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Phrases d’accroches
Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel. It is to bring another out
of his bad sense into your good sense.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Eloquent speech is not from lip to ear, but rather from heart to heart
William Jennings Bryan

Introduction
To deliver a speech, to address a crowd in troubled times or for a political purpose
requires some techniques, some devices. Some master them more rapidly and more
efficiently than others, using specific rhetorical skills which increase their degree of
persuasion.
You have studied in this topic different ways to address a crowd. Each has its specificity

A speech
A. It can sometimes be called an art
You have seen how some figures of speech could be used to have the audience share
your opinion or to
convince an audience:
— Anaphora (repeating)
— Parallelism
— Metaphor
— Alliteration
— Rhetorical questions

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 You have also learned how the use of a particular lexical field could give colour to a
speech:
— Lexical field of horror to accentuate the monstrosity of an enemy (cf. Churchill’s
speech to the House of Commons about Germany).
— Lexical field of death and inheritance to build suspense (cf. Antony in Julius Caesar).
Lastly, you must also understand that the art of speaking is essential for anybody and
that even if you suffer from a speech defect:
— King George VI delivered several speeches on the radio and yet he stammered.
— Eliza Doolittle is aware that her way of speaking risks preventing her from climbing
the social ladder and takes lessons
Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.
We choose to go to the moon, John F. Kennedy to encourage the conquest of space.
I. Unifying political speeches
1. Rallying a nation

Powerful speeches from eminent political figures often stay in collective memory.

Former Prime Minister Winston Churchill was known for his uplifting speeches that
brought the population together during World War II. He presented the retreat of the
troops from Dunkirk in 1940 as a victory to strengthen British morale in his historic
“We shall fight on the beaches” speech (June 1940). During the Battle of France,
Churchill also delivered two other famous speeches: “Blood, toil, tears and sweat”
and “This was their finest hour”.

INFO:During the invasion of France, German troops pushed Allied forces (French,
Belgian and British) to retreat to Dunkirk and to evacuate by the sea.

Another example would be American president John Fitzgerald Kennedy whose

September 1962 speech “We choose to go to the Moon”, in Houston, initiated public
support for the Apollo program which eventually led to the Apollo 11 mission landing
on the moon seven years later. His goal was to launch a national effort to win the
space race by defining space as “the new frontier” that America needed to
conquer.

2. Fighting for civil rights

One of the most famous orators in the U.S. was Martin Luther King. He was the
leading figure of the Civil Rights Movement, which fought for the end of
segregation and equal rights for African-Americans. He made his “I Have a Dream”

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 speech in front of more than 200,000 people at the March on Washington for Jobs
and Freedom in 1963.

As Martin Luther King was a preacher, he often used allusions to religious elements,
promoting acceptance in his speeches which were made even more powerful as it
allowed him to appeal to his audience’s emotions and beliefs. “I Have a Dream”
is still remembered today as a greatly inspiring speech that marked an entire
generation.

II. Division and domination through words

1. Defending controversial opinions

If words can be unifying, they can create division. In 1968, Enoch Powell (a
Conservative Member of Parliament) tried to defend the idea that immigrants
were a threat to the British people in his “Rivers of blood” speech. It created a
chasm in British society: part of the population was outraged by Powell’s speech,
whereas some found his dismissal from the government excessive.

Margaret Thatcher, another Conservative, became Prime Minister in 1970. She was
highly unpopular throughout her time in office and she resigned in 1979 after a dire
period in British economy. In a speech she made in 1979, she accused strikers to
be responsible for the fall of the economy. This speech was not well-received as
the workers were striking to defend their rights.

2. Manipulation through totalitarian propaganda

Other examples of speeches with negative impact are propaganda speeches. This

kind of speech was satirised by George Orwell in Animal Farm (1945), an allegorical
critic of the Soviet regime. As the novel opens, Major, a pig, persuades the animals
to rebel against their owners and take control of the farm.

In this “revolutionary” speech, Major makes a typical use of manipulative rhetoric

tools. Pretending to put himself aside, he praises the audience in order to make
them more apt to believe him. And once he has the animals’ attention and
confidence, he does not clearly state his ideas, but instead he deftly (avec adresse)
leads them to formulate these in their own words, so they eventually believe Major’s
ideas are an expression of their wishes.

1. I Have A Dream - Martin Luther King, 1963

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 Full speech

2. We Shall Fight On The Beaches - Winston Churchill,

1940

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 Full speech

3. I Am The First Accused - Nelson Mandela, 1964

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 ADVERTISEMENT

Full speech

4. Gettysburg Address - Abraham Lincoln, 1863

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 Full speech

5. Kennedy Inauguration Speech - John F. Kennedy,

1961

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 Full speech

6. Freedom Or Death - Emmeline Pankhurst, 1913

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 Full speech

7. The Pleasure Of Books - William Lyon Phelps, 1933

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 Full speech

8. Roosevelt's Inauguration Ceremony - Franklin D

Roosevelt, 1933

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 9. Resignation Speech - George Washington, 1783

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 Full speech

10. Ain’t I A Woman? - Sojourner Truth, 1851

11. Urban II Speech At Clermont - Pope Urban II, 1095

Full speech

12. The Man With The Muck-Rake - Theodore

Roosevelt, 1906

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 Full speech

13. Farewell To Baseball - Lou Gehrig, 1993

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 Full speech

14. Arrian, The Campaigns Of Alexander - Alexander,

The Great, 326 BC

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 Full speech

15. Duty, Honor, Country - General Douglas MacArthur,

1962

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 English Français
Placard Une affiche
Ordeal Une épreuve
Predicament Une difficulté
A boundary Une limite
Self-(mockery) L'autodérision
Bra Un soutien-gorge
Promiscuity La luxure
Nun Une nonne
Pun Un jeu de mots
Witticism Un mot d'esprit
Quarrel Une dispute
Suitor Un prétendant
A cue Une réplique
Pawnbrocker Un usurier
The borrower L'emprunteur
A target Une cible
An assumption Un présupposé

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 Ape Un primate
Chauvinist Machiste
Drawback Un désavantage
Curator Un conservateur de musée
Prank Une blague/une farce
Auction Les enchères
Auctioneer Un commissaire-priseur
Billboard Un panneau publicitaire
Chauvinism Le conservatisme machiste
To have a way with words Savoir manier les mots
To win someone over Rallier
To mince one's words Mâcher ses mots
To hinge on S'appuyer sur
To forestall Contrecarrer
To hit home Aller droit au but/faire son effet
To resort to Avoir recours à
To lecture someone Chapitrer/sermonner
Poke fun at Se moquer
To debunk Déboulonner
To gain momentum Prendre de l'ampleur
To pledge Promettre solennellement
To put in custody Mettre en garde à vue
To dismiss something as + adjective Rejeter quelque chose car + adjectif
To subjugate Asservir
To alleviate Atténuer/soulager
To abide by Respecter (la loi, un principe moral)
To impregnate Féconder
To stand one's grounds Camper sur ses positions/garder sa ligne de conduite
To keep the upper-hand Garder le dessus
To enforce Appliquer (la loi)
To retaliate Se venger
To be at one's beck and call Être aux petits soins
To extol Exalter
To scold Chapitrer
To yield to Céder à
To be on an equal footing Être sur un pied d'égalité

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 To render tit for tat Répondre du tac au tac
To vilify Diaboliser
To set great store by Accorder une grande importance à
To trick someone into + V-ing Leurrer qqn pour lui faire faire qqch
To fend for oneself Se débrouiller seul.e
To flag up Mettre en avant
To narrow down Réduire/limiter
Outspoken Extraverti
Wayward Intenable
Thorny Épineux
Foolish Stupide
Light-hearted Léger
Mighty Puissant
Resentful Rancunier
Grievous Éprouvant
Sealed Fermé hermétiquement
Adamant Farouchement déterminé
Allegedly Prétendument
At stake En jeu

A N N E X E S:

Le débat prend de multiples formes et sert des fonctions très diverses. Il va de la

conversation la plus élaborée aux échanges dans lesquels la violence des mots traduit
l’indigence de la pensée.
La maîtrise des mots peut être à double tranchant : elle peut permettre de convaincre,
d’emmener l’auditoire avec soi – on pense aux discours de Winston Churchill, Susan B.
Antony, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Martin Luther King – ou, à l’inverse, se transformer en
arme de manipulation ou de propagande, comme en témoignent la rhétorique de Marc
Antoine dans Julius Caesar de William Shakespeare, les discours de Major dans
Animal Farm de George Orwell ou ceux, caricaturaux, du Dictateur de Charles Chaplin.
On peut s’intéresser à l’utilisation de la parole dans les domaines politique ou judiciaire,
par exemple à travers les innombrables scènes de procès qu’offre le cinéma américain

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 (12 Angry Men, Philadelphia, Mississippi Burning, The Crucible) ou la célèbre mise en
scène du filibuster dans Mr Smith Goes to Washington de Frank Capra.

Parfois, l’échange verbal est élevé au rang d’art, avec ses codes, son jeu, ses rituels,
qu’il s’agisse des joutes verbales pleines de mots d’esprit (witticisms) chez Jane
Austen, Woody Allen ou Quentin Tarantino, des débats théâtralisés du jeu politique à la
Chambre des communes ou même de la tradition très codifiée des battles en hip-hop,
où la virtuosité verbale permet de triompher de ses adversaires. Cet art de convaincre
est aussi l’enjeu des debating societies dans le monde scolaire et universitaire (The
Great Debaters de Denzel Washington). Il convient de le reconnaître et de le valoriser
dans le discours des élèves.
La classe, et tout particulièrement celle de spécialité de langues, littératures et cultures
étrangères, est le lieu idéal pour l’apprentissage des compétences requises pour la
prise de parole en public : confiance, maîtrise de la langue, posture, lexique étendu, art
de la répartie. On peut s’appuyer sur des œuvres qui donnent des clés pour surmonter
les préjugés, les handicaps et les craintes liés au langage : les cours de diction dans
Singin’ in the Rain ou My Fair Lady, ou encore la thérapie qui permet au roi George VI
de dompter son bégaiement dans The King’s Speech.

AUSTEN J., Pride and Prejudice, 1813 ALLEN, W., films

GAINES, E.J., A Lesson before Dying, CAPRA, F., war films (Why We
1993 Fight series, 1942-1945) ; Mr. Smith
KING, M. L., Letter from Birmingham Jail, Goes to Washington, 1939

1963 CHAPLIN, C., The Great Dictator, 1940

MILLER, A., The Crucible, 1953
ORWELL, G., Why I write, 1946 ; Animal
Farm, 1945 ; 1984, 1949
SHAKESPEARE, W., Julius Caesar,
1599
SHAW, G.B., Pygmalion, 1914
CHURCHILL, W., “Blood, toil, tears, and
sweat” speech, 1940
CUKOR, G., My Fair Lady, 1964
DEMME, J., Philadelphia, 1993
FLEISCHER, R., Compulsion, 1959
FOUR VAGABONDS (The), “Rosie the
Riveter”, 1943
GAVRON, S., Suffragettes, 2015
HANSON, C., 8 Mile, 2002

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 Harry Potter series, 2001-2011

HOOPER, T., The King's Speech, 2010

HYTNER, N., The Crucible, 1996
KELLY, G. & DONEN, S., Singin’ in the
Rain, 1952
KENNEDY, J.F., “We choose to go to the
Moon” speech, 1962

KUBRICK, S., Paths of Glory, 1957

LANDRIEU, M., speech on removal of
Confederate monuments, 2017
LEDER, M., On the Basis of Sex, 2018
LEE, S., Malcolm X, 1992

LINCOLN, A., “Gettysburg address”

speech, 1863
LUMET, S., 12 Angry Men, 1957
MOORE, M., Bowling for Columbine,
2001
MULLIGAN, R., To Kill A Mockingbird,
1962
OBAMA, B. speeches (“Out of Many,
One”, 2004 ; “A More Perfect Union”,
2008 ; “Of Thee I sing”, 2010 ; “Gun
control”, 2016)
PARKER, A., Mississippi Burning, 1988

QUEEN ELIZABETH II, “Annus Horribilis”

speech, 1992
ROCKWELL, N., wartime propaganda
(The Four Freedoms, 1943) and
Presidents’ portraits
SPIELBERG, S., Lincoln, 2012

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 STING, “Russians”, in The Dream of the
Blue Turtles, 1985
WEIR, P., Dead Poets Society, 1989

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