The Audience and Occasion of RFK’s Remarks Robert F. Kennedy’s speech on the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. was a historical speech that exhibits how a speaker can make strategic decision to confront certain type of audience and occasion. The speech was delivered in a risky situation. When King passed away, Kennedy was about to deliver a campaign speech in a predominantly black district in Indianapolis. Thus, Kennedy had to encounter a challenge where the majority of his audience could be upset to hear the news about King’s death. In this case, understanding his audience and learning the occasion of the speech were two important things in passing this challenge. At the beginning of the speech, Kennedy modified the occasion of his …show more content…
Having waited for almost an hour in a cold weather to listen devastating news, disrespectful remarks among the diverse audience emerged. (“The Speech” 65) Kennedy seemed to understand this situation and the possibility of riot so he continued his speech by identifying his audience’s feeling and his assumption. When he said, “...you can to be filled with bitterness and with hatred and a desire for revenge...” Kennedy attempted to assure the people in front of him that he understood about choices that disappointed people could …show more content…
Using “we” and “us” made an impression that the deliberative part of the speech was not a statement made by an individual for a personal gain. Moreover, Kennedy also exhibited how he cared more about the unity of the country instead of his political career by creating a speech that did not even mention his current and potential political positions. Without knowing the chronological background of the speech, a general audience might not be able to know what was Kennedy’s specific political position and plan at the time of the speech. Yet, any audience will easily identify that the speaker of the speech was a leader who wanted his people to unite with compassion and