Thursday, March 19, 2015

Great Speeches | 7. I Am Prepared To Die (Nelson Mandela, 1964)

Jeudi, 19 Mars, 2015
Verse of the Day«Mais le fruit de l'Esprit, c'est l'amour, la joie, la paix, la patience, la bonté, la bénignité, la fidélité, la douceur, la tempérance; la loi n'est pas contre ces choses.» Galates 5.22-23

Quote of the Day“None of us, in working alone, can reach success.”—Nelson Mandela
«Aucun de nous, en agissant seul, ne peut atteindre le succès.»—Nelson Mandela

French Fun Fact: The storming of the Bastille was more of a symbolic act. During that day, there were only 7 prisoners and 4 of them were there because of check forging. (confessedtravelholic.com)

What’s Really Happening Over Here:
Weather – Partly Cloudy, Precip. 0%
Temperature – 52⁰F, high of 59⁰
News – French tourists caught in Tunisia terror attack (thelocal.fr)
More News – http://europe1.fr/

A Day In the Life:
As I was eating my lunch today, I stumbled upon a pretty interesting video about Olympians. A question many people want to know the answer to, is “What does it take to be an Olympian?” Before I clicked on it, I thought it was going to be another business guy making some stuff up or sharing some tips that he said would change my life but I’m actually dumber for having watched it. Thankfully, I was wrong! He actually asked the question to a real Olympian, with real gold medals, and got the real answer. Your ready? The answer is…practice. Not genes, not money, not politics, not contacts; practice. Watch the video to learn more! It’s like 4 and a half minutes long guys…you can do it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGpM5GCQV3U 

I Am Prepared to Die
Nelson Mandela is one of the greatest leaders of modern history, and yet if you are familiar with his story, you know that it is a painful one. Arrested in 1962 for trying to fight back against the oppression of apartheid, he was supposed to spend the rest of his life in prison. This is not any easy thing to accept, but he embraced it, for he knew his cause was just. In his speech, “I Am Prepared to Die,” he tells his side of the story.

This speech is powerful because of the honesty with which he addresses his audience. Throughout the beginning paragraphs, he admits to the crimes he committed. I believe this is important for a speaker when trying to persuade an audience. It has been said, “If there is an elephant in the room, introduce it to everyone.” I believe this is a very effective approach to persuasion and public speaking, as it relieves the potential tension in the room that is keeping your message from being communicated as clearly as possible. As the speech continues, he explains in detail the purpose and direction of the organization he helped create to fight the problems of the day. This use of logos was also quite effective, as it set the record straight regarding his true intentions.

The most powerful part of the speech for me though, was the ending, in which he states:

“During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”


It has been said, “In any fight, it is the man who is willing to die who will win.” Mr. Mandela would agree. (You can view the full speech here.)

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