Communications

Objectives and Overview: Test Two — Essay test reflecting understanding of material on Public Speaking.

Assignment Objectives

CC#

Resources

Assessments & Activities

Student will identify and critique how ethos, pathos, and logos are established for a target audience.

20

15

Online material including links

Essay writing

(CC = Maricopa District Course Competency. See syllabus for list of competencies.)

Your reputation is everything. Once it has been tarnished — it is very difficult to repair. Greg Mortenson wrote the best selling book Three Cups of Tea. For whatever reason, his tale of helping people in Afghanistan started to become exaggerated – to the point that the truth became twisted. Now his ethos is in question. His name most likely cannot be used to help raise money for schools ever again. Take a look:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/04/15/60minutes/main20054397.shtml (Links to an external site.)

 

There is a genre in public speaking called “apologia” or “self defense.” These are speeches given to try and restore a person’s credibility. Some examples would be Senator Edward Kennedy’s speech about Chappaquiddick and Tiger Woods press conference after his personal life was exposed. These are very difficult speeches to write and they rarely work. There is an exception. In 1952, then Senator Richard Nixon was accused of taking money from a campaign fund. Because of this accusation, General Dwight Eisenhower was going to drop him as his choice for Vice President. Richard Nixon did something unique. Rather than trying to clear his name by going on programs with journalists interviewing him (e.g. Meet the Press), the Republican National Committee used $75,000.00 to purchase a half hour of television time so that Richard Nixon could deliver a speech.

It worked. So much so . . . when ranking American speeches of the 20th century, it is the sixth top speech. What began as a speech of self-defense ended as a campaign speech. A campaign speech which saved Senator Nixon’s career and took him beyond congress.

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/top100speechesall.html (Links to an external site.)

Here’s the Checker’s Speech (Links to an external site.). The video is embedded in the article. It offers closed caption.

Test Two

Watch the Nixon Checker’s speech. How does (then) Senator Richard Nixon establish ethos, pathos, and logos?

Format: Your paper should be 3 to 5 pages double spaced with one inch margins. Feel free to have subheadings of “ethos, pathos, and logos” if that helps to clearly divide the material. If it is not clear which element you are describing, you will lose points. Do not cut and paste portions of the speech (ok – maybe a sentence here and there if that helps make your point). The paper is your analysis of how he established these important tools for persuading his audience. Spend your time establishing your point of view about Nixon’s strategy for creating ethos, pathos, and logos — not cutting and pasting.

Sidenote: Nixon didn’t name this speech “The Checkers Speech”. Interesting how the story about the dog took “a life of it’s own”!

Bonus (Optional)

 

The MCC Communication department has a facebook site. If you “like” it you will see some posts about human communication in your newsfeed from us. If you “like” it just let me know on your test, and I’ll give you 5 extra points on the test. You can always “unlike” it later – there’s no pressure to continue – but hopefully you’ll enjoy the posts and you’ll want to stay connected with us. If you don’t have a facebook account, and you have someone else “like” it – that is a-okay. Just let me know their name.

This is purely optional. Social media gives you the opportunity to stay connected with MCC’s Communication Department, but it is completely voluntary.