3.3 Discussion13
4 The Strategy of Using Special Sentences14
4.1 Sentences of Religious Coloring.14
4.2 Sentences of Special Pattern..14
4.3 Discussion..15
5 Conclusion..16
5.1 Major Findings16
5.2 Implications of The Study.17
5.3 Limitations and Suggestions.17
Bibliography..19
1 Introduction
Public speaking as an effective way of spreading one’s ideas is playing a gradually important role in our daily life. Different from other means of communication, speeches should be prepared in advance. Its content and structure are refined according to the purpose or the audience of the speech. While a speech is delivered, a great amount of information is passing to the audience so does the speaker’s idea. Mostly a specific reaction or effect is expected by the orator. We can find public speaking in different occasions. It can be a casual one as explaining why you like a movie, while it also can be a serious one as giving a presentation at a meeting. In today’s globalized society, making an excellent presentation in English is very important for it means more opportunities. Even Warren Buffet, one of the richest man in the world, once said at Stanford University that "The best investment I ever made was in the Dale Carnegie Course (a course train people how to make public speaking)".
A typical person who benefited a lot from making excellent public speeches is Barack Hussein Obama II. Barack Obama is a son of Barack Hussein Obama a Kenyan and Ann Dunham an American. He spent his childhood in Honolulu, Hawaii and then went to Harvard University where his talent was recognized by both teachers and students. After graduating from Harvard, he became a lecturer to teach constitution in Chicago University. In 1995, he was elected the senator of Illinois. However, he failed in the competition for a seat in the House of Representative in 2000, after which he devoted all his energy into the senatorial work of Illinois.
In July of 2004, he got a chance to make the keynote speech on the Democratic National Convention. The speech named The Audacity of Hope was written by Obama himself and was a big success. In the speech he called on the major American parties to eliminate disagreements and work together for the country to come together. The speech made Obama a new star on the stage of American politics. In November, he was elected with up to 70% of the votes and became the fifth African-American federal senator in American history.
In February 2007, Obama made an official announcement of candidacy for President of the United States of America in Springfield, Illinois where the great American president Lincoln once called
on a house pided to stand together. Obama said the focus of his election was to show his determination of withdrawing the American troops from Iraq and building up a universal health care system in the nation. Until January 2008, Obama has won 38% of the votes, leaving John Edwards and Hillary Clinton far behind him. As a result, he was made the candidate of Democratic Party for the General election. In November 2008, he defeated John McCain, the Republican president candidate, to become the 44th President of America.
On January 21, 2013 after a series of fierce competitions with Willard Mitt Romney, Barack Obama won his second US General Election and created another miracle in American history. From an unknown senator to a reappointed American President, his speeches played an important role in the president campaign. His famous speeches such as The Audacity of Hope and Yes, We Can, once again, demonstrate the American dream and brought passion to the public. The author of Words That Shook the World and a communication strategist, Richard Greene said "Obama is one of America’s greatest orators in modern era". Meanwhile, a phenomenon called "Say It Like Obama" appeared among the English learners. People regard Obama’s speeches, whether they were made at a meeting or weekly on radio, as good models for anyone who want to learn public speaking. 浅谈奥巴马演讲中的语用策略(2):http://www.751com.cn/yingyu/lunwen_1567.html