Excerpt 1 by Governor Rick Scott on Hurricane 2016
Read the two script excerpts carefully and watch the videos. You are also encouraged to take notes as needed.
For each script and video, you are asked to analyze: 1) speaker, 2) message, and 3) argument approach and purpose, answering the questions listed in each section. There are five questions for each speaker.
Last part: write a multi-paragraph essay where you compare and contrast the effectiveness of these two speeches, and answer additional questions.
Question 1- Excerpt from Speech 1:
Florida Governor Rick Scott on Hurricane Matthew (2016)
Link here: https://youtu(dot)be/I4Lqy3fCZgw?list=PL8xIZejMPe2fiaueP58A7zrsAAeavDfjP
Script:
If you’re watching, and you live in an evacuation zone, you need to leave now, and get to a safe zone. If you’re watching and you’re in an evacuation zone, get out. Don’t take a chance. Time is running out. This is clearly either gonna have a direct hit, or come right along our coast and we’re going to have hurricane force winds. There are no excuses – you need to leave. Evacuate, evacuate, evacuate. Are you willing to take a chance to risk your life? Are you willing to take a gamble? That’s what you’re doing. If you’re reluctant to evacuate, just think of all the people the storm has already killed. You and your family could be among these numbers if you don’t take this seriously.
Question 1)From watching the video and reading the script, discuss your overall impression of this speaker in a few sentences.
Question 2) What was the main message and additional underlying message(s) that Governor Scott was trying to convey?
Question 3) Were any Pathos, Ethos, and/or Logos used here? Which? Give two examples and discuss.
Question 4) Identify and describe at least two fallacies that Governor Scott used. Refer to “Everyone’s an Author” for a list and description of fallacies.
Question 5) What argumentation strategies influenced you the most or the least? Would you have been likely to listen to him and evacuate? Why or why not?
Now part 2
Question 1- Excerpt from Speech 2:
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Hurricane Irene (August 2011)
Link here: https://youtu(dot)be/Ra-NAbD2Pwc (Note: STOP AT 1.42 minutes- the first half is on the August 2011 hurricane. After that, it switches to his speech for an October 2012 hurricane which is not relevant for this paper). Captioned.
Script:
"To folks again, you know, I saw some of these news feeds that I’ve been watching upstairs of people sitting on the beach in Asbury Park. Get the hell off the beach in Asbury Park and get out. You’re done. It’s four thirty. You’ve maximized your tan. Get off the beach. Get in your cars and get out of those areas. You know, it amazes me that you have responsible elected officials from North Carolina, Northern Massachusetts, along with National Weather Service folks telling you that this is going to be an enormous storm, and for New Jersey, something that we haven’t seen in over sixty years. Do not waste any more time working on your tan. Get off the beach. Get out of your beach houses. And get to safer ground, either in your own homes if this is a vacation home or rental for you, or if it’s your primary residence, get with friends or relatives or co-workers and be housed there. So, travel with the pets, but bring supplies with you to deal with your pets. I can’t believe as governor I’m actually having to say this but you know, bring the kitty litter and the litter box, bring the pooper scooper and the dog food and all the rest of that stuff. Don’t leave that stuff behind. Last message and then I’ll take questions is, the most important bit of advice as governor I can give to any of the 8.8 million citizens of this state is think."
Question 1) From watching the video and reading the script, discuss your overall impression of Governor Christie in a few sentences
Question 2) What was the main message and additional underlying message(s) that Governor Christie was trying to deliver?
Question 3) Were any Pathos, Ethos, and/or Logos used here? Which? Give two examples and discuss.
Question 4) Identify and describe at least two fallacies that Governor Christie used. Refer to “Everyone’s an Author” for a list and description of fallacies.
Question 5) What argumentation strategies influenced you the most or the least? Would you have been likely to listen to him and evacuate? Why or why not?
Part 3
Now you have read/watched, thought critically about, and analyzed the two “hurricane evacuation” speeches and videos.
In the space below, compose a multi-paragraph essay that compares and contrasts the various rhetorical and argumentation strategies that each governor utilized in his speech. You may organize your essay as you see fit but it must have a clear thesis and identification of main supporting points.
Consider each governor's tone, choice of words, use of rhetoric, body language, use of humor, etc. Discuss the effectiveness of each speech, and make contrasts and comparisons between the two. Which governor was the most persuasive and why?
Some additional questions you should address are: If you were governor, do you think you could have done a better job getting people to evacuate? How would you have presented the information differently? Give an example of how you might have worded and presented your plea for residents to evacuate. Finally, what is the role and importance of critical thinking in these type of natural disaster situations?
Excerpt 1 by Governor Rick Scott on Hurricane 2016
From the excerpt one can feel the emotion of persuasiveness in the speaker’s voice and even his body language conveys an important communication. From his tonal variations the audience is likely to believe and abide to his persuasion.
The main message from the governor’s speech is to persuade the people to evacuate the danger zones and he stresses on this by using a commanding tone when repeating the term evacuate almost three times at some point in the speech.
An ethos element that can be obtained from the speech is when the governor commands those in evacuation zone to evacuate. Being in a position of power and using that command tone implies that he is trying to use his authority to ensure that the evacuation happens. A pathos element comes out when he asks his audience to think of the numbers of people that have been killed by the hurricane and that they might be part of the numbers if they fail to evacuate. This aspect triggers some emotions among the audience
Failure to provide the exact number of the people that have already been killed by the hurricane is an element of fallacy in Governor Scott’s speech as it raises some doubt on whether it is true that people have been killed by the hurricane. Another fallacy is in his failure to be precise on the amount of time that is remaining before the hurricane causes havoc. Instead, he just says time is running out.
The argumentative strategy that influences me the most is the repetition of the term evacuate, which seems to command people to leave for safe areas as well as insinuating that those who fails to leave can end up as statistics of t...