Prompts for Infamous Speeches

Pick one topic below and write 8 – 10 pages using MLA formatting and style. You will need two sources (two speeches from Infamous Speeches or one speech and the movie Zeitgeist). The scoring will be based on 100 points. As normal, you will need to have a complete 8 – 10 pages; otherwise, you will be handed back your paper with a zero and need to do a rewrite. You will need an introduction with a thesis statement as the last sentence, multiple body paragraphs with a topic sentence, quotes, analysis of quotes, and a conclusion sentence per paragraph; followed by a conclusion paragraph. Follow the guidelines for previous papers.

• As crazy as it may seem, if we give ourselves the opportunity, we can sympathize/ empathize with the bad guys. This is not always a bad thing. When we are able to see the world from a different perspective, we can start bridging links that keep us separate from others. For this prompt, please pick two speeches that you at first thought you would never accept, and write about how you came to understand the message. You don’t have to agree with the message, but you can empathize it.
• For this prompt, you will need to pick a conspiracy theory and analyze it by using two speeches. The conspiracy needs to be relevant, so no aliens building pyramids kind of stuff. It needs to relate to government, be it ours or some other.
• It’s kind of funny to think that all the countries that say they hate America are also in love with everything American. Perhaps it is Christianity they hate more than the ideas of America. In this paper, you will need to try and grapple with the odds and ends of this particular dichotomy. Pick two speeches that show this binary of love and hate, and back up your thesis statement with proof from the two speeches.
• This one falls in line with option number two above, except that it is more about the fight for power or a one world government; a kind of New World Order as it were. You will need to pick two speeches that exemplify this idea and that supports your thesis statement.
• America! You’re Drunk! Go Home! This prompt deals with the idea that America is everywhere and no one wants us there. We have overstayed our welcome. We have become like the drunk jerk uncle who no one really likes, but gets tolerated anyway. Pick two speeches that show this and that defend your point of view.
• The author’s tone and purpose to manipulate his or hers intended audience (usually nationalism). Why do these leaders become leaders? How do they get their authority? By considering these answers, you can start to form opinions about how a complete lunatic can become someone so revered that people are willing to kill and die for that person. Pick two speeches that endorse your standpoint.
• It seems that most of the wars that are waged are done so in the name of some god or other. Man uses a higher spiritual being as a reason for his atrocities, but are these acts truly God driven, or are they foul acts of godlessness? For this prompt you will need two speeches that support the idea that religion is the reason for all of this and ultimately, religious cleansing will rid the world of sin.
• History is written for the victor, and it is the loser’s voice that gets lost. The losing team should be heard, as well. There is important information that we do not get to hear, and then we are repeating the losing teams mistakes. In the paper, you will need to pick two speeches that look at this idea. Why is it important that we listen to this side?
• For this prompt, you will need to write a comparative and contrast essay. You will pick one speech from our text, and one part (of the three) from the movie Zeitgeist. You will need to create an argument (why is it important that we compare and contrast this one particular speech to this one particular part of the movie?) that will be your thesis statement. From there, you will need to prove your argument by showing the similarities and differences between the two media.