Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Historical Context


Historical context behind a speech is something I personally never thought about actively. Things that happen completely alter the attitudes and beliefs the audience holds when they witness a speech. For instance, arguing for reduced security on a school campus would be perceived more positively before a security breach at said campus, like an assault with a deadly weapon on it. On the other hand, an argument for increased security after the event would be received more positively by the audience for the same reasons.

Not only do events have an important part behind the historical context of a speech. There is also personal histories and even repeated events that could alter the perception of an argument or form of public communication. One example would be a speech on the importance of a specific holiday in society. If the holiday was either recent or upcoming, it would be received more positively, while a speech about it six months before or after it would probably be ignored because of this.

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