Comments on the two speeches

1:On April 4, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy had to tell a gathering of supporters at a campaign rally in Indianapolis about the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. His impromptu speech is regarded as one of the most powerful and important addresses in American history. This speech is often cited as the reason that Indianapolis was the only major city that did not have riots as a result of MLK Jr.’s assassination.

After watching the speech, write a couple of robust paragraphs, using the information you have learned from this course to unpack why you think Kennedy’s speech was successful. Do not forget to think about the crowd as listeners, since the success of a good speech also relies on how the audience listens.

2:In January of 1983, the Challenger Space shuttle exploded soon after takeoff. This was a particularly traumatic incident for the U.S. because a teacher-participant was on board, which mean that elementary schools – students and teachers – across the country were watching the shuttle launch live when it exploded. Watch President Reagan’s short address on the event and identify a few of the aspects of this speech, using what you have learned from the PowerPoint chapters, to highlight why it was considered so effective.