Courtney CroweAdvanced English 2017Critical Study of Texts
The craft of rhetoric is a fundamental component of a speech as it provides integrity and voices to the human condition. The use of rhetoric allows for a deeper connection to be made between the orator and the audience, thus, allowing the text to convey ideas that engage audiences then and now. Comparing two speeches by Paul Keating and Anwar Sadat it is shown how the proper use of rhetoric can create a memorable text, which can transcend time and engage all audiences but also displays the negative impact the improper use of rhetoric can have on a speech. Paul Keating's Redfern Park Speech, presented in 1992, was delivered during a time where Aboriginal's were experiencing hostility, racism and prejudice. Keating's main ideas explore universal themes, such as freedom, recognition, peace, justice and unification, resulting in a text which is still relevant today. Anwar Sadat's speech Statement to the Knesset delivered in 1977, also came from a time of deeply ingrained animosity and conflict. Sadat appeals for the same universal themes as Keating, though through his speech he challenges some elements of rhetoric,
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The context of the speech aside, Sadat's use of rhetorical questions and direct engagement with the audience allows for today's society to connect and understand his points of arguments and implement them to issues which directly impact them. "How can we achieve permanent peace based on justice?" "How can we achieve a durable peace based on justice?" These create moments where the audience can take a moment to think about his points, thus allowing them to make connections between the speech and themselves and their own ‘world'. Sadat's reinforcing idea of justice is a universal theme which voices to the human condition and allows the audience to be submerged in the