Powerful speeches are timeless and can be listened to over and over again without wear, erosion, boredom or losing relevance. They transcend over many, too many to mention. In my view, no consideration would be complete without Dr King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
It is one of those speeches that moves you on multiple levels and speaks to us all. It does something that many good speeches cannot. Its literary content is as good in print as it is delivered by its author’s powerful oratory. Some speeches catapult some to heights never experienced by many (or any) before: The Speech that Made Obama President. And, yet, some statements are simply memorable no matter how brief. For example, how many of us can recall what Neil Armstrong said either side of his famous “It’s one small step for man. One giant step for Mankind” or the same for John F. Kennedy’s famous, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country“? I doubt many.
The most powerful of speeches have been known to move the most hardened amongst us to tears. It is a skill that so few possess (Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi etc) and so many admire. It brings that age old question to the fore of nature v nurture. Are these orators born or made? I say both! For sure, repetition has its place. Tony Blair, known as a powerful orator (an art I experienced personally when I attended a speech he gave one evening before he became Prime Minister), used the advocatory tool – state thrice – emphatically with his “Education! Education! Education!” or devastatingly with his “Weak! Weak! Weak!” attack on the then Prime Minister, John Major MP.
Our TV and silver screens are full of courtroom dramas and the skilled advocate who makes the difference between a guilty and not guilty verdict. However, long before I was Called to the Bar I recall being moved by the power of persuasion – albeit Hollywood’s take – by Henry Fonda, the juror, in 12 Angry Men. That was not before a large audience (only before 11 ‘angry’ men) but he made a difference to one person’s life (death sentence for a guilty verdict!). That made Fonda’s perseverance and reasoning (tools well known in advocacy) worthwhile. It is being prepared to be a minority voice, if necessary, to advocate with reason and force.
Amongst many others in many languages and for many reasons – political and non-political – these well known statements and speeches will undoubtedly remain with us for as long as the art of oratory and advocacy has the ability to continue to move, persuade and be admired by us.
Ryan Clement, LLM, BA, BSc, FRSA barrister
https://www.youtube.com/@RyanClement1
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Ryan Clement 