Declamation Speech

• The re-giving of a famous speech. The speaker 'lives into' the original, reproducing its power once more.

• Helps you learn the skills of combining eloquent language with equally eloquent delivery.

What to look for when choosing a declamation speech

Style of Language:Elevated, inspirational, elegant, poetic, masterful - the speech should be an example of 'beautiful' language and construction.

Theme:The message or theme running through it should be worthy of its oratorical treatment, ie. the style of language specified above. It must be important and applicable beyond the time it was first delivered. For example, Martin Luther King's 'I Had a Dream' speech has carried its theme down the years without any loss of potency or relevance.

Impact:The speech must have reached and grabbed the hearts and minds of its listeners. It will have persuasively challenged and changed the way people thought and acted, uniting and inspiring them toward a common goal or course of action.

Source: http://www.write-out-loud.com/declamation-speech.html

Options

• Famous speeches• Poem (can be original)• Monologues from plays or movie• Shakespeare????• Must be at least 3 minutes long – Extra credit for memorization and dressing the

part

Resources

• http://www.write-out-loud.com/declamation-speech.html (scroll down)

• http://poetryoutloud.org/• http://www.americanrhetoric.com/• http://www.famous-speeches-and-speech-top

ics.info/famous-speeches/index.htm

Examples

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYxXPQ8nGc0&feature=related (cigarettes)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STcDMoQ4KT0&feature=related 300 final scene

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjWfM0dDMYQ&feature=related Titans – perfection

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT1jLY20tLo Malcolm X