Declamation

• Declamation
  1. The action or art of declaiming; the repeating or uttering of a speech, etc. with studied intonation and gesture.
  2. A public speech or address of rhetorical character; a set speech in rhetorical elocution.
  3. Declaiming or speaking in an impassioned oratorical manner; fervid denunciation with appeals to the audience.
  4. A speech of a rhetorical kind expressing strong feeling and addressed to the passions of the hearers; a declamatory speech, a harangue.
• A declamation speech is the term used to describe the re-giving of a famous speech.
• This task set as a part of studying public speaking skills.
• The purpose is to have the student directly experience the power of masterfully crafted language.
• Through imitation the techniques and skills of the original orator are learned.
• Declamation speech practice orginated in ancient Greece where public speaking was considered a neccessary art for anybody embarking on a career in public service
• A declamation was a practice piece set by a teacher for exactly the same reason they are set these days: so the student could learn the skills of combining eloquent language with equally eloquent.
• A great declamation piece will combine all of the qualities listed in the following areas:-
  • Style of Language:-
    Elevated, inspirational, elegant, poetic, masterful - the speech should be an example of 'beautiful' language and construction.
  • Theme:-
    The message or theme running through it should be worthy of its oratorical treatment, ie. the style of language specified above. It must be important and applicable beyond the time it was first delivered. For example, Martin Luther King's 'I Had a Dream' speech has carried its theme down the years without any loss of potency or relevance.
  • Impact:-
    The speech must have reached and grabbed the hearts and minds of its listeners. It will have persuasively challenged and changed the way people thought and acted, uniting and inspiring them toward a common goal or course of action.