Writing is the most powerful tool for recording knowledge. It is one of the fundamental building blocks of everything we have ever learned and taught. Writing is an art. Not saying that it is easy, it is a hard art to master. Eisenhower, an ex-war general, was one of the best presidents who contributed a great amount to the growth of our country. His farewell address that he gave at the end of his presidency was his last speech. MLK Jr. was one of the great writers of the Civil Rights Movement. He was a preacher, and a motivational speaker. His “I have a dream,” speech was the most motivational speech he gave during the Civil Rights Movement. Everything behind a speech leads to the purpose of the speech. Both of these historical figures had the same purpose, to inform America. Even if these pieces were written by very different people in different times, they have the same style of diction and tone.
Every speech has a purpose, some deeper than others. King’s purpose in writing this particular speech was to inform people about the horrors of racism and to strongly challenge the world for civil rights. For example, “So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.” King stood up at that podium for one reason only. He wanted to get people on his side of the big debate in the U.S. He spoke out against racism and delivered a very powerful and influential speech, to get black and white people on his side of the peaceful protests.
Some speeches even have two purposes. Eisenhower was giving his farewell address after a very successful presidency. Eisenhower’s speech however, was also meant to inform people about racism and to warn people about the Military Industrial Complex. He knew that the future was going to throw a very fast curveball at the US, and in this speech, he intended to inform the U.S. about two things that he feared for his country. His first objective was to inform the U.S. about impending racism and how it was going to change their lives. He did so like this, “We face a hostile ideology global in scope, atheistic in character, ruthless in purpose, and insidious in method.” Sure enough he was right, people were protesting in the streets every day. His second purpose was to inform people that there were large amounts of money being invested in the military. Eisenhower was afraid that there was going to be a Military Industrial Complex and that the military in the U.S. was going to become too powerful.
The tone of a speech makes all the difference when you are trying to express yourself and your purpose. King does a phenomenal job of getting his listeners engaged and focused on his purpose. The reason King was such a passionate speaker is because he grew up in a preaching background. He himself was a preacher in a small church in Alabama. When King spoke, he truly spoke from the heart, for example, “This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South with.” King used formal diction to get across the idea that his topic was truly an issue and that he was dead serious.
On the other hand, Eisenhower did a lot for our country. Eisenhower is a respected figure so most people pay attention anyway, but he too does a great job of keeping his listeners listening. He doesn’t need a lot of passion to get peoples attention. However, he delivered deliberate speech when he gave his farewell address. For example, “You and I, my fellow citizens need to be strong in our faith that all nations, under god, will reach the goal of peace with justice.” His tone was calm but passionate, and he used formal diction to get across his point that he was talking about something serious.
Writing is something amazing. It is used in every aspect of life. It is used to get messages and feelings across. King and Eisenhower are two great American figures that used writing to say something that made them very famous and earned them a place in the great puzzle of the world. Their writing styles are very similar and very different at the same time. They gave their speeches at different times and had different purposes, yet they both used formal diction and a passionate tone. They both did a great job using all the aspects of creating a speech to change the world forever.