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Everyone is born with a voice, but the power to convey the purpose and meaning is a characteristic of a distinctive voice. In history many voices have been heard but from them, only the distinctive voices have the ability to change, alter and shape society. Examples of these prominent voices are Martin Luther King and Severn Suzuki who ‘silenced the world for 5 minutes’. Through the use of techniques and symbolism such as metaphors, persuasive tones and religious context the activist are able to convey their meaning and purpose to the world.
The purpose of Martin Luther King, “I have a dream” speech was to unite both white and coloured people. Martin Luther was an African American, so he felt the discrimination between blacks and whites firsthand. He wrote the speech in hope that the people listening would be able to feel the pain that the African Americans were going through, and they did. Martin Luther played a major role in stopping discrimination. Severn Cullis-Suzuki??was only 12 years old when she spoke before the UN earth Summit in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992.
A child speaking before adults representing all the countries in the world, yet her speech was anything but childish. It was an astonishing advice and an appeal to everyone to help stop the destruction of the earth’s resources. She spoke of deforestation, chemicals in the air, the waste and greed in our society, and the wanton destruction of animal and plant species that can never be brought back to life again. In August 1963, Martin Luther King electrified America with his momentous ‘I Have A Dream’ speech, dramatically delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
His soaring rhetoric demanding racial justice and an integrated society became a mantra for the black community and is as familiar to subsequent generations of Americans as the US Declaration of Independence. His words proved to be a touchstone for understanding the social and political confusion of the time and gave the nation a vocabulary to express what was happening. ‘I have a dream that one day’ is a frame for the future and sets the stage for the rest of the words. ‘Dream’ is vague aspiration and ‘One day’ starts to make it specific. I have a dream” is repeated in eight successive sentences, and is one of the most often cited examples of anaphora in modern rhetoric. Martin Luther lavish use of??metaphors??and religious context such as ‘America has given the Negro people a??bad check??which has come back marked insufficient funds’ which signifies how America has overlooked the Negros and ‘now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God’s children’ and ‘Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last’ which explores the demanding and wanting of having quality of life and the freedom of rights.
This is a clear representation of how distinctive voices need great ideas. A similar and prominent example is film ‘I Am Sam’. I Am Sam??is clearly marketed to the Academy in search of an Oscar nomination for Sean Penn’s portrayal of a mentally retarded 40-year-old who must fight for the custody of his 7-year-old daughter. The film can best be described as frustrating but irresistible. The story clearly has logistical problems and likelihood issues, but the relationship between Penn and his daughter is difficult to dislike.
It’s as though the filmmakers knew the story was a bit thin, but also realized if they pushed enough emotional buttons with the audience, they would escape overwhelming criticism. And, as it turns out, they were right. The problem of explicit manipulation is clearly evident from the film’s opening scenes to its final ones. Its main purpose is to swoon audiences into tears through the dismantling of the precious father-daughter relationship. For the most part, it accomplishes this strategy.
Because of this, the audience is able to overlook such ridiculous contraptions as Sam’s arresting for prostitution services, his ability to afford a nice apartment on a minimum wage income, or the cliched courtroom drama that unfolds much like many similar stories you might find on television. Logic and plain common sense dictate that this film should be summarily dismissed, but, as aforementioned, is not easy to do. In conclusion, as the power to convey the purpose and meaning is a characteristic of a distinctive voice, many voices have been heard but from them, only the distinctive voices have the ability to change, alter and shape society.