Anyone studying great speeches?

[Julie in CA]

I have a ds15 who has a great interest in polysci. He's enjoying a class at the community college, and he especially enjoys watching and reading conservative political commentary, though I do try and balance with opposing viewpoints.

I think he'd find it interesting and edifying to study great speeches for a semester-long class.

I'd like him to read/listen to a speech, read biographical and historical info about who gave the speech, why, what were they trying to accomplish, and whether or not the speech had the intended influence. If so, why? If not, why? I'd also like him to try and isolate what sentences/phrases carried special meaning, and what made them so effective.

I don't really want to reinvent the wheel. If there's a curriculum or book that would focus on this and make it easier, I'd like to know! I could also use some guidance about what speeches are especially noteworthy. I went to a good school, but I don't know where I was during History class! :confused: I missed a lot...:001_huh:

[Myra]

Hewitt has a Great Speech curriculum...I've been thinking about it for next year. Let me know what you find out!

Myra

[Julie in MN]

MCT has studies of a select few speeches - I am thinking of doing this one:
http://www.rfwp.com/series23.htm#50

[Julie in CA]

Hewitt has a Great Speech curriculum...I've been thinking about it for next year. Let me know what you find out!

Myra
Hewitt's curriculum does look good, but I'm looking for something that *doesn't* require my ds to write or give speeches. I'm really looking for more of a historical perspective, kwim? This ds does some of his classes from the community college, which I'm planning to use as the venue to actual public speaking. I like a lot of Hewitt's materials though.

[Julie in CA]

MCT has studies of a select few speeches - I am thinking of doing this one:
http://www.rfwp.com/series23.htm#50
These are closer to what I had in mind, though I was thinking I'd like my ds to study one speech per week.

[Eliana]

I don't of anything that matches what you are looking for, but we have used two books of speeches which do give general background information (nothing close to complete bios or comprehensive analysis!):

My Fellow Americans (http://www.amazon.com/Fellow-Americans-Important-Presidents-Washington/dp/1402200277/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257887814&sr=1-1) (includes an audio cd!)
Great British Speeches (http://www.amazon.com/Great-British-Speeches-Simon-Heffer/dp/1847240380/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257887943&sr=1-1) (supplemented with an audio recording of Churchill's speeches)

Another nice resource (though many of the recordings are *excerpts* rather than complete versions of the speeches) is: Words that Shook the World (http://www.amazon.com/Words-That-Shook-World-Unforgettable/dp/0735202966/ref=pd_sim_b_8).


And here's a website that I think I've shared here before: American Rhetoric (http://www.americanrhetoric.com/) - it has some really marvelous resources...


I think most of the other things we've used are bits and pieces assembled from various texts... not very useful to you, I'm afraid!

[swellmomma]

We listened to a set from the library called Great Speeches of the 20th Century by Rhino word beat.

It contained 4 cd's of speeches divided into 4 categories. You could easily add biographical information to the listening of the speeches. There was everytihng from presidential speeches, to Babe ruth, to Neil armstrong etc. Tons to listen to.