Introduction
The tribute speech to be analyzed was delivered by Former U.S president Barrack Obama during the memorial service for Nelson Mandela in December 2013. The speech highlights the achievements of Nelson Mandela, who was a freedom fighter for South Africa and its first president. The speaker is a respected international figure with a reputation for being a good orator. Nelson Mandela’s memorial ceremony is a big event in South Africa that attracts all kinds of people from politicians to citizens. This speech will be analyzed in terms of content, structure, and delivery.
Main body
The speaker first acknowledges the audience that is cheering as he enters the stage. The orator then introduces his speech by recognizing the Mandela family and then the president of the country and other distinguished guests. This is important as a good talker has to recognize the guests available in terms of seniority while observing the necessary protocols. Speakers in public occasions involving government officials from various countries have to observe the protocols to avoid issues developing later. The speech’s opening sentence draws the audience to the speech as the speaker notes that it’s an honor to be celebrating the life of Nelson Mandela with the audience (The Obama White House). The opening five sentences provide the intent of the presentation. The speaker highlights why Nelson Mandela deserves to be celebrated.
The opening sentences are memorable as the speaker uses the words “His triumph was your triumph. Your dignity and your hope found expression in his life” (The Obama White House). These words are important as they remind the audience, who are majority South Africans, about the fight for independence which was a tough period for the people. Tribute speeches have to include the characteristics of the person being remembered. In this case, the speaker highlights the life of the speaker from when he was a child up to when he became a freedom fighter. It is essential to provide positive characteristics that identify the positive traits that people identify with the speaker.
This is because a tribute speech is mainly intended in celebrating the life of the deceased. The speaker indicates the rise of Madiba from his childhood days herding cattle to the days he led a revolution against the apartheid system. The speaker even compares Mandela with America’s founding fathers, who are credited with holding the country together. His willingness to step away from power after one term also features in the speech.
Speech delivery is important as it can affect the way people perceive the words being said. In this case, the speaker makes appropriate pauses when moving from section to section. The pauses are essential as they help the audience follow the speaker as he moves from section to section (Brus). Also, the speaker makes eye contact with the audience when necessary, which is important. The tone is varied with the speaker opting to use loud and soft variations throughout the speech.
The audience engages with the speaker through loud cheers and clapping when an important point about Mandela is made. Throughout the speech, the crowd is excited and enthusiastic, which can be attributed to the way the speaker delivers the speech. In addition, the speaker’s tone when delivering is enthusiastic and happy which resonates well with the audience. The message of the speech is focused on Mandela and does not deviate from other issues. This is important as every speech has to be focused on the theme of the day. Therefore, in terms of delivery, the speaker was excellent, which is important when speaking in front of a mixed audience.
The speech is structured in a way that is easy to understand with simple and short sentences. The speech has an introductory paragraph that details the main theme for the speech. The body articulates the life of Mandela and the accomplishments he made throughout his life. The concluding paragraph points out what people can learn from the actions of Mandela. The speech’s wording suits the occasion as its main theme is celebrating the life of Mandela.
After analyzing the wording of the speech, we can infer that the goal of the speaker was to motivate and persuade people to embrace the positive actions that were the epitome of Mandela. In every speech, the message is important which makes the speech excellent because it matched the message and the occasion. Additionally, the speech was delivered by a former U.S president and the first black American to be president.
Conclusion
In summary, every speech needs the right message, delivery, and structure. Structure helps ensure that the speaker achieves the primary objective of the speech. The content of a tribute speech has to match the occasion and have to include the accomplishments, lasting impact, and characteristics of the individual. In some cases, orators can include their experience with the person to add weight to the honor. Delivery matters because it can affect the perception of the audience, thereby limiting the impact of the message.
Work Cited
Brus, Rozemarijn. “The Use of Filled and Unfilled Pauses by George W. Bush and Barack Obama.” Utrecht University Repository. 2015. Web.
The Obama White House. “President Obama Speaks at a Memorial Service for Nelson Mandela.” YouTube, uploaded by The Obama White House. 2013. Web.