Speeches

The appeal of any speech is determined by how the audience interprets or connects with the ideal and themes that are being presented by the composer. Unity is a major ideal held in the speeches “Funeral Service of an Unknown Australian Soldier” by Paul Keating and Sir William Dean’s “It is Still Winter at Home”. The significance of unity is represented through techniques including…
In Keating’s “Funeral Service of an Unknown Australian Soldier”, the ultimate purpose was to commemorate the fallen soldiers that died on the Western front through the symbolic figure of the Unknown Soldier. The repetition of “we do not know” emphasises the unknown personal aspect of the soldier therefore highlighting the soldier’s enormous significance to the country and the roll they have played in uniting the people of Australia. Keating then changes the tone of the speech by contradicting himself by saying “yet.. we know”, which personalises the soldier and with the added use of repetition of the phrase “one of the” along with statistical data gives the audience an insight into the soldiers life and allows them to connect on a personal level with the Unknown Soldiers therefore making the speech more appealing. These techniques help the ideal of unity to be fully grasped by the audience and as the speech is being broad-casted on Remembrance Day the speech is reaching all Australia citizens therefore bringing this ideal to the whole country.

Similar to Keating, the ideal of unity is deeply held in Sir William Dean’s speech “It is still Winter at Home”. The use of inclusive language is used to unite those who gathered to remember the 21 people that had died in the canyoning tragedy. Dean frequently uses the inclusive language such as “we” and “us” to create a sense of unity and provide comfort to the loved ones attending the ceremony. This comforting effort in Dean’s speech is furthered with the use of biblical references such as “we pray” and “words of our lord” to also give...