“Learning from the ‘Great Speeches of All-Time’” is an excerpt from various sources for the SHU students of English Department to learn for enhancing their skill of public speaking in a global context. Photos and various documents are edited with special thanks to the providers, exclusively for educational purposes, and should not be used for any other purposes. (C.C. Li, Professor, SHU)

The Right Honourable Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (1874-1965)

“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” (Comments from the lecture delivered at the Joint Sessions of the US Congress, Nov. 1942)

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/7/7e/Rooseveltinwheelchair.jpg http://www.classroomhelp.com/lessons/Presidents/presimages/froosevelt.jpg

Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882 - 1945), 32nd president of US

“They know the victory for us means the victory for freedom, the victory for the democracy of the United States.”

“In war there is no substitute for victory.”

“I still remember …one of the most popular barracks ballads which

proclaimed most proudly that old soldiers never die; they just fade away. And like the old soldier of that ballad, I now close my military career, and just fade away... An old soldier who tried to do his duty, as God gave him the light to see that duty. Good-bye.”(Touching remarks from the lecture delivered at the Joint Sessions of the US Congress, April 20, 1951)

General Douglas MacArthur (1880 – 1964)

http://images.scripting.com/archiveScriptingCom/2005/04/18/harry.jpg

Harry Truman (1945 - 1953), 33rd president of US

http://www.medaloffreedom.com/HarryTrumanOvalOffice.jpg

“When you get to be President, there are all those things, the honors, the twenty-one gun salutes, all those things. You have to remember it isn't for you. It's for the Presidency.”

“I have nothing to conceal. We are proud of our records.”

"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will try to the best of my ability, to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

John F. Kennedy, 1961

John F. Kennedy, President of USAFriday, Jan. 20, 1961Washington, D.C.

We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom—symbolizing an end as well as a beginning—signifying renewal as well as change.

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.

My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

From a rhetorical point of view, whatdo you think are the unique featuresIn these three paragraphs ofPresident John F. Kennedy’sInaugural address?

Delivering “I Have a Dream” in front of Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C., Aug. 6, 1963.

Abraham LincolnNovember 19, 1863

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by their character.”

In reading “I Have a Dream” of Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963), one should recall the “Gettysburg Address” of Abraham Lincoln, 1863.

The spot where Mr. Lincoln delivered his memorable Gettysburg Address in 1863.(Photo by Chen-ching Li)

“We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live.”

Great heroes are always remembered, not only for their virtuous deeds, but also for

their memorable speeches. (Mt. Rushmore, C.C. Li 2007)

“What we need in the United States is not hatred, violence, lawlessness, but love and compassion for each other.”

Robert F. Kennedy (Nov. 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968)

“I feel the same kind of feeling… My family was killed, but he was killed by a white man.”

Malcolm X (Born Malcolm Little, May 19, 1925 – Feb. 21, 1965), An American Black Muslim minister

“We are Africans, … happened to be Americans. We are brought here against our will.”

“I am not a crook.”

The bunch of crooks who run the government deserve severe penalty.

Ronald W. Reagan, Feb. 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004

“Government is not the solution of the problem. Government is the problem”

“…ensure equal opportunity for all the people”

“Governing a big country is like cooking a small fish.” (Quoted from Tao Teh Ching of Lao Tzu – 老子 : 《道德經》 )

25 TOPICS FOR “IMPROMPTU SPEECH”, SHU, Jan. 7 & 15, 2008Students are required to retrieve information from various sources, Extensive reading is required.

1. Bracing for the alarming GLOBAL WARMING and its impact on deteriorating environment worldwide. (What ate the strategies?)2. Quality Assurance of higher education in Taiwan: What is the biggest challenge? 3. What is the biggest challenge of Taiwan in the wake of enhancing its international competitiveness globally? (What’s the

solution?)4. Is international education essential to college students and national development in Taiwan? (Why?)5. Crime rate is rising in our society. How can we curb the spreading crimes?6. Traffic safety is everybody’s business. (How can we help maintain it in Taiwan?)7. Honesty is the best policy.8. w to reenergize Taiwan’s economy for international competitiveness?9. Why is international education crucial for college students?

10. How to strike a balance between localization and globalization?11. Why do today’s college students fail to achieve excellence in their development of English language skills?12. Is moral education still a timely discipline to learn in the 21st century?13. What should we know about energy crisis?14. How to cope with energy crisis of the 21st century?15. Energy Crisis on the Rise: What should OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) do to secure a win-

win global situation?16. How can Taiwan promote “carpool” （汽車共乘） for saving energy?17. My view of an ideal national leader for Taiwan.18. Are we having too many universities in Taiwan?19. It’s imperative that we enhance our international competitiveness.20. Is Taiwan losing its edge in international competitiveness?21. How should college students enhance their English proficiency to brace for the challenges of the 21st century?22. Is the learning of Chinese (CSL) a “mission impossible” for the Westerners? Why?23. Why is ethics crucial in the 21st century society? (Reference: Thomas L. Friedman: “A Question of Ethics. How to Teach Them.”)24. Is the learning of (Mandarin) Chinese a “Mission Impossible” to foreigners?25. The qualification of a national leader in the 21st century.