ENGLISH SPEECH

Topic : Ramadhan: The Islamic Month of Fasting

Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarokatuh

The honorable juries, teachers and the committees
Best regards to all the participants and my beloved brothers and sisters

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim
In the name of Allah, the most Merciful and the most Gracious
All praises be to Allah SWT, the lord of the world, the master of the day after, the creator of everything
in this Universe.
Peace and Salutation be upon our prophet Muhammad SAW, who has brought us from the darkness
into the brightness and guided us into the right way of life.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In this good opportunity, I would like to deliver a speech entitled “Ramadhan: the Islamic Month of
Fasting”.
Ramadhan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is the Islamic month of fasting in which
Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, and bad attitudes from dawn until sunset. Fasting is meant to
teach the Muslim patience, modesty and spirituality.

Ramadhan is a time for Muslims to fast for the sake of Allah SWT and to offer more prayer than usual.
During Ramadhan, Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in refraining
from everyday evils, and also try to purify themselves through self-controls.

Brothers and Sisters,

In our country, Ramadhan is not only a fasting month but also a special moment in our society. Many
people cheer up Ramadhan with certain ceremonies, such us making cakes and visiting among the
family’s members to ask forgiveness. It means that Ramadhan has become a part of our cultures.
In our education activity, the teaching learning process in school during Ramadhan is usually fulfilled
with the activities related with the religion. An example of this activity is Ramadhan Boarding School or
known as “Pondok Ramadhan”. The main purpose of Pondok Ramadhan is to increase the
faithfulness of the students towards Islam. It usually involves the teaching of the Islamic concepts and
how to be good Muslims.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As Muslims, what should we do in this Holy Ramadhan?
In my points of view, there are at least four main activities that we should do. The first one is fasting. A
good fasting is not only how to refrain from eating and drinking but also how to control ourselves from
bad behaviors. The second is reading Qur’an. We all know, Qur’an is the revelation from our God. It
contains the guidance of life. By reading Qur’an, we will get blessing and be able to face this life. The
third, we carry out special prayers, called “Tarawih”, which are held in the mosques every night of the
Ramadhan month. The last, we ask forgiveness to our parents, families and friends.
This activity is known as “silaturrahim”, which means taking care of good relationships among the
Muslims.

Ladies and Gentlemen;

Brothers and Sisters,
I think that’s all my speech. I hope this speech will be useful for us. Thank you very much for your
attention.

Wassalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarokatuh

Words to remember:
fasting : puasa
refrain : menghindari, menahan
dawn : dini hari, menjelang subuh
sunset : matahari tenggelam, senja
cheer up : meramaikan, memeriahkan
faithfulness : keimanan, ketaatan
towards : terhadap, ke arah
revelation : wahyu

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EVERYBODY NEEDS FANTASY

Ladies and gentlemen, do you remember the first time you saw magic? Well, when I was a little kid,
my kindergarten teacher showed me a trick. That was when I first watched magic. She did this:
(performing) "Hey kids, look at this handkerchief. I push this blue handkerchief into my hand, and
watch. It's gone! But if you say a magic word, 'abracadabra', you can make it reappear!" I couldn't
believe my eyes. And this experience inspired me to start learning magic. Today, however, instead of
taking you to the mysterious world of magic, I'd like to discuss how the fantasy of magic can create a
more pleasant life.

Now, what is your response when you see a trick like this? Through my experience as a magician, I've
found that there are mainly two different types of reactions when people see magic. Let me explain.

The first group of people try to enjoy the illusion. They accept the fantasy of magic, and try to believe
what is going on in front of their eyes.

The second group of people don't distinguish the fantasy of magic from the world of reality. They
either persist in finding out the secrets of the trick, or have no interest in magic at all. Instead they feel
they are cheated by the magician, and therefore they don't enjoy the experience.

Now, which type are you, ladies and gentlemen? Of course for the magician, the first group of people
makes the most desirable audience. But in today's busy society, I think the people of group 2 are at a
disadvantage because I have a feeling that this attitude has something to do with one of our current
problems, that is, 'stress'.

As you know, many of us are under increasing amounts of stress these days. Actually we are living in
a very busy society and there are even children who suffer from stomach ulcers, which are considered
to be a disease caused by stress. Many of us seek out the ways to alleviate the stress. But I think
whether we suffer from stress or not depends largely on our attitude.

For example, the first group of people enjoy everything. They are cheerful, and naturally relaxed. On
the other hand the second group of people never leave the world of reality and often try to find fault
with everything. For instance, when recommended to try something new, they worry, "Is this going to
be fun?" or "Isn't that a waste of time?" And after that, they complain, "I shouldn't have done that!",
and feel stress again. Or some people are at a loss as to how to make themselves relaxed, and their
free time is spent just lying in front of TV all day, mostly wasting time.

I think people of group 2 lack the spirit of having fun, and that's why they can't relax and be happy.
Although they'd like to be relaxed and happy, they make their own situations worse by being critical of
everything even when relaxing. They also feel uneasy on the job, always thinking they are too busy, "I
need some time to unwind." In spite of this when it comes to their free time, they feel uneasy again,
thinking, "Oh, it's not the time to amuse myself. I'd better devote myself to my job."

Of course, it might depend on one's character or the life situation wbecome the perfect group 1
people. But after all everybody needs fantasy somewhere deep inside, and the essence of relaxation
is the spirit of having fun. Movies are a good example. There are so many kinds of movies, and the
stories in most movies would hardly ever come true in our daily life. However, do we enjoy them when
we are critical of the storyline? Do we enjoy them when we have doubt in our minds? The answer is
definitely "No". We enjoy them only by trying to believe the story, by trying to feel as if we are on the
screen.

In Japan, working hard without taking a rest is often considered to be a great virtue. Of course, it is
important to be diligent, but it's not everything. We also need some time to put everything aside,
escape our routine, and just relax. If we can fully appreciate our leisure time, we are refreshed, and
can concentrate on our jobs once again. So let's take the opportunity to escape with a spirit of having
fun, to live a really happy life.

I myself came to realize how good it is to be a group 1 person through my magic. And as a saying
goes, "Everybody loves magicians." I believe magic is one of the best ways to have fun and relax. So
I'd like to finish my speech by showing you some of my favorite tricks. (I show the audience a
handkerchief) Well, I'm not here today for my magic show, but I stand here just to remind you of one
thing. (It immediately changes into a cane.) That is, (I make the flower appear.) "It's time to smell the
flowers!" And if you totally enjoyed my speech and magic, —I'm happy to tell you— you are a group 1
person already. Congratulations!