Great Speeches - Keating

Great speeches transcend time; A great speech can be defined as one which has some inherent rhetorical, social, political and/or historical value. In order for the content of the speech to be appreciated and the listener’s attention to be sustained, the speech needs to move the audience. Speakers use a wide range of language and rhetoric techniques for dramatic and humorous impact, which keeps the audience listening to the speech.

Many historical speeches have made a profound impact on contemporary society and the past, present and future of mankind. Great speeches have a clear and focused purpose with an understanding of the audience, they use varied techniques to engage, inform and evoke emotions from the audience.

William Deanes “it is still winter at home” and Paul Keating’s “funeral service of the unknown Australian solider” although structured differently, are both crafted as such that their purpose is clear and focused and they engage the audience effectively with powerful imagery and enduring ideas. Both these speeches turn individual tragedies into messages about national unity.

Keating uses this soldier as a patriotic symbol, embodying the Australian Anzac Legend, and unity within a nation. Keating is attempting to remind Australia of the sacrifices made by Australian soldiers in the past, and to unite Australian citizens through this. The speech was a eulogy to commemorate all those who had died in wars. It celebrated the courage and bravery of the Aussie battler and called on us to follow the soldier’s ideals and values.
Keating relies strongly on emotive language that provokes feelings of unity and patriotism throughout his speech, to express these ideals to his Audience. For instance, in his powerful opening statement “We do not know this Australians name, and we never will.” And “He is all of them. And he is one of us.”

Keating also attempts to unite the people, through repetition phrases such as “we”, which are used strongly...