Memorable Lines from our Cultural HeritageMovies, Politics, and

Our Popular Culture

Movies fill our lives with entertainment and fill our minds with unforgettable quotes. Characters become icons of our cultural heritage, and

their finest (and weakest) moments on screen are deeply implanted in our cultural memory.

Let’s conduct a little experiment—Can you finish these memorable movie lines?

… la Vista, Baby.…be with you.

Hasta …. May the force….

Life is like…

…a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gona’ get.

Show me.. …the money.

Houston, we…

…have a problem.

If you build it… …they will come.

Go ahead… …make my day.

Now let’s try some classic movie lines.

Every time a bell rings…

...an angel gets its wings.

Here’s looking … …. at you, kid.

Toto, we’re…

…. not in Kansas anymore.

Space. The final frontier. These are the…

…voyages of the star

ship Enterprise.

Why do these phrases become implanted in our cultural memories? Believe it or not, these

one-liners contain classic elements of rhetoric.

What is Rhetoric? In it’s broadest terms,

rhetoric is the art of speaking and writing effectively.

More specifically, rhetoric refers to the art of persuasive speech, that is, oratory.

All great speeches have an element of occasion—they create just the right impact for that specific moment.

Look at “Hasta La Vista, Baby.” This is a common Hispanic farewell that a

young man might say as he flirts with a pretty young woman.

But when the Terminator says, “Hasta La Vista, Baby…”

He means something quite different!Using what is normally a casual farewell as a signal that

death is about to strike helps reveal the character’s attitude toward his adversary.

Great speeches typically have a persuasive element as well.

The Greek philosopher Aristotle, explained that there were three key components to persuasive speech.

Pathos—emotion Logos—logic Ethos—worthiness of the

speaker

Examples of pathos: When a student says to a teacher, “My grandmother died on

Friday, so I couldn’t get my homework done,” she is using an emotional appeal to others for pity and sympathy.

In the days after September 11, 2001, there were many images in the media that called up our emotions: flags flying at half mast or waving in the rubble of what used to be the World Trade Center. These were appeals to patriotism.

When an advertisement shows a beautiful woman standing beside a sporty car and gazing longingly at a beautiful sunset, the ad is playing on buyer’s emotions by suggesting that buying the car will help one get to know a beautiful woman or go to a beautiful place.

Examples of logos When a toothpaste commercial explains that 9 out of 10 dentists

recommend a particular brand, they are using a logical appeal through statistics and expert testimony.

In an anti-smoking campaign, the narrator uses a logical appeal when he quotes the World Health Organization: “Half of all smokers will eventually die as a result of their smoking.” The appeal uses statistics and the external authority of the World Health Organization.

When Senator Edward Kennedy said, “in Georgia, blacks who killed whites received the death penalty 16.7 percent of the time, while whites who killed blacks received the death penalty only 4.2 percent of the time,” thereby arguing that the death penalty is unfair, he was using an inductive argument.

Examples of Ethos When the president stands in front of the presidential

seal and an American flag while speaking, he is reminding your of his important position.

If a speaker introduces herself by explaining that she has written two books on the topic she is speaking about, she is reminding listeners of her expertise.

When John Walsh of America’s Most Wanted explains that his own child was kidnapped, he is letting audiences know that he had the same experience as those he is trying to help.

Now let’s take a look at some simple rhetorical devices that writers use to add power and eloquence to their words.

These rhetorical devices impact the style and syntax of the speech.

They also impact the element of pathos in a speech as well.

Many writers use purposeful repetition of words and phrases.

“In 1931, ten years ago, Japan invaded Manchukuo—without warning. In 1935, Italy invaded Ethiopia—without warning. In 1938, Hitler occupied Austria—without warning.”

--President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Pearl Harbor Speech

Some writers use purposeful repetition of individual sounds.

"...the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.”

--Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,

the 1963 March on Washington

Alliteration &Consonance

Even the movies can play around with repetition of sound. "Have you forgotten

you're facing the single finest fighting force ever assembled?"

--Dan Aykroyd in Dragnet

"I feel the need,

the need for speed.”

--Goose & Maverick, Top Gun

Alliteration &Assonance

Sometimes the grammatical structure is repeated to add rhythm and a pleasing balance. This is called parallelism.

“We cannot dedicate—We cannot consecrate—We cannot hallow this ground.”

“…this nation of the people, by the people, for the people…”

“With malice toward none, with charity for all.”

Parallelism can run in the family, too. Here the Kennedy brothers each use a kind of parallelism called antithesis.

There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?”--Robert Kennedy

“And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”—President John F. Kennedy

Even a television and movie series can get in on the use of parallelism.

Space:

The final frontier.

These are the voyages of the starship, Enterprise.

Its five year mission

To explore strange new worlds

To seek out new life and new civilizations

To boldly go where no man has gone before.

Parallelism

Figurative language can be rhetorical devices too.Metaphor “…the torch has been

passed to a new generation of Americans…”

“Those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.”

--President Kennedy, Inaugural Address

Simile

"Charging a man with murder in this place was like handing out speeding tickets at the Indy 500. I took the mission. What else was I gonna do?“

--Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now, a movie set during the Vietnam War

Personification "Such acts are

commonly stimulated by forces of hatred and malevolence such as today are eating their way into the bloodstream of American life."

-- USSC Justice Earl Warren, Eulogy for John F. Kennedy

Look at these figures of speech from two of Tom Hanks’ movies. What’s the technique here?

“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gona’ get.”

“Houston, we have a problem.”

Simile Understatement

As you listen to speeches in the movies or in real life, remember to look for rhetorical devices.

Such devices add Rhythm Depth Eloquence Power

Such devices create memorable phrases that form a tapestry of our culture and history.

Now let’s apply what we have learned to a memorable speech from The Two Towers.

Here the weight of carrying the ring of power is weighing on Frodo. Frodo and Sam have reached Gondor, but how can they continue on to Mount Doom? Here Sam finds the answer.

Frodo: I can't do this, Sam. Sam: I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like

in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.

Frodo: What are we holding onto, Sam? Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for.

Now you will practice these skills with a partner. Refer to your handout entitled “Characteristics of Persuasive Speeches” to assist you in completing your analytical chart.

Movie Title:

Speaker:

Plot Summary & Context of the Speech:

Logos Pathos Ethos

Overall Impact of this Speech:

Rubric:

Score

Score Description

3 Thorough & complete work that demonstrates insightful reflection & analysis on all or nearly all aspects of the task

2 Complete work that demonstrates adequate reflection and analysis on most aspects of the task

1 Complete or nearly complete work that reveals a basic or partial understanding of the task

0 Largely incomplete work or work that reveals little or no understanding of the task

Here are your movie speech choices.Friday Night Lights Remember the

TitansWe Were Soldiers

300 Independence Day Return of the King

Created by Paula S. Brewer, Central Hardin High School, Cecilia, Kentucky, February 25, 2012. Revised March 23, 2013.

Source:American Rhetoric. Copyright 2001-2005. 22 October 2005.

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/

LOTR - Two Towers - Sam's Speech - Worth Fighting For. You.Tube videoclip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xDD7egEN2k.

J.R.R. Tolkien. GoodReads. http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/305555-frodo-i-can-t-do-this-sam-sam-i-know-it-s.