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EVERY lesson has a reflection in the last 5 minutes. WHAT - SO WHAT - NOW WHAT?
Full Transcript
Full Transcript
Hello, I’m Severn Suzuki speaking for E.C.O. – The Environmental Children’s Organisation.
Hello, I’m Severn Suzuki speaking for E.C.O. – The Environmental Children’s Organisation.
We are a group of 12 and 13-year-olds from Canada trying to make a difference: Vanessa Suttie, Morgan Geisler, Michelle Quigg and me. We raised all the money ourselves to come six thousand miles to tell you adults you must change your ways. Coming here today, I have no hidden agenda. I am fighting for my future. Losing my future is not like losing an election or a few points on the stock market. I am here to speak for all generations to come.
I am here to speak on behalf of the starving children around the world whose cries go unheard. I am here to speak for the countless animals dying across this planet because they have nowhere left to go. We cannot afford to be not heard. I am afraid to go out in the sun now because of the holes in the ozone. I am afraid to breathe the air because I don’t know what chemicals are in it.
I used to go fishing in Vancouver with my dad until just a few years ago we found the fish full of cancers. And now we hear about animals and plants going extinct every day — vanishing forever.
In my life, I have dreamed of seeing the great herds of wild animals, jungles and rainforests full of birds and butterflies, but now I wonder if they will even exist for my children to see.
Did you have to worry about these little things when you were my age?
All this is happening before our eyes and yet we act as if we have all the time we want and all the solutions. I’m only a child and I don’t have all the solutions, but I want you to realize, neither do you!
You don’t know how to fix the holes in our ozone layer. You don’t know how to bring salmon back up a dead stream.
You don’t know how to bring back an animal now extinct. And you can’t bring back forests that once grew where there is now desert.
If you don’t know how to fix it, please stop breaking it!
Here, you may be delegates of your governments, business people, organizers, reporters or politicians – but really you are mothers and fathers, brothers and sister, aunts and uncles – and all of you are somebody’s child.
I’m only a child yet I know we are all part of a family, five billion strong, in fact, 30 million species strong and we all share the same air, water and soil — borders and governments will never change that.
I’m only a child yet I know we are all in this together and should act as one single world towards one single goal.
In my anger, I am not blind, and in my fear, I am not afraid to tell the world how I feel.
In my country, we make so much waste, we buy and throw away, buy and throw away, and yet northern countries will not share with the needy. Even when we have more than enough, we are afraid to lose some of our wealth, afraid to share.
In Canada, we live the privileged life, with plenty of food, water and shelter — we have watches, bicycles, computers and television sets.
Two days ago here in Brazil, we were shocked when we spent some time with some children living on the streets. And this is what one child told us: “I wish I was rich and if I were, I would give all the street children food, clothes, medicine, shelter and love and affection.”
If a child on the street who has nothing, is willing to share, why are we who have everything still so greedy?
I can’t stop thinking that these children are my age, that it makes a tremendous difference where you are born, that I could be one of those children living in the Favelas of Rio; I could be a child starving in Somalia; a victim of war in the Middle East or a beggar in India.
I’m only a child yet I know if all the money spent on war was spent on ending poverty and finding environmental answers, what a wonderful place this earth would be!
At school, even in kindergarten, you teach us to behave in the world. You teach us: not to fight with others, to work things out, to respect others, to clean up our mess, not to hurt other creatures, to share – not be greedy.
Then why do you go out and do the things you tell us not to do?
Do not forget why you’re attending these conferences, who you’re doing this for — we are your own children. You are deciding what kind of world we will grow up in. Parents should be able to comfort their children by saying “everything’s going to be alright”, “we’re doing the best we can” and “it’s not the end of the world”.
But I don’t think you can say that to us anymore. Are we even on your list of priorities? My father always says “You are what you do, not what you say.”
Well, what you do makes me cry at night. You grown ups say you love us. I challenge you, please make your actions reflect your words. Thank you for listening.
There are three different activities to complete below, depending on your class:
There are three different activities to complete below, depending on your class:
Use the ALARM steps to critically evaluate the effectiveness of Suzuki's speech.
Use the themes and devices from Severn's speech to write a protest poem as a group.
Rhetorical Device Definition
Rhetorical Device Definition
Rhetorical devices are literary elements used to convince or persuade audiences using logos, pathos, and ethos. Their appropriate use makes the text rich, lifelike and enjoyable in prose and poetry. When carefully inserted, they transform an ordinary piece of writing into a memorable, evocative and pleasant literary work. It is due to these devices the readers feel aligned to the character or the writer. Also, the audiences understand the uniqueness and depth of the text. However, rhetorical devices appeal to one’s sensibilities in four ways: logos, pathos, ethos, and kairos.
Some useful definitions….
Diatribe
Diatribe
Diatribe is a violent or bitter criticism of something or someone. It is a rhetorical device used as a verbal attack against a person, group, institution, or a particular behavior. Merriam Webster defines diatribe as, “An angry and usually long speech or piece of writing that strongly criticizes someone or something.” Its purpose is to point out the follies and weaknesses of something or someone. However, if the focus of criticism diverts from targeting the main object, it may become negative or destructive criticism on account of its harshness.
Polemic
Polemic
Polemic is a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something, it also means war. Etymologically, the word polemic can be traced back to its Grecian origin from the word polemos that means war. Later, it was linked to a French term, polemique, which means controversial remarks or disputes during an argument. Although in literary devices, it is simply an argument, and it is part of rhetoric in which a polemic is a contentious remark that could raise the temperature of the debate. A participant in the debate or conversation can make such unwarranted or unverified remarks about the other party or participant to cause pandemonium. Such a remark, or argument, or part of an argument is called polemic.
Kairos
Kairos
Derived from a Grecian root, kairos means the right time for doing something or presenting something. It refers to “opportune presentation” in rhetoric. It is mostly used in rhetoric but is also common in Christian theological presentations.
In rhetoric, kairos is part of four important rhetorical strategies used by a speaker or an author. The other three are ethos, pathos, and logos.
Rhetorical Question
Rhetorical Question
A rhetorical question is asked just for effect, or to lay emphasis on some point being discussed when no real answer is expected. A rhetorical question may have an obvious answer, but the questioner asks it to lay emphasis on the point. In literature, a rhetorical question is self-evident and used for style as an impressive persuasive device.
Broadly speaking, a rhetorical question is asked when the questioner himself knows the answer already, or an answer is not actually demanded. So, an answer is not expected from the audience. Such a question is used to emphasize a point or draw the audience’s attention.
Metonymy
Metonymy
Metonymy is a figure of speech in which one object or idea takes the place of another with which it has a close association. In fact, metonymy means “change of name.” As a literary device, it is a way of replacing an object or idea with something related to it instead of stating what is actually meant. Metonymy enables writers to express a word or thought in a different way by using a closely related word or thought. Therefore, this is a method for writers to vary their expression and produce an effect for the reader.
Harangue
Harangue
Harangue means a long and angry speech filled with criticism. The word harangue is of Germanic origin and is stated to have come from a French term, arenge which is a derivative of a medieval Latin term, harenga. Later, it evolved into harangue or haranguer in French and entered the late medieval English language with the same spellings.
Semantically, it means a lengthy speech having some type of stricture on somebody, or some person, or having some features of attack. It also could be just a spoken long attack or a lecture. Therefore, public speeches could be categorized as harangues.
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