Martin Luther King Junior's Last Speech
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0FiCxZKuv8C:\Documents and Settings\Brenda\My Documents\My Videos\YouTube - Martin Luther King, Jr_'s last speech.mht
At the end of this now famous speech, Martin Luther King Jr. was so exhausted he had to be helped to his chair. At this point, his life had been threatened repeatedly and the speech he gave on April 3rd, 1968 in Memphis Tennessee was actually a variation of speech he had delivered many times, in many places. On this night, it proved prophetic. The next morning, on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed.
Although his address this night was brief, his performance is a brilliant example of speech making at its finest. He knows his audience, he identifies the issue, he uses parallel structures, the phrases have rhythm, the words are simple and there is clear call to action.
Not everyone who delivers a speech will have the purpose and historical context of a Martin Luther King. But it is important to recognize how powerful the spoken word can be.
