Crafting an intriguing hook and a powerful clincher will help you get your audience where you want them to be, but you need to hold onto them throughout the middle of the speech as well! In a rhetorical speech, the body paragraphs should be a mixture of facts, reasons, and—of course—rhetorical devices designed to appeal to listeners' emotions. Take a look at what Trevor did with several of the sections in the body of his speech. Each question will ask you to compare a passage from the essay to a passage from the speech.
In general, how has Trevor changed the sentences in this section of his essay to work better as a speech? How do the sentences in the speech differ from sentences in the same section of the essay?
- The sentences in the speech contain more specific details.
- The sentences in the speech are longer and more complex.
- The sentences in the speech are shorter and more dramatic.
- The sentences in the speech were simply reordered.
Trevor's purpose in this section is to evoke strong feelings in his listeners, and he describes a really horrific scene. Shorter sentences allow for more pauses, which means more time for the scary details to sink in. Shorter, more dramatic sentences also create a greater sense of urgency.
Trevor's purpose in this section is to evoke strong feelings in his listeners, and he describes a really horrific scene. Shorter sentences allow for more pauses, which means more time for the scary details to sink in. Shorter, more dramatic sentences also create a greater sense of urgency.
Trevor's purpose in this section is to evoke strong feelings in his listeners, and he describes a really horrific scene. Shorter sentences allow for more pauses, which means more time for the scary details to sink in. Shorter, more dramatic sentences also create a greater sense of urgency.
Trevor's purpose in this section is to evoke strong feelings in his listeners, and he describes a really horrific scene. Shorter sentences allow for more pauses, which means more time for the scary details to sink in. Shorter, more dramatic sentences also create a greater sense of urgency.
Why did Trevor add this sentence to the body section of his essay when he transformed it into a speech?
Later, her grief-stricken friends and family wondered: How could Savannah, probably the smartest, most sensible girl they knew, make such a deadly mistake?
- to help listeners realize that they too could make such a mistake and how it would hurt their loved ones
- to make listeners think that Savannah's situation was unique and that such accidents have few consequences
- to make listeners wonder why Savannah was able to get her driver's license or allowed to borrow the family car
- to reassure listeners that their loved ones will be okay if something like Savannah's story ever happens to them
The word grief-stricken helps listeners focus on the effects of Savannah's poor decision on her friends and family, which may cause teens to listen more carefully to Trevor's speech, out of a sense of guilt and dread. The suggestion that Savannah was not especially foolish prevents listeners from dismissing her behavior as unusual.
The word grief-stricken helps listeners focus on the effects of Savannah's poor decision on her friends and family, which may cause teens to listen more carefully to Trevor's speech, out of a sense of guilt and dread. The suggestion that Savannah was not especially foolish prevents listeners from dismissing her behavior as unusual.
The word grief-stricken helps listeners focus on the effects of Savannah's poor decision on her friends and family, which may cause teens to listen more carefully to Trevor's speech, out of a sense of guilt and dread. The suggestion that Savannah was not especially foolish prevents listeners from dismissing her behavior as unusual.
The word grief-stricken helps listeners focus on the effects of Savannah's poor decision on her friends and family, which may cause teens to listen more carefully to Trevor's speech, out of a sense of guilt and dread. The suggestion that Savannah was not especially foolish prevents listeners from dismissing her behavior as unusual.
Why did Trevor remove this sentence from the essay when he transformed it into a speech?
He presents their stories in a matter-of-fact, understated way that makes them all the more chilling to watch.
- The original sentence is too conversational for a speech to one's peers.
- The original sentence is too complex and too vague for an informal speech.
- The original sentence contains details that are irrelevant to Trevor's message.
- The original sentence suggests that the film was intended to downplay the risks.
A rhetorical essay is meant to be read by a wide audience, so its language can be more formal and general; Trevor's own peers, though, might find this sentence less interesting or out of character with Trevor's normal, everyday speech.
A rhetorical essay is meant to be read by a wide audience, so its language can be more formal and general; Trevor's own peers, though, might find this sentence less interesting or out of character with Trevor's normal, everyday speech.
A rhetorical essay is meant to be read by a wide audience, so its language can be more formal and general; Trevor's own peers, though, might find this sentence less interesting or out of character with Trevor's normal, everyday speech.
A rhetorical essay is meant to be read by a wide audience, so its language can be more formal and general; Trevor's own peers, though, might find this sentence less interesting or out of character with Trevor's normal, everyday speech.
Look back at how Trevor changed this sentence for his speech:
Hearing these people's choked-up voices and seeing their stricken faces forces us to realize that they are just ordinary people.
What is the effect of Trevor's changing this sentence to read Hearing those people's choked-up voices and seeing their stricken faces made me realize something. What happened to them could happen to any one of us. . .?
- It provokes listeners to feel anger toward texters.
- It soothes listeners' concerns about the future.
- It helps listeners separate themselves from the issue.
- It reminds listeners that Trevor is one of them.
Because Trevor is trying to persuade a group of his own peers, he needs to remind them that he understands where they're coming from; he suggests that he is making his case partly out of a sense of loyalty to his friends.
Because Trevor is trying to persuade a group of his own peers, he needs to remind them that he understands where they're coming from; he suggests that he is making his case partly out of a sense of loyalty to his friends.
Because Trevor is trying to persuade a group of his own peers, he needs to remind them that he understands where they're coming from; he suggests that he is making his case partly out of a sense of loyalty to his friends.
Because Trevor is trying to persuade a group of his own peers, he needs to remind them that he understands where they're coming from; he suggests that he is making his case partly out of a sense of loyalty to his friends.
In Trevor's essay, the third sentence in this section begins with the phrase in fact. In his speech, that section begins with the phrase the fact is. Why does the speech work better with this change?
- The fact is makes the speech sound like one that an expert would give.
- The fact is fits better with the informal, urgent tone of the speech.
- In fact is not a grammatically correct way to start a sentence in a speech.
- In fact makes listeners wonder if Trevor's message is based on real information.
The phrase in fact is a common one in formal rhetorical writing. It's a little less effective when spoken aloud, though, especially when the speaker wants to relate to his audience as one of them. The fact is helps him maintain a less formal, more emphatic tone.
The phrase in fact is a common one in formal rhetorical writing. It's a little less effective when spoken aloud, though, especially when the speaker wants to relate to his audience as one of them. The fact is helps him maintain a less formal, more emphatic tone.
The phrase in fact is a common one in formal rhetorical writing. It's a little less effective when spoken aloud, though, especially when the speaker wants to relate to his audience as one of them. The fact is helps him maintain a less formal, more emphatic tone.
The phrase in fact is a common one in formal rhetorical writing. It's a little less effective when spoken aloud, though, especially when the speaker wants to relate to his audience as one of them. The fact is helps him maintain a less formal, more emphatic tone.
When he transformed his essay into a speech, why did Trevor add three more sentences after the sentence Guess what type of activity involves all three?
- to make sure that his listeners connect the information to their own behavior
- to create time for his listeners to think back to the three types of distractions
- to encourage his listeners to imagine a world without cell phones or texting
- to remind his listeners of their responsibilities as the next generation of drivers
Because listeners can't look back at the list that Trevor just provided, and it would take too long to repeat the list, he needs to help his audience see how that information relates to their own lives.
Because listeners can't look back at the list that Trevor just provided, and it would take too long to repeat the list, he needs to help his audience see how that information relates to their own lives.
Because listeners can't look back at the list that Trevor just provided, and it would take too long to repeat the list, he needs to help his audience see how that information relates to their own lives.
Because listeners can't look back at the list that Trevor just provided, and it would take too long to repeat the list, he needs to help his audience see how that information relates to their own lives.
Summary
Questions answered correctly:
Questions answered incorrectly:
From the Essay:
Savannah Nash was a 16-year-old girl on her first drive alone, less than a week after getting her driver's license. She was on the way to the store to pick up a few items for her family's dinner that night. She had her whole life ahead of her—until she pulled out in front of an oncoming tractor-trailer two blocks from her home. The collision killed her instantly. She was wearing her seat belt, but with the truck barreling down on her like a speeding brick wall, it didn't help. How could she have made such a stupid, deadly mistake? She didn't see her death coming because, very simply, she wasn't looking at the road at all. She was looking at her phone and typing a text. Emergency responders found that text still on her phone, unsent, in the smoldering wreckage of her car.
From the Speech:
Consider the story of Savannah Nash: She was sixteen—on her very first drive alone . . . less than a week after getting her license . . . headed to the store to pick up a few items for her family's dinner that night. Savannah had her whole life ahead of her. And then she pulled out in front of a tractor-trailer truck just two blocks from her home. The collision killed Savannah instantly.
Savannah was wearing her seat belt, but that truck barreled down on her like a speeding brick wall. The seatbelt didn't save her. Later, her grief-stricken friends and family wondered: How could Savannah, probably the smartest, most sensible girl they knew, make such a deadly mistake? Savannah didn't see her death coming because, very simply, she wasn't looking at the road at all. She was looking at her phone, typing a text. Emergency responders found that text still on Savannah's phone, unsent, in the smoldering wreckage of her car.
From the Essay:
What about when the victim isn't the texter? Sometimes, it's an innocent man, woman, or child, or an entire family. In his documentary From One Second to the Next, director Werner Herzog focuses on four car accidents caused by texting while driving. Herzog, a legendary German filmmaker, interviews both the victims (or their surviving families) and the guilty drivers. He presents their stories in a matter-of-fact, understated way that makes them all the more chilling to watch. Hearing these people's choked-up voices and seeing their stricken faces forces us to realize that they are just ordinary people. What happened to them could happen to us as a result of a moment's inattention on the road. We, too, could become victims—or murderers.
From the Speech:
One seemingly small bad decision ended Savannah's life and changed her friends' and family members' lives forever. Sometimes, though, the victim isn't the texter at all. In his documentary From One Second to the Next,/EM>, director Werner Herzog, a legendary German filmmaker, focuses on four separate accidents caused by texting while driving. Herzog interviews the victims (or their surviving families) and the drivers who caused the accidents. Hearing those people's choked-up voices and seeing their stricken faces made me realize something. What happened to them could happen to any one of us: All it takes is a moment's distraction from the road. Seeing or sending the "all-important" text could make any one of us victims. Or murderers.
From the Essay:
But these accidents are rare, isolated incidents, right? Hardly. In fact, over 100,000 accidents a year involve drivers who are texting at the wheel, and the numbers are climbing quickly as cell phone use becomes even more universal and constant. There are three main types of distraction that increase the odds of a car crash:
• visual (taking your eyes off the road)
• manual (taking your hands off the wheel)
• cognitive (taking your mind off of driving)
Guess what type of activity involves all three?
From the Speech:
Hey, but these accidents are rare, isolated incidents, right? Hardly. The fact is, over 100,000 accidents a year involve drivers who are texting at the wheel, and the numbers are climbing quickly. It's not hard to figure out why—if you understand the three main types of distraction that usually cause car crashes. Here they are:
• Visual distractions (taking your eyes off the road)
• Manual actions (taking your hands off the wheel)
• Cognitive distractions (taking your mind off the act of driving)
Guess what type of activity involves all three? Nearly everyone in the United States has a cell phone, and nearly all teenagers use their phones to text. Put those two facts together, and you have the potential for millions of distracted drivers. Think about the death toll on our generation, based on those two facts alone, if we don't get the message that texting and driving don't mix!
