Rhetorical Speeches on Greek Gods

During my visit to my old high school in November, I dropped in on my English teacher and helped her evaluate and grade students’ speeches. Their assignment was to present a speech in first person as a Greek god running to be the ruler of Olympus. One student who was representing Uranus used Ethos when he mentioned how he was the god of the sky and the father of the Titans. He explains to the people that he is the very reason they all exist, giving him that authoritarian power. Without him, Zeus, Aphrodite, Poseidon and all of the other siblings would not have been born. He uses Ethos to explain how Zeus would not be as heroic as he is today if it weren’t for him, given the fact that he is the father of Cronus. He uses this argument to justify the fact that he is above all and is the most important of the gods. He basically said that he is the father of everyone, including the gods. He uses Pathos to show the people that it is in his best intentions to do what is best for the people. He mentions how his heart “speaks to him” meaning he knows the greater good for the citizens and is compassionate. The student makes a connection with the audience by making them feel as if his decisions will always be involved with improving the lives of the people. He expresses a very caring side and shows the audience that he only wants to help them, and never make things worse or cause any inconvenience for them.

Lastly, the student uses Logos by stating that Olympus would be nothing without him given the fact that he holds up and looks over everyone’s home. He talked about how he is the sky for everyone in Thebes (the city where they are from) and is an essential aspect of Earth needed for them to live, which is why he should be elected. The student was successful because he was able to stay in character throughout his whole speech. He delivered his speech very well and was able to balance out the negative aspects of the other gods with his own positive characteristics without having his whole speech revolve around bashing others, like most people. We were able to learn a lot of the things he had to offer and he was very persuasive. People would vote for him since it’s the most logical thing to do. He is the creator of everyone and is the reason for everyone’s and everything’s existence. His audience appreciates the fact that he cares for what the people want and would do anything to improve their lives.