorful language, given the items that we discussed in class, look for
examples of the following is speeches.
1. Find a speech that uses antithesis
Chart the antithesis—Follow the example in class
2. Find a speech that uses one big metaphor throughout the whole speech
Highlight the metaphor as it occurs throughout the speech.
It needs at least 5 references to the theme to count
3. Find a speech that uses a metaphor in the speech
Be specific, what is being compared
4. Find a speech that uses parallel construction
5. Find a speech that uses an alliteration
6. Find a speech that uses personification
Be specific what is the inanimate object, how is it give lifelike qualities?
Do the following for each of the colorful language items:
1. Define the language device- OK to use definitions from teacher, if use other sources, you
must cite the source.
2. Find and example of the language device in a speech
3. Give the full information from where you found the speech
4. Provide an explanation of why the sample fits the language device
(BE SURE TO PUT THE TEST IN A SKINNY FOLDER—No 3 ring binders please!)
A Good Answer May Look Like This:
1. Define the language device
An Antithesis is the pairing of opposite in parallel arrangement. Figure of balance in which
two contrasting ideas are intentionally juxtaposed, usually through parallel structure: a
contrasting of opposing ideas in adjacent phrases, clauses, or sentences.
2. Find and example of the language device in a speech
“We can stop talking about how great teachers are and start rewarding them for their greatness.”
3.
Give a full reference of where you found the speech
This quote came from the Remarks of Senator Barack Obama on New Hampshire Primary
Night by Barack Obama on January 8, 2008. It is available at
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Remarks_of_Senator_Barack_Obama_on_New_Hampshire_
Primary_Night
4. Provide an explanation of why the sample fits the language device
In this quote, Obama uses the phrase “stop talking” intentionally juxtaposed with” start
rewarding.” These opposing ideas are put in parallel arrangement. This antithesis would be
charted as follows:
Stop
talking
Start
rewarding
Put test in a skinny folder and place this as the cover sheet
LANGUAGE
DEVICES
Define the
language
device
5 points
Quote with an
example of
the language
device
5 points
Reference
5 points
Explanation of
why the sample
fits
5 points
Attach 1
page of the
speech
5 points
Total
25 points
Antithesis
Metaphor over
speech
Metaphor in speech
Parallel Construction
Alliteration
Personification
*If the example does not fit, credit will only be earned for the definition
**If examples are pulled from sample websites then credit will not be given for any part of the item
Total Points _______ out of 150
Percentage _________
BONUS
Imagine you are doing a speech making tribute to the beautiful Ozark Mountains. Write
me one beautiful antithesis for 5 points bonus. You must chart the antithesis for full
credit.