First draft - NaNoWriMo

 Preface

Dreams are funny things. Before the Awakening mine had never been that vivid. I would wake up the next morning and immediately forget whatever obscure events I had experienced the night before. It would only be later on in the day when something would trigger my memory and I would have a vague recollection of some odd, blurry adventure that I had embarked on in my sleep.

But when you begin to have the same dream nearly every night for two years they start to become more vivid, more memorable; almost part of your existence.

This has been the case for me ever since the Awakening. Every night I dream the same dream. The Predators enter my dreams, their familiar groans filling my thoughts, their stench consuming my senses. It’s as if they are trying to eat away at my sanity as well as my flesh.

In my dream, I am always sat on the swing in our old back garden, watching the clouds peacefully float by, listening to the birds or taking part in some other sort of dream-like activity. Then, I am alerted by distant moans and I look up to see a collection of Predators stumbling towards me from the other side of my garden, their arms outstretched in desperation in longing for their human prey. Panic begins to bubble up inside me but, as is traditional in dreams, I am stationary, the bench restricting any chance of my escape as I sit there struggling to move in my frozen state.

Suddenly, in the corner of my eye, I see another figure by the house. Looking between the moving Predators I try to see who it is through the mass of moving corpses. Then, a feeling of dread floods through my body as I realise.

Katie.

I scream at her to run but no sound emerges from my mouth whether it’s because I am in a dream or because my voice is being drowned out by the sickening dim of the hungry Predators who continue to stumble towards me.

Katie smiles; her face full of joy and innocence while I know mine shows an expression of panic and despair. She looks angelic in her favourite white dress that Dad bought her for her last birthday and her shoes are sparkling clean.

Her innocence breaks my heart but her face is the last thing that I see before I am engulfed by the mass of ravenous Predators that have reached me.

 ‘Ellie! Ellie! Wake up, Ellie; it’s only one of your dreams again. Wake up!’

I sit bolt upright. My throat feels raw as if I have been screaming continuously, my limbs ache a little from possible thrashing and I can feel hot beads of sweat lingering on my face. Looking around, I see the faint outline of Katie’s figure scurrying around my bead recovering the strewn that have been strewn around me.

‘You were yelling. Was it the Predators again?’ she asks me. I nod apprehensively; I hate the idea of my eleven-year-old sister, who I am supposed to be responsible for, having to see me in this distressed state.

After a couple of minutes I compose myself and journey to the bathroom to splash some cold water on my face.

Katie follows me. ‘Are you okay?’ she asks an uneasy tone to her voice. I cup a hand to her worried face.

 ‘I’m fine,’ I reply, with as much positivity as I can muster. ‘It’s okay, you can go back to sleep now, I’m alright.’

But I’m really not.

Make languages compulsory in all schools (speech)

Make languages compulsory in all schools

How many people can boast the ability to speak a foreign language? It is evident that our ignorance towards learning an additional lingo, as well as our own, stays the same, with fresh, shameful statistics stating that 62% of the British people can only speak English.

Why are we reluctant? Do we lack the resources, are we too busy, or is it that we simply cannot be bothered? I believe that it is probably the latter. Since English is the most widely published language in the world, we are of the opinion that there is no need to speak everyone else’s language when everyone can speak our own.

The lack of education about the importance of languages is also to blame. The majority of 11 year-olds, in secondary school, drop languages by the time they are 14, it was recorded that only 9% of people who take French at GCSE carry take it at A-Level and there have been recent predictions that by 2023 40% of the country’s language departments will be facing impending closure. Despite the fact that the British do not have a real ambition to learn a foreign language, I wonder if it’s also that we are all a little afraid. I concur. Whenever I holiday in a foreign country it is undoubtedly terrifying when someone of another culture begins to speak to me in a language that may as well be Martian as far as I’m concerned.

But, Britain! Do not fear, do not shy away, and do not doubt your abilities. Together we can become an assembly of intelligent, intuitive, international linguists!

But what are the necessities for our linguistic journey? Firstly, in relation to holidaying, I feel that it is simple common courtesy that one is able to understand the general basics of the language of which their host speaks. It is fair to assume that we will become considerably more likeable if we are to speak the language of the waiter who serves us every night in some expensive Spanish beach hotel, for instance.

In addition, we are becoming an increasingly multicultural planet, especially with organisations such as the EU enabling the population of its 28 members to move freely within it. So the need to be able to communicate with people of other cultures has grown dramatically.

Furthermore, very much like in the animal world, languages live in the sinister shadow of extinction. For example, the Basque language (Euskara), which is spoken in the Basque province of northern Spain, is the oldest language in Europe. It has no relation to any other language in the world, its most recent lingual relative traces back to 20,000 years ago and it was outlawed by the Spanish dictator, Franco, in the 20^th century. It only has 720,000 speakers. What a fascinating concept, to be able to speak a language that is threatening to desert us.

In the context of careers, foreign languages are becoming increasingly useful in business as industries are becoming more internationalised. A recent study showed that a business that had high linguistic abilities achieved higher sales in comparison to a business that had lower linguistic skills.

So why hesitate? Yes, learning a lingo that is completely different to your own is daunting but we must grasp the appeal of being able to speak another language. I propose that we make languages compulsory in schools, to introduce basic language skills at a young age so children grow up not only knowing the fundamental basics of their mother tongue but also those of another language. I hope that you, the potential polyglots of Britain, share my vision of a multi-lingual world where people are able to communicate freely without tension and anxiety.

Britain, we must take responsibility, we must not doubt ourselves and we must embrace the beauty of language!

Commentary

Deciding what the subject of my speech would be was not a challenge as I genuinely believe in my proposal. I think that languages are important in being able to communicate with people of other cultures and ethnicities so it was easy to write about with passion and enthusiasm.

In order to turn my opinions into a speech I had to use numerous persuasive linguistic devices.  Triplets, for instance, are useful in promoting ideas as they are generally remembered better in threes. An example of a triplet that I used in my speech is, ‘do not fear, do not shy away, and do not doubt your abilities.’ The repetition and imperatives included in this phrase also contribute to the enforcement of ideas on the audience. I also use triplets in a wider context. In my speech I suggest three ideas about why languages should be promoted in schools.

I also frequently involve the audience in this speech in various ways so they feel more included and more responsible for the changes that I want to be made. For example, I continuously use synthetic personalisation so that I am speaking directly to the spectators. In addition, I use many rhetorical questions in order to stimulate the audiences’ idea, such as the beginning sentence, ‘How many people can boast the ability to speak a foreign language?’ This consequently forces the audience to answer the question, in their head. If they do speak more than one language then this question encourages them to feel proud about their ability and, as an experienced linguist, they will want to share their knowledge and love of languages with others by supporting this proposal. If they do not speak more than one language then they might think about the possibility in which they were multi-lingual and would be encouraged to support the proposal as well (and so forth).

At the beginning of the speech I also use some statistics which, undoubtedly, put Britain’s language abilities to shame. Therefore, by using an anecdote, which is commonly used in speeches, later on, I am allowing the speech to become a little light-hearted and the accusative statistics are balanced out. In the anecdote I talk about how daunting it is, in a foreign country, when someone speaks to me in their native language. It must be taken into account that the speaker and the audience do not personally know each other. Therefore, in my opinion, it is important to ensure that the speaker does not merely judge the audience but involves themselves as well by exposing their inabilities and by understanding the current problem. Consequently, the speaker is more likely to be listened to and respected.

Another way in ensuring that I do not come across as too judgemental is by consistently using inclusive pronouns. For instance, I use the phrase, ‘we must take responsibility.’ The pronoun ‘we’ allows me to treat the promotion of languages in schools a common goal and something that can be achieved together, therefore placing less pressure on the audience. I also add a personal element to the speech. For example, I include myself in the speech by using numerous personal pronouns such as ‘I’ and ‘me.’

Analysing Barack Obama's second term victory speech

Analysing Barack Obama’s second term victory speech

Obama’s main aim throughout his second term victory speech is to maintain the power and popularity that he obtained when he won his first election. Who Obama is speaking to is an important factor in the way that he addresses the audience. The millions of Americans that heard this speech might have supported from the very beginning or have only just become involved in politics so it was important that he catered for everyone in order to gain the peoples’ respect for him or preserve the respect that people already ha0d for him. Obama does this in a variety of ways.

Firstly, Obama creates a sense if community within his speech and there is a clear use of a lexical field of family throughout. Since he does not know each individual that he is speaking to, Obama tries to speak to them as his family and friends. For example, his use of inclusive pronouns throughout his speech such as, ‘you, the American people,’ allows him to involve the population and to help them to feel included in his victory and dream. In addition, his excessive use of synthetic personalisation enables him to address the audience as equals. For instance, ‘we have fought’ and ‘our road has been hard,’ give the impression that Obama and the American people have gone through their ‘journey’ together. Obama also uses synthetic personalisation to establish the common aims that both he and the American people share. For example, ‘we want our children to live in an America that isn’t burdened by debt, that isn’t weakened up by inequality, that isn’t threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet.’ The use of asyndetic listing here reminds the people that, despite him being the Head of State he is still an American who has the same aims and hopes for his children like anyone else.

Obama undoubtedly uses a lot of political jargon throughout his speech such as ‘election,’ ‘campaigns’ and ‘democracy.’ However, to balance this out, he brings a personal aspect to the speech which the audience can relate to. For example, there is, without a doubt, a strong emphasis on his family throughout the speech as well. He mentions his wife, Michelle, and his daughters, Sasha and Malia. He is able to return the theme of sharing and family again by talking about Michelle and how she is ‘our nation’s first lady,’ not just his. By talking about his wife and ‘strong, smart, beautiful’ children he is able to remind people that he is not merely a political figure but also a common American with a family. It is also likely that Obama did not write all of his speech so by talking about his family he is adding a personal element to the speech that was probably written by members of his staff. Consequently, the audience feel less alienated from their President and can relate to him as a family man. 

Obama also recognises the power of flattery throughout his speech. He does this with the use of numerous linguistic techniques. For example, with the phrase, ‘we rise and fall together as one nation and as one people,’ which he uses at the beginning of his speech, he is able to set the theme or lexical field of community and family, that he uses throughout, as well as complimenting the audience. Here he uses repetition to enforce his point with the determiner ‘one.’ He also uses antithesis; he can emphasise America’s ability to deal with whatever comes their way by using contrasting verbs, ‘rise and fall,’ to illustrate opposing situations. He also continuously indicates his respect towards the people in order to demand their respect for him. He then emphasises his gratefulness for their support of the American election. In order to do this he uses anaphora by repeating the phrase, ‘I want to thank.’

Not only does he flatter the public but also the opposition: Governor Mitt Romney and his campaign. He first identifies Romney’s supporters - ‘whether you held an Obama sign or a Romney sign’– to ensure that they are accounted for and that they do not feel isolated or judged because they supported the opposing campaign. He then acknowledges Governor Romney and his ‘hard-fought campaign.’ This enables him to be viewed as a fair President who recognises other people’s efforts even if they oppose his own.

Another lexical field that Obama frequently uses is patriotism. With superlatives such as, ‘the strongest’ he reminds the public that America is a world superpower and this creates a sense of optimism. Patriotism is also used with Obama’s integration of the American Dream which is an ethos that has been part of the American society for hundreds of years. With his use of antithesis and asyndetic listing he reinforces the idea of equality and diversity in America which allows him to create a positive atmosphere amongst the public. By using this idea Obama gains respect from the public by reminding them who they are and by using this ideology the spectators are brought together as one audience and one people, making them proud to be American.

Speech writing plan

Genre: Speech

Register: In/formal

Audience: Adults, parents

Mode: Written/ spoken

Purpose: To persuade, inform

Subject: An emphasis in languages in schools

Intro: Out-line, only 9% of people who take French = take into A-Level, in decade 40% language departments will close

P1: Common courtesy

P2: Some languages are dying out; e.g. Basque = 720,000 speakers

P3: Business – increases sales.

Conclusion: Sum up.