Bonus: Founder's Day Convocation Dr. Donald Webb

Dr. Webb's speech was particularly effective due to his use of humor. By using humor, he "woke up" the audience, eliminating the audience's expectation of boredom for such a formal event. With such an introduction, the audience was eagerly awaiting what Dr. Webb would say next. Ultimately, this allowed him to make a lasting impression with his message.

The speaker used humor extremely well by playing on the audience's expectations. Dr. Webb begins by reading the definition of founder from the dictionary. Immediately, the audience begins to think that this will be a long, dry, and boring speech. For after all, he is just reiterating the name of the event. Everyone clearly knows why they are here. Yet, Dr. Webb begins to read examples of founder that do not correlate with the audience's expected notion of founder. For example, one of the definitions he reads for a founder is that of a sinking ship. Clearly, opposite of the audience's first assumption of what a founder means. The audience immediately broke out into hysteria. Another example of Webb's mastery of humor occurs after he tells a joke. The audience laughed moderately. However, Webb adds to this by saying "well, I thought it was funny anyways." The audience then began laughing hysterically. Dr. Webb used several other examples of humor like these. Each was effective at enthralling his audience.

Dr. Webb's use of humor was one of the main components adding to the effectiveness of his speech. It allowed him to defy the audience's presumptions. Thus, the audience was eager to see what loop Dr. Webb would use next. All in all his use of humor made the call to service to seem likewise enjoyable. Combining work and joy will create a better world for us all, as Dr. Webb illustrated.

American Shakespeare's production of "Romeo and Juliet"

The American Shakespeare production of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" creates a lively and entertaining play from the classic text. The actors use several implicit cues and techniques so that the viewer may better understand the play. One element the actors portray particularly well is the distinction of class among characters. This sets up the hierarchy of the medieval system allowing the audience to become drawn up in the action of the play.

The actors use different patterns of dress for characters of lower class and upper class, allowing their status to easily be identified. The Servants and the Nurse both wear clothing of the same color scheme. In every scene, these characters are dressed in a reddish brown and white. The use of the reddish brown creates the illusion of clothing that has been worn out. With Peter, one of the Nurse's helpers, clothing is using particularly poignantly. For example, while others in high rank among the Capulets and Montagues wear brightly colored hosiery, Peter is wearing shorts that do not even cover his knees. In an era of ornate clothing this strikes the audience's eye. The same actor who plays Peter also plays the Prince. Yet, due to each character's clothing, there is no mistaking the two. The Prince wears a medallion along with a fur coat and a crown. It is obvious that he wears his rank.

Posture and stance is another way the actors portray different social class to the audience. The Nurse and Peter are prone to exaggerated and informal gestures. In no place is this better exemplified than when the Nurse uses several sexual poses. These bawdy gestures create disdain from nobles such as Lady Capulet. The servants also have poor posture throughout the play. Again when compared with the Prince, this creates a dramatic juxtaposition. The Prince carries himself formally standing completely erect with little other movement. It is clear from this stance that his word carries the weight of law.

The use of these cues create an enthralling play. It allows the play to mirror society with the numerous nuances and norms between different classes. Yet it also is used for humor. When the formal interacts with the informal, as in the case of the bawdy poses of the Nurse, humor is created. By using these techniques, the actors ensure the audience is enraptured and can both be entertained and enlightened by the play.

Extra Credit: 2nd Convocation Activity, "Prom Night in Mississippi"

The film "Prom Night in Mississippi" presents a modern image of relations between African Americans and Caucasians. The documentary follows a high school in Mississippi where both a white prom and a black prom are held, due to a remnant from segregation. The process of creating an "integrated" prom is ultimately smooth. The only people who oppose it are a few of the white parents. For the most part, the generation gap between the seniors and their parents allow the students, both black and white, to get along well. Ultimately, "Prom Night in Mississippi" is a testimony to the common bonds that unite us.

Near the beginning of the film, actor Morgan Freeman, who sponsers the integration of the prom, remarks that he is doing this to encourage social interaction, not to force better relations. He replies that he is trying to teach them to live without racism. In his view, changing and teaching them will ultimately change how future generations will see others. For example, one white parent by the name of Glenn Sumner says that the only he does not associate with blacks is because his parents taught him not to. As Freeman suggests, ultimately, one generation must break the cycle. Yet this can be extremely difficult for adolescents to swim against stream of what they have been taught.

Nowhere is this better demonstrated in the film than in the case of interracial couples. In one scene of the film, the parents of both Scott and Heather are asked how their parents feel about the relationship. Both sets of parents tell how they originally did not support the relationship. The father of Scott admits that he was reluctant to let his son go over to Heather's house. Yet, he becomes more supporitive as he realizes that Heather's parents have the same aversion. Ironically, Scott's father realizes the realtionship is okay by identifying that someone else has the same feelings of distrust and hate. On the other hand, Heather's father, Glenn Sumner, refuses to acknowledge the relationship, as he does not bend in his values. Strangely, at the same time, Glenn does not accept being called racist. This shows that he truely knows the difference between right and wrong, but he refuses to change his self along those lines. Heather and Scott's relationship also demonstrates the common experinece of humanity. They are in love with one another because of each other's unique personality, and in spite of all issues relating to race. This is the ultimate spirit of what King was trying to work for.

Yet despite this couple's unity, there is some divison between others. Jessica, a white girl, gets into a fight with Al'lisha, a black girl. Jessica threatens and ultimately accuess Al'lisha of bringing a gun to school. Yet, it is clear that Ali'lisha is completly innocent. While they present their stories to the principal, he ultimately takes the side of the white girl. Even though the prom created better relations between whites and blacks, tension will always exsist. However, this tension will not neccesairly stem from racism, but rather from people being theirselves. For example, the adults worry about the security of the integrated prom. But it is at a separate white prom, not sponsered by the school but by white parents, where a fight errupts. Human nature will always create conflict. However, it should never be directed to a certain group. Society can not control the actions of individuals but they constrain acts by large sectors of society.

Much of Martin Luther King's vision is realized through the integrated prom. It creates and facilitates social interaction. The prom also demonstrates to the community that things can change even where it looks like it is least likely. People are people, for better or for worse. Yet to the one who listens, we should always strive to improve ourselves and others. For afterall, as shown through the past, the most strained relationships in society can be improved.

Martin Luther King Convocation, Dr. Aaron Dobines

In his speech, Dr. Dobynesclearly shows us how important it is to understand King's life and legacy today. While African Americans and other minorities have made a lot of ground in society, the world of today is far from equal and just. Yet, King's method for dealing with such disparities is simple. As the speaker articulates, King's work was rooted in basic ideas. Without these ideas, King would not have been able to face the daunting task in front of him. Dobynes stresses King's core belief in the goodness of man. King believes in an "eternal hope for humanity," as Dobynes pulls from King's letters and records. If King did not believe people could change, then such an attempt to fight racism would have been useless and a waste of time. People are essentially good, but this good must be awakened in them. Such an awakening could be achieved through service and devotion to humanity. One good dead fosters another. Dobynesillustrates that King's life is primarily one of service. This is particularly shown when King fights for better pay for sanitation workers. Another one of King's core beliefs is that time does not necessarily create progress. Society must strive for progress, it is never inevitable. These beliefs demonstrate that one can change society, since man is good, but one must labor in this endeavor.

From King's work, Dr. Dobynes looks at the work needed today. He points to women's' issues, gay and lesbian rights, and poverty. These issues are essentially no different than King's stance on equality for African Americans and others in his day. They all point to injustice to humanity. It is not moral to keep anyone at a lower status in society, for any reason whatsoever. As King also posited, we are more united than we are separated. All of us share a common human bond. Thus, it is up to us to work for the betterment of ourselves as a species. Dr. Dobynes suggests that the work is all around us from our back yard to those ravaged by the earthquake in Haiti. It is only necessary that we move society forward by loving humanity.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech"

In his speech, Martin Luther King Jr. gives a stirring call for equality in America. This message was particularly bold for the racially charged environment of the 1960's. However, through effective oratory, language that boarders on the poetic, and a direct message of kindness, King was able to change many people's opinion on race. While things have become drastically better, King's full vision has not been realized in the world today.

King attempts to win over his audience through several rhetorical devices. At the beginning, King creates an ethical appeal by echoing the words of Lincoln. While King references Lincoln directly through the Emancipation Proclamation, he also alludes to him a little more subtly (King 1). His use of "five score years ago" directly parallels the " four score and seven years ago" of Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address." After setting this premise, King continues his argument by stating that African Americans deserve and are entitled to the same rights as Caucasians. King notes freedom, liberty, and equality are given to all American citizens as fleshed out in the Constitution (1). However, King continues by stating that society should not only push for freedom because of the American government, which makes such a grandiose promise of freedom. Rather society should push for freedom in order to "make justice a reality for all of God's children" (1). It is society's obligation because it is moral and right. Conscience, not tradition, should lead society. While such a task is certainly daunting, King suggests through faith "we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope" (2). To King, steady work and perseverance ensure the movement for equality. The monumental work King is trying to spur on can only be achieved by simple, but strong, faith.

While society has advanced, through the work of King and others, the world is far from an equal place. Yet society has also reached a point where equality can not be achieved through laws. The racism of today manifests itself in individuals. Likewise, respect must be taught through individuals. King's insistence in the morality of equality and simple faith, however, still remain as an impetus to fight injustice in the world of today.