LOU GEHRIGS SPEECH Analyzing arguments We are going

LOU GEHRIG’S SPEECH Analyzing arguments

. We are going to analyze the speech that the baseball player Lou Gehrig gave at an Appreciation Day held in his honor on July 4, 1939. Gehrig had recently learned that he was suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurological disorder that has no cure. Today, it is known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease. ” Gehrig delivered one of the all-time most powerful, heartfelt—and brief (fewer than 300 words) speeches. This speech was delivered between games at a doubleheader.

Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans. Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn't consider it the highlight of his career to associate with them for even one day?

Sure, I'm lucky. Who wouldn't consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert; also the builder of baseball's greatest empire, Ed Barrow; to have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins; then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology—the best manager in baseball today, Joe Mc. Carthy! Who wouldn’t feel honored to have roomed with such a grand guy as Bill Dickey?

Sure, I'm lucky. When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift—that's something! When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies— that's something.

When you have a wonderful mother-inlaw who takes sides with you in squabbles against her own daughter— that's something. When you have a father and mother who work all their lives so that you can have an education and build your body—it's a blessing! When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed—that's the finest I know.

So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I have an awful lot to live for!

Why is this speech effective? 1 st we must look at its context and purpose. Context: the occasion or the time and place it was written or spoken Purpose: the goal that the speaker or writer wants to achieve. What were the context and purpose of Gehrig’s speech?

—on one level, the context of this speech is “a speech given between games at a doubleheader on July 4, 1939 at Appreciation Day. “ —Purpose was to thank the fans. BUT… —the more important context: the poignant contrast between the celebration of his athletic career and the life-threatening diagnosis Gehrig had received. —within this context, what was his purpose? —to remain positive by looking on the bright side—his past luck and present optimism—and downplaying the bleak outlook.

How many times does he refer to the fatal diagnosis he had received? Once, straightforward—he got a “bad break. ” No blame, no self-pity, no plea for sympathy Throughout, he maintains his focus: to celebrate the occasion (appreciation day) and get back to work—playing baseball. Context and purpose are easy to spot in this speech—they are not always so obvious. However, you must consider them when analyzing effective rhetoric.

Remember some potential purposes: to win agreement, persuade us to take action, evoke sympathy, make someone laugh, inform, provoke, celebrate, repudiate, put forth a proposal, secure support, or bring about a favorable decision. Also remember that sometimes the context arises from current events or cultural bias.

What is another reason this speech is effective? What is Gehrig’s main idea? That he’s the “luckiest man on the face of the earth. ” You could call this idea a thesis, claim, or assertion; it is a clear and focused statement.

What is Gehrig’s subject? Baseball in general, and the NY Yankees in particular. Though Gehrig is a champion baseball player, he presents himself as a common man, modest and glad for the life he’s lived.

What is his audience? His fans and fellow athletes, those in the stadium as well as those who will hear the speech from afar—people rooting for him on and off the field

Gehrig’s understanding of how these factors— subject & main idea, speaker, and audience— interact determines his speech: a plainspoken, positive appreciation for what he has had, and a champion’s courageous acceptance of the challenges that lie before him. By considering these elements, Gehrig shows us a rhetorical triangle (or Aristotelian triangle)—Speaker—Subject---Audience

What about Ethos, Logos, and Pathos? How does Gehrig establish ethos? By simply being a good sport, a regular guy who shares the audience’s love of baseball and family and like them, has known good luck and bad breaks. Ethos gives the audience a reason to listen (or read).

How does Gehrig establish logos? While the speech at first seems to be based largely on emotion, it is actually based on irrefutable logic. He starts with thesis that he is “the luckiest man on the face of the earth” and supports it with two points. What are the 2 points?

1. his seventeen years of playing baseball and 2. his belief that he has “never received anything but kindness and encouragement from his fans. ” He then gets more specific and states that he was worked with good people and been part of a sterling team, and he has the “blessing” of a supportive family. That he has gotten a bad break neither negates nor even lessens any of these experiences.

What assumption, or underlying belief, links these seemingly contrasting ideas? Gehrig is lucky even though he’s had a bad break. He assumes, no doubt as his audience does, that bad breaks are a natural and inevitable part of life.

Another way to appeal to logos is to acknowledge a counterargument— that is, to anticipate objections or opposing views. . Opposing views do NOT weaken your argument; you’ll be vulnerable if you ignore ideas that run counter to your own.

In acknowledging a counterargument, you agree (concede) that an opposing argument may be true, but then you deny (refute) the validity of all or part of the argument. This concession and refutation actually strengthens your argument; it appeals to logos by demonstrating that you considered your subject carefully before making your argument.

What is Gehrig’s simple counterargument or concession? That his bad break is cause for discouragement or even giving up; he disagrees because he has “an awful lot to live for!” Granted, he implies his concession rather than stating it outright, but in addressing it at all, he acknowledges a contrasting way of viewing his situation; that is a counterargument.

How does Gehrig establish Pathos? Without question Gehrig’s speech gains power with its appeal to pathos, or emotion. How? Through his use of 1 st person, and his diction —he chooses a sequence of words with strong, positive connotations: greatest, wonderful, honored, grand, blessing. Also, he uses one image—tower of strength— that may not be all that original, but it is appropriate in his speech.