Fortunately, the speech (actually a brief statement to be read to a television camera) was never delivered and remained unread at the National Archives until 2001 when it re-appeared as part of a major exhibition. I question the “greatness” of some of Safire’s selections for this volume, such as the draft he wrote for President Nixon in case the Apollo XI mission ended in tragedy. Antony’s funeral oration) however, all great speeches continue to be read and admired long after being written. Lincoln’s 266-word “Gettysburg Address”) and some are delivered only during a dramatic performance (e.g. It is worth noting that some great speeches had no significant impact when first delivered (e.g. That calls for peroration a devastating defense against the dread disease of dribbling off.” That’s the necessary ingredient to shapeliness. “What every audience needs is a sense of completion.” Therefore, what the speaker needs “is a way out on a high note. For example, the importance of the first step: “Shake hands with your audience…Make the first step a quickstep get your smile, then get to work.” Another: “Cross `em up now and then.” Safire suggests that great speeches are meant to be read, not spoken. Safire adds a few others which, in retrospect, seem obvious but really aren’t. They include the usual suspects such as structure (“shapeliness”), pulse, occasion, “forum” (or venue), focus, etc. “the meat and potatoes of oratory,” “the tricks of the speech trade”). He should also be commended on his “An Introductory Address” which offers an exceptionally informative as well as entertaining explanation of eleven “secrets steps” when composing and then presenting a great speech. Credit Safire with a brilliant job of selecting and then introducing each. The text from which its title is derived is Mark Antony’s speech in Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, and is included among the hundreds in this volume. If there is a better anthology of great speeches, I am not aware of it. Lend Me Your Ears: Great Speeches in History
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