A2 English language and literature coursework

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A2 English Language and Literature Coursework 1st Draft

Introduction

For my substantial text, I have chosen to critically analyse Martin Luther King’s inspirational ‘I have a dream’ speech. This speech was delivered live on national television, radios and a public audience during the Civil Rights March in August 1963. This had been directed to 200,000 of African Americans and civil rights supporters across the USA, informing and demanding an end to racial inequality, and discrimination. Strong, political lexical vocabulary is used to educate the nation. This speech has been granted one of the most powerful and moving speeches of the 20th century, employing faultless emotive vocabulary and countless figurative language. This speech would be classified as a very carefully planned speech, categorized as political and culturally significant.

Filled with exaggeration and hyperbole, Martin Luther King stresses the urgency of a change in society. ‘It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment.’  ‘This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.’ MLK’s sense of unity and cultural values are used as a vital motive towards the breakdown of racial discrimination.

His powerful imagery and metaphors captures the audience’s imagination, helping to visualise the appalling circumstances of the African Americans. ‘…The negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.’ The effect of this is using powerful imagery in order for the audience to feel sympathetic towards the African Americans that had been suffering. Instead of just stating that the “negro’s” are suffering, he uses abstract nouns to visually describe the effect.

In contrast to the substantial text, I have chosen two supporting texts to investigate the similarities and differences of speech, planned and unplanned speech and scripted speech.

For my supporting text, I have chosen an interview between champion boxer Muhammad Ali and opponent Chuck Wepner on the Michael Douglas show broadcasted in 1975. This is significant as Muhammad Ali also became a big supporter of the Civil Rights Act which had been legislated nine years before, supporting Martin Luther King. The infamous interview had been shown live a week before Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner were to battle against each other. The interview had been used to persuade the audience who is more likely to succeed the boxing match by verbally competing at each other. It appears that a man’s masculinity and status is at stake. They use non-standard English and colloquialisms during the conversation; the context seems to create laughter from the audience, toning down the seriousness of the conversation.

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Muhammad Ali: I mean [indistinct] gets paid to be an idiot what’s your excuse?

[Laughter]

Michael Douglas: Wait a minute (2.0) if you don’t settle down (.) I’ll take both of you on

The effect of using non-standard English and colloquialisms creates an informal register during the interview, creating a softer atmosphere.

For my second supporting text, I will be analysing Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar speech. The purpose is set to inform and persuade the audience about the murder of Julius Caesar. In Antony’s speech, he seems to project more character and passion into the speech. He uses more repetition and stresses ...

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