BEFORE THE FIRST CENTURY
(1) 431 BC: Funeral Oration by the Greek statesman Pericles, significant because it departed from the
typical formula of Athenian funeral speeches and was a glorification of Athens' achievements,
designed to stir the spirits of a nation at war.
“As for those of you here who are sons or brothers of the dead, I can see a hard struggle in front of you.
Everyone always speaks well of the dead, and, even if you rise to the greatest heights of heroism, it will
be a hard thing for you to get the reputation of having come near, let alone equaled, their standard.
When one is alive, one is always liable to the jealousy of one’s competitors, but when one is out of the
way, the honor one receives is sincere and unchallenged.
Perhaps I should say a word or two on the duties of women to those among you who are now widowed.
I can say all I have to say in a short word of advice. Your great glory is not to be inferior to what God has
made you,and the greatest glory of a woman is to be least talked about by men, whether they are
praising you or criticizing you. I have now, as the law demanded, said what I had to say. For the time
being our offerings to the dead have been made, and for the future their children will be supported at
the public expense by the city, until they come of age. This is the crown and prize which she offers, both
to the dead and to their children, for the ordeals which they have faced. Where the rewards of valor are
the greatest, there you will find also the best and bravest spirits among the people. And now, when you
have mourned for your dear ones, you must depart. “
1
BEFORE THE FIRST CENTURY
(2) 399 BC: The Apology of Socrates, Plato's version of the speech given by the philosopher Socrates,
defending himself against charges of being a man "who corrupted the young, refused to worship the
gods, and created new deities."
“Know this of a truth - that no evil can happen to a good man, either in life or after death. He and his are
not neglected by the gods; nor has my own approaching end happened by mere chance. But I see clearly
that to die and be released was better for me; and therefore the oracle gave no sign. For which reason
also, I am not angry with my accusers, or my condemners; they have done me no harm, although
neither of them meant to do me any good; and for this I may gently blame them.
Still I have a favor to ask of them. When my sons are grown up, I would ask you, O my friends, to punish
them; and I would have you trouble them, as I have troubled you, if they seem to care about riches, or
anything, more than about virtue; or if they pretend to be something when they are really nothing, then reprove them, as I have reproved you, for not caring about that for which they ought to care, and
thinking that they are something when they are really nothing. And if you do this, I and my sons will
have received justice at your hands.
The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our ways - I to die, and you to live. Which is better God
only knows.”
2
PRE 19TH CENTURY
1588: Speech to the Troops at Tilbury by Elizabeth I of England, in preparation for repelling an
expected invasion by the Spanish Armada
My loving people,
We have been persuaded by some that are careful of our safety, to take heed how we commit our
selves to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery; but I assure you I do not desire to live to distrust my
faithful and loving people. Let tyrants fear, I have always so behaved myself that, under God, I have
placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good-will of my subjects; and
therefore I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation and disport, but being
resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live and die amongst you all; to lay down for my God,
and for my kingdom, and my people, my honour and my blood, even in the dust. I know I have the body
but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England
too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders
of my realm; to which rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself
will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field. I know already, for
your forwardness you have deserved rewards and crowns; and We do assure you in the word of a
prince, they shall be duly paid you. In the mean time, my lieutenant general2 shall be in my stead, than
whom never prince commanded a more noble or worthy subject; not doubting but by your obedience to
my general, by your concord in the camp, and your valour in the field, we shall shortly have a famous
victory over those enemies of my God, of my kingdom, and of my people.
3
PRE 19TH CENTURY
1601: The Golden Speech by Elizabeth I of England, in which she revealed that it would be her final
Parliament and spoke of the respect she had for the country, her position, and the parliamentarians
themselves.
I know the title of a King is a glorious title, but assure yourself that the shining glory of princely authority
hath not so dazzled the eyes of our understanding, but that we well know and remember that we also
are to yield an account of our actions before the great judge. To be a king and wear a crown is a thing
more glorious to them that see it than it is pleasant to them that bear it. For myself I was never so much
enticed with the glorious name of a King or royal authority of a Queen as delighted that God hath made
me his instrument to maintain his truth and glory and to defend his kingdom as I said from peril,
dishonour, tyranny and oppression. There will never Queen sit in my seat with more zeal to my country,
care to my subjects and that will sooner with willingness venture her life for your good and safety than
myself. For it is my desire to live nor reign no longer than my life and reign shall be for your good. And
though you have had, and may have, many princes more mighty and wise sitting in this seat, yet you
never had nor shall have, any that will be more careful and loving.
'For I, oh Lord, what am I, whom practices and perils past should not fear? Or what can I do? That I
should speak for any glory, God forbid.' And turning to the Speaker and her councilors she said, 'And I
pray to you Mr Comptroller, Mr Secretary and you of my Council, that before these gentlemen go into
their countries, you bring them all to kiss my hand.' "
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PRE 19TH CENTURY
1775: Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death by U.S. colonial patriot Patrick Henry to the Virginia House of
Burgesses.
They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we
be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and
when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and
inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging
the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not
weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. The
millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess,
are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our
battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up
friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active,
the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to
retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their
clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable--and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let
it come.
It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace-- but there is no peace. The
war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of
resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that
gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the
price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for
me, give me liberty or give me death!
5
19TH CENTURY
1803: Speech From the Dock by the Irish nationalist Robert Emmet
If the spirits of the illustrious dead participate in the concerns and cares of those who were dear to them
in this transitory life, O! ever dear and venerated shade of my departed father, look down with scrutiny
upon the conduct of your suffering son, and see if I have, even for a moment, deviated from those
principles of morality and patriotism which it was your care to instil into my youthful mind, and for
which I am now about to offer up my life. My lords, you seem impatient for the sacrifice. The blood for
which you thirst is not congealed by the artificial terrors which surround your victim [the soldiery filled
and surrounded the Sessions House]—it circulates warmly and unruffled through the channels which
God created for noble purposes, but which you are now bent to destroy, for purposes so grievous that
they cry to heaven. Be yet patient! I have but a few words more to say. I am going to my cold and silent
grave; my lamp of life is nearly extinguished; my race is run; the grave opens to receive me, and I sink
into its bosom.
I have but one request to ask at my departure from this world; it is—THE CHARITY OF ITS SILENCE. Let
no man write my epitaph; for as no man who knows my motives dare now vindicate them, let not
prejudice or ignorance asperse them. Let them and me rest in obscurity and peace, and my name
remain uninscribed, until other times and other men can do justice to my character. When my country
takes her place among the nations of the earth, then, and not till then, let my epitaph be written.
6
19TH CENTURY
1838: Abraham Lincoln's Lyceum Address, delivered to the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois
on January 27, 1838, discusses citizenship in a democratic republic and internal threats to its
institutions.
They were the pillars of the temple of liberty; and now, that they have crumbled away, that temple must
fall, unless we, their descendants, supply their places with other pillars, hewn from the solid quarry of
sober reason. Passion has helped us; but can do so no more. It will in future be our enemy. Reason, cold,
calculating, unimpassioned reason, must furnish all the materials for our future support and defence.-Let those materials be moulded into general intelligence, sound morality, and in particular, a reverence
for the constitution and laws: and, that we improved to the last; that we remained free to the last; that
we revered his name to the last; that, during his long sleep, we permitted no hostile foot to pass over or
desecrate his resting place; shall be that which to learn the last trump shall awaken our WASHINGTON.
Upon these let the proud fabric of freedom rest, as the rock of its basis; and as truly as has been said of
the only greater institution, "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
7
19TH CENTURY
1851: Ain't I A Woman?, extemporaneously delivered by abolitionist Sojourner Truth at a Women's
Convention in Akron, Ohio.
That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to
have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me
any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and
gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as
much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne
thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief,
none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?
Then they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it? [member of audience whispers,
"intellect"] That's it, honey. What's that got to do with women's rights or negroes' rights? If my cup
won't hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn't you be mean not to let me have my little half
measure full?
Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ
wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a
woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.
If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these
women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again! And now they is asking
to do it, the men better let them.
8
19TH CENTURY
1860: Cooper Union Address by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, in which Lincoln elaborated his views
on slavery, affirming that he did not wish it to be expanded into the western territories and claiming
that the Founding Fathers would agree with this position.
Wrong as we think slavery is, we can yet afford to let it alone where it is, because that much is due to
the necessity arising from its actual presence in the nation; but can we, while our votes will prevent it,
allow it to spread into the National Territories, and to overrun us here in these Free States? If our sense
of duty forbids this, then let us stand by our duty, fearlessly and effectively. Let us be diverted by none
of those sophistical contrivances wherewith we are so industriously plied and belabored - contrivances
such as groping for some middle ground between the right and the wrong, vain as the search for a man
who should be neither a living man nor a dead man - such as a policy of "don't care" on a question about
which all true men do care - such as Union appeals beseeching true Union men to yield to Disunionists,
reversing the divine rule, and calling, not the sinners, but the righteous to repentance - such as
invocations to Washington, imploring men to unsay what Washington said, and undo what Washington
did.
Neither let us be slandered from our duty by false accusations against us, nor frightened from it by
menaces of destruction to the Government nor of dungeons to ourselves. LET US HAVE FAITH THAT
RIGHT MAKES MIGHT, AND IN THAT FAITH, LET US, TO THE END, DARE TO DO OUR DUTY AS WE
UNDERSTAND IT.
9
19TH CENTURY
1861: Abraham Lincoln's First Inaugural Address, on the eve of the American Civil War.
My countrymen, one and all, think calmly and well upon this whole subject. Nothing valuable can be lost
by taking time. If there be an object to hurry any of you in hot haste to a step which you would never
take deliberately, that object will be frustrated by taking time; but no good object can be frustrated by
it. Such of you as are now dissatisfied still have the old Constitution unimpaired, and, on the sensitive
point, the laws of your own framing under it; while the new Administration will have no immediate
power, if it would, to change either. If it were admitted that you who are dissatisfied hold the right side
in the dispute, there still is no single good reason for precipitate action. Intelligence, patriotism,
Christianity, and a firm reliance on Him who has never yet forsaken this favored land are still competent
to adjust in the best way all our present difficulty.
In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow-countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war.
The Government will not assail you. You can have no conflict without being yourselves the aggressors.
You have no oath registered in heaven to destroy the Government, while I shall have the most solemn
one to "preserve, protect, and defend it."
I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may
have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from
every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet
swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our
nature.
10
19TH CENTURY
1863: The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln, resolving that government "of the people, by the
people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in
Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so
dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a
portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might
live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground.
The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to
add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget
what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they
who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great
task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for
which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not
have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that
government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
11
19TH CENTURY
1873: The "Is it a Crime for a Citizen of the United States to Vote?" speech by Susan B. Anthony, who
in her effort to introduce women's suffrage into the United States asked her fellow citizens "how can
the “consent of the governed” be given if the right to vote be denied?"
We appeal to the women everywhere to exercise their too long neglected "citizen's right to vote." We
appeal to the inspectors of election everywhere to receive the votes of all United States citizens as it is
their duty to do. We appeal to United States commissioners and marshals to arrest the inspectors who
reject the names and votes of United States citizens, as it is their duty to do, and leave those alone who,
like our eighth ward inspectors, perform their duties faithfully and well.
We ask the juries to fail to return verdicts of "guilty" against honest, law-abiding, tax-paying United
States citizens for offering their votes at our elections. Or against intelligent, worthy young men,
inspectors of elections, for receiving and counting such citizens votes.
We ask the judges to render true and unprejudiced opinions of the law, and wherever there is room for
a doubt to give its benefit on the side of liberty and equal rights to women, remembering that "the true
rule of interpretation under our national constitution, especially since its amendments, is that anything
for human rights is constitutional, everything against human right unconstitutional."
And it is on this line that we propose to fight our battle for the ballot-all peaceably, but nevertheless
persistently through to complete triumph, when all United States citizens shall be recognized as equals
before the law.
12
Pre-World War I & World War I
1900: Hun Speech by Wilhelm II., the emperor's reaction to the Boxer Rebellion in which he demands
to counter the insurgency with brutal force (like the Huns).
It has been built up during thirty years of faithful, peaceful labor, following the principles of my blessed
grandfather. You, too, have received your training in accordance with these principles, and by putting
them to the test before the enemy, you should see whether they have proved their worth in you. Your
comrades in the navy have already passed this test; they have shown that the principles of your training
are sound, and I am also proud of the praise that your comrades have earned over there from foreign
leaders. It is up to you to emulate them.
A great task awaits you: you are to revenge the grievous injustice that has been done. The Chinese have
overturned the law of nations; they have mocked the sacredness of the envoy, the duties of hospitality
in a way unheard of in world history. It is all the more outrageous that this crime has been committed by
a nation that takes pride in its ancient culture. Show the old Prussian virtue. Present yourselves as
Christians in the cheerful endurance of suffering. May honor and glory follow your banners and arms.
Give the whole world an example of manliness and discipline.
You know full well that you are to fight against a cunning, brave, well-armed, and cruel enemy. When
you encounter him, know this: no quarter will be given. Prisoners will not be taken. Exercise your arms
such that for a thousand years no Chinese will dare to look cross-eyed at a German. Maintain discipline.
May God’s blessing be with you, the prayers of an entire nation and my good wishes go with you, each
and every one. Open the way to civilization once and for all! Now you may depart! Farewell, comrades!”
13
1901: Votes for Women, by the American writer Mark Twain.
Referring to woman's sphere in life, I'll say that woman is always right. For twenty-five years I've been a
woman's rights man. I have always believed, long before my mother died, that, with her gray hairs and
admirable intellect, perhaps she knew as much as I did. Perhaps she knew as much about voting as I.
I should like to see the time come when women shall help to make the laws. I should like to see that
whiplash, the ballot, in the hands of women. As for this city's government, I don't want to say much,
except that it is a shame -- a shame; but if I should live twenty-five years longer -- and there is no reason
why I shouldn't -- I think I'll see women handle the ballot. If women had the ballot to-day, the state of
things in this town would not exist.
If all the women in this town had a vote today they would elect a mayor at the next election, and they
would rise in their might and change the awful state of things now existing here.
14
Inter-war years and World War II
1933: The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself, from the first inaugural address of U.S. President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
But in the event that the Congress shall fail to take one of these two courses, and in the event that the
national emergency is still critical, I shall not evade the clear course of duty that will then confront me. I
shall ask the Congress for the one remaining instrument to meet the crisis—broad Executive power to
wage a war against the emergency, as great as the power that would be given to me if we were in fact
invaded by a foreign foe.
For the trust reposed in me I will return the courage and the devotion that befit the time. I can do no
less.
We face the arduous days that lie before us in the warm courage of the national unity; with the clear
consciousness of seeking old and precious moral values; with the clean satisfaction that comes from the
stern performance of duty by old and young alike. We aim at the assurance of a rounded and permanent
national life.
We do not distrust the future of essential democracy. The people of the United States have not failed. In
their need they have registered a mandate that they want direct, vigorous action. They have asked for
discipline and direction under leadership. They have made me the present instrument of their wishes. In
the spirit of the gift I take it.
In this dedication of a Nation we humbly ask the blessing of God. May He protect each and every one of
us. May He guide me in the days to come.
15
1940: Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat, a phrase used by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt in 1897 but
popularized by Winston Churchill in the first of three inspirational radio addresses during the opening
months of World War II.
I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined this government: "I have nothing to offer
but blood, toil, tears and sweat."
We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of
struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air,
with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous
tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask,
what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror,
victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival. Let that be
realised; no survival for the British Empire, no survival for all that the British Empire has stood for, no
survival for the urge and impulse of the ages, that mankind will move forward towards its goal. But I
take up my task with buoyancy and hope. I feel sure that our cause will not be suffered to fail among
men. At this time I feel entitled to claim the aid of all, and I say, "come then, let us go forward together
with our united strength."
16
1941: A Date Which Will Live in Infamy, post-Pearl Harbor speech to the U.S. Congress in which
Franklin Delano Roosevelt called for a declaration of war against Japan.
The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military
forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships
have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.
Yesterday the Japanese government also launched as attack against Malaya.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam.
Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Wake Island.
And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island.
Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of
yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their
opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.
As commander in chief of the Army and Navy I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.
But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us. . .
17
COLD WAR YEARS
1948: The Light Has Gone Out of Our Lives by Jawaharlal Nehru, about the assassination of Mohandas
K. Gandhi.
Friends and comrades, the light has gone out of our lives and there is darkness everywhere. I do not
know what to tell you and how to say it. Our beloved leader, Bapu as we called him, the father of the
nation, is no more. Perhaps I am wrong to say that. Nevertheless, we will not see him again as we have
seen him for these many years. We will not run to him for advise and seek solace from hi, and that is a
terrible blow, not to me only, but to millions and millions in this country, and it is a little difficult to
soften the blow by any other advise that I or anyone else can give you.
The light has gone out, I said, and yet I was wrong. For the light that shone in this country was no
ordinary light. The light that has illumined this country for these many years will illumine this country for
many more years, and a thousand years later that light will still be seen in this country, and the world
will see it and it will give solace to innumerable hearts. For that light represented the living truth ... the
eternal truths, reminding us of the right path, drawing us from error, taking this ancient country to
freedom.
All this has happened when there was so much more for him to do. We could never think that he was
unnecessary or that he had done his task. But now, particularly, when we are faced with so many
difficulties, his not being with us is a blow most terrible to bear.
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1961: Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You, the inaugural address of U.S. President John F.
Kennedy, in which he advised his "fellow Americans" to "ask not what your country can do for you —
ask what you can do for your country."
In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending
freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shank from this responsibility — I welcome it. I do not
believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The
energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavour will light our country and all who serve
it — and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your
country.
My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for
the freedom of man.
Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of
strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history
the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but
knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.
19
1962: The "We choose to go to the Moon" speech by U.S President John F. Kennedy to drum up public
support for the Apollo Program at Rice University, where he reiterated his commitment to reaching
the moon by the end of the decade.
There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are hostile to us all.
Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation many never
come again. But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why
climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas?
We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not
because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure
the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we
are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.
It is for these reasons that I regard the decision last year to shift our efforts in space from low to high
gear as among the most important decisions that will be made during my incumbency in the office of
the Presidency.
…
Many years ago the great British explorer George Mallory, who was to die on Mount Everest, was asked
why did he want to climb it. He said, "Because it is there."
Well, space is there, and we're going to climb it, and the moon and the planets are there, and new
hopes for knowledge and peace are there. And, therefore, as we set sail we ask God's blessing on the
most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked.
Thank you.
20
1963: I Am Prepared To Die by South African leader Nelson Mandela at his trial in which he laid out
the reasoning for using violence as a tactic against apartheid.
Above all, My Lord, we want equal political rights, because without them our disabilities will be
permanent. I know this sounds revolutionary to the whites in this country, because the majority of
voters will be Africans. This makes the white man fear democracy.
But this fear cannot be allowed to stand in the way of the only solution which will guarantee racial
harmony and freedom for all. It is not true that the enfranchisement of all will result in racial
domination. Political division, based on colour, is entirely artificial and, when it disappears, so will the
domination of one colour group by another. The ANC has spent half a century fighting against racialism.
When it triumphs as it certainly must, it will not change that policy.
This then is what the ANC is fighting. Our struggle is a truly national one. It is a struggle of the African
people, inspired by our own suffering and our own experience. It is a struggle for the right to live.
During my lifetime I have dedicated my life to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against
white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a
democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal
opportunities. It is an ideal for which I hope to live for and to see realised. But, My Lord, if it needs be, it
is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.
21
1963: I Have a Dream, Lincoln Memorial speech by Martin Luther King Jr. in which the civil rights
leader called for racial equality and an end to discrimination.
I say to you today, my friends, though, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still
have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this
nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that
all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia sons of former slaves and the sons of former
slave-owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day
even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of
oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by
the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream... I have a dream that one
day in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of
interposition and nullification, one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able
to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
22
FILM SPEECHES AND MONOLOGUES
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
Screenwriter(s): George Abbott
Preaching the "Glory of the Fatherland"
Jingoistic schoolmaster Professor Kantorek (Arnold Lucy) preached the "Glory of the Fatherland" to his
classroom of young German students, who sat and listened intently at their school desks. He
advocated "glory for the Fatherland," inspiring and rousing the entire class of young boys to enlist in
the army and fight Germany's enemies:
You are the life of the Fatherland, you boys. You are the iron men of Germany. You are the gay heroes
who will repulse the enemy when you are called upon to do so. It is not for me to suggest that any of
you should stand up and offer to defend his country. But I wonder if such a thing is going through your
heads? I know that in one of the schools, the boys have risen up in the classroom and enlisted in a mass.
But, of course, if such a thing should happen here, you would not blame me for a feeling of pride.
Perhaps, some will say that you should not be allowed to go yet, that you are too young, that you have
homes, mothers, fathers, that you should not be torn away.
Are your fathers so forgetful of their Fatherland that they would let it perish rather than you? Are your
mothers so weak that they cannot send a son to defend the land which gave them birth?! And after all,
is a little experience such a bad thing for a boy? Is the honor of wearing a uniform something from which
we should run? And if our young ladies glory in those who wear it, is that anything to be ashamed of? I
know you have never desired the adulation of heroes. That has not been part of my teaching. We have
sought to make ourselves worthy and let acclaim come when it would. But to be foremost in battle is a
virtue not to be despised. I believe it will be a quick war, that there will be few losses. But if losses there
must be, then let us remember the Latin phrase which must have come to the lips of many a Roman
when he stood embattled in a foreign land: 'Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.' 'Sweet and fitting it is
to die for the Fatherland.'
23
All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
Screenwriter(s): George Abbott
Realities of War
Returning student Paul Baumer (Lew Ayres) was encouraged to give a speech to his Professor's class
of young students after experiencing warfare's despair. Some were at first enthusiastic to listen to
him, but then thought he was a coward:
I've been there! I know what it's like.... I heard you in here reciting that same old stuff, making more iron
men, more young heroes. You still think it's beautiful and sweet to die for your country, don't you? We
used to think you knew. The first bombardment taught us better. It's dirty and painful to die for your
country. When it comes to dying for your country, it's better not to die at all. There are millions out
there dying for their countries, and what good is it?...You asked me to tell them how much they're
needed out there. (to the boys) He tells you, 'Go out and die.' Oh, but if you'll pardon me, it's easier to
say 'go out and die' than it is to do it....And it's easier to say it than to watch it happen....
It's no use talking like this. You won't know what I mean. Only, it's been a long while since we enlisted
out of this classroom. So long, I thought maybe the whole world had learned by this time. Only now,
they're sending babies, and they won't last a week! I shouldn't have come on leave. Up at the front,
you're alive or you're dead, and that's all. You can't fool anybody about that very long. Up there, we
know we're lost and done for, whether we're dead or alive. Three years we've had of it -- four years. And
every day a year, and every night a century. And our bodies are earth. And our thoughts are clay. And
we sleep and eat with death. And we're done for, because you can't live that way and keep anything
inside you. I shouldn't have come on leave. I'll go back tomorrow. I've got four days more, but I can't
stand it here! I'll go back tomorrow. Sorry.
24
Dracula (1931)
Screenwriter(s): Hamilton Deane, John L. Balderston, Garrett Fort
The Legend of Dracula
Throughout the second portion of the film, eminent scientist and middle-European (Netherlands)
doctor - Professor Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan) spoke about the legendary vampire Dracula.
Having dedicated his entire life to battling the undead, Van Helsing explained that vampires were not
pure myth or superstition. He identified Dracula as "our vampire," and then described the
characteristics and habits of vampires. Later, to protect Mina (Helen Chandler) already under
Dracula's influence, he gave instructions for her safety:
Gentlemen, we are dealing with the undead...Yes, Nosferatu, the undead, the vampire. The vampire
attacks the throat. It leaves two little wounds, white with red centers. Dr. Seward, your patient Renfield
whose blood I have just analyzed, is obsessed with the idea that he must devour living things in order to
sustain his own life...I may be able to bring you proof, that the superstition of yesterday can become the
scientific reality of today...
Dracula is our vampire. A vampire casts no reflection in the glass. That is why Dracula smashed the
mirror...The strength of the vampire is that people will not believe in him....A vampire, Mr. Harker, is a
being that lives after its death by drinking the blood of the living. It must have blood or it dies. Its power
lasts only from sunset to sunrise. During the hours of the day, it must rest in the earth in which it was
buried...he must have brought his native soil with him, boxes of it. Boxes of earth, large enough for him
to rest in...
Miss Mina is to wear this wreath of wolfsbane when she goes to bed. Watch her closely, and see that
she does not remove it in her sleep...And under no circumstances must these windows be opened
tonight...You will recollect that Dracula cast no reflection in the mirror...and that three boxes of earth
were delivered to him at Carfax Abbey...and knowing that a vampire must rest by day in his native soil, I
am convinced that this Dracula is no legend but an undead creature whose life has been unnaturally
prolonged...If you take her from under our protection, you will kill her...
25
M (1931, Ger.)
Screenwriter(s): Thea von Harbou, Fritz Lang
"Who Knows What It's Like To Be Me?" - Confessions of a Homicidal Pedophile
Child-murderer Hans Beckert (Peter Lorre) delivered an agonizing "I must!" defense of his actions in
front of an underworld kangaroo court:
What do you know about it? Who are you anyway? Who are you? Criminals? Are you proud of
yourselves? Proud of breaking safes or cheating at cards? Things you could just as well keep your fingers
off. You wouldn't need to do all that if you'd learn a proper trade or if you'd work. If you weren't a
bunch of lazy bastards.
But I, I can't help myself! I have no control over this! This evil thing inside me, the fire, the voices, the
torment!... It's there all the time, driving me out to wander the streets, following me, silently, but I can
feel it there. It's me, pursuing myself. I want to escape, to escape from myself. But it's impossible. I can't
escape. I have to obey it. I have to run endless streets. I want to escape, to get away. And I'm pursued by
ghosts. Ghosts of mothers. And of those children. They never leave me. They are there, always there.
Always, except when I do it. When I - Then I can't remember anything.
And afterwards I see those posters and read what I've done. Did I do that? But I can't remember
anything about it. But who will believe me? Who knows what it's like to be me? How I'm forced to act -How I must! -- Must!-- Don't want to -- Must! -- Don't want to, but must! And then a voice screams -- I
can't bear to hear it! -- I can't go on, I can't go on ...
26
The Life of Emile Zola (1937)
Screenwriter(s): Norman Reilly Raine, Heinz Herald, Geza Herczeg
Eulogy for Emile Zola: "Let Us Not Mourn Him...Let Us Envy Him"
Novelist Anatole France (Morris Carnovsky) presented a stirring eulogy on October 5, 1902 for his
friend 62 year-old Emile Zola, who tragically died of carbon monoxide poisoning a few days earlier. He
was found in the bedroom of his Paris apartment, asphyxiated by the fumes of a defective fireplace.
Rampant rumors of murder were never proven:
Let us not mourn him. Let us rather salute that bright spirit of his which will live forever, and like a torch,
enlighten a younger generation inspired to follow him. You who are enjoying today's freedom, take to
your hearts the words of Zola. Do not forget those who fought the battles for you and bought your
liberty with their genius and their blood. Do not forget them and applaud the lies of fanatical
intolerance. Be human. For no man in all the breadth of our land more fervently loved humanity than
Zola. He had the simplicity of a great soul. He was enjoying the fruits of his labor -- fame, wealth,
security -- when suddenly, out of his own free will, he tore himself from all the peaceful pleasures of his
life, from the work he loved so much because he knew that there is no serenity save injustice; no repose
save in truth.
At the sound of his brave words, France awakened from her sleep. How admirable is the genius of our
country. How beautiful the soul of France which for centuries taught right and justice to Europe and the
world. France is once again today the land of reason and benevolence because one of her sons, through
an immense work and a great action, gave rise to a new order of things based on justice and the rights
common to all men. Let us not pity him because he suffered and endured. Let us envy him. Let us envy
him because his great heart won him the proudest of destinies: He was a moment of the conscience of
man.
27
Mrs. Miniver (1942)
Screenwriter(s): Arthur Wimperis, George Froeschel, James Hilton, Claudine West
Vicar's Patriotic "It is Our War" Speech
The vicar (Henry Wilcoxon) gave a moving speech in a bombed out English church, before the
congregation sang Onward Christian Soldiers:
We, in this quiet corner of England, have suffered the loss of friends very dear to us. Some close to this
church. George West, choir boy; James Bellard, station master and bell ringer and a proud winner, only
an hour before his death, of the Belding Cup for his beautiful Miniver rose. And our hearts go out in
sympathy to the two families who share the cruel loss of a young girl who was married at this altar only
two weeks ago. The homes of many of us have been destroyed, and the lives of young and old have
been taken. There is scarcely a household that hasn't been struck to the heart. And why? Surely you
must have asked yourselves this question. Why, in all conscience, should these be the ones to suffer?
Children, old people, a young girl at the height of her loveliness. Why these? Are these our soldiers? Are
these our fighters? Why should they be sacrificed? I shall tell you why.
Because this is not only a war of soldiers in uniform. It is a war of the people, of all the people, and it
must be fought not only on the battlefield, but in the cities and in the villages, in the factories and on the
farms, in the home, and in the heart of every man, woman, and child who loves freedom! Well, we have
buried our dead, but we shall not forget them. Instead, they will inspire us with an unbreakable
determination to free ourselves and those who come after us from the tyranny and terror that threaten
to strike us down. This is the people's war! It is our war! We are the fighters! Fight it then! Fight it with
all that is in us, and may God defend the right!
28
The Curse of the Cat People (1944)
Screenwriter(s): DeWitt Bodeen
The Headless Horseman Legend
Aging reclusive actress Mrs. Julia Farren (Julia Dean) enacted her version of the 'Headless Horseman'
tale, to young blonde Amy Reed (Ann Carter):
I'll tell you a story. A lovely story...Do you know the story of the Headless Horseman?...You live right
here in Tarrytown and you don't know the legend of Sleepy Hollow? Then you must hear it. I shall tell it
to you. There, now, you sit there. Now, we'll pretend this is the stage. (She emerged from behind a
curtain) The Headless Horseman...It was shot off long ago in the great battles that were fought here.
With the British on one side and the Americans on the other....
On the dark nights, on the stormy nights, you can hear him. He passes like the wind, and the flapping
and fluttering of his great cloak, beating like gaunt wings. And the thunder of his horses' hooves is loud,
and loud, and louder! At the midnight hour, down the road that leads to Sleepy Hollow, across the
bridge, he goes galloping, galloping, galloping. Always searching, always seeking. And if you stand on the
bridge at the wrong hour, the hour when he rides by, his great cloak sweeps around you! He swings you
to his saddlebow. And then forever you must ride. And always his cold arms around you, clasping you
into the cavity of his bony chest. And then, forever, you must ride, and ride, and ride - with the Headless
Horseman.
29
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
Screenwriter(s): Edmund H. North
Warnings Against War and Violence
Klaatu (Michael Rennie) lectured and warned world leaders at the conclusion of the film, with robot
Gort standing behind him near the entrance to their spaceship:
I am leaving soon, and you will forgive me if I speak bluntly. The universe grows smaller every day, and
the threat of aggression by any group, anywhere, can no longer be tolerated. There must be security for
all, or no one is secure. Now, this does not mean giving up any freedom, except the freedom to act
irresponsibly. Your ancestors knew this when they made laws to govern themselves and hired policemen
to enforce them. We, of the other planets, have long accepted this principle. We have an organization
for the mutual protection of all planets and for the complete elimination of aggression. The test of any
such higher authority is, of course, the police force that supports it. For our policemen, we created a
race of robots. Their function is to patrol the planets in spaceships like this one and preserve the peace.
In matters of aggression, we have given them absolute power over us. This power cannot be revoked. At
the first sign of violence, they act automatically against the aggressor. The penalty for provoking their
action is too terrible to risk. The result is, we live in peace, without arms or armies, secure in the
knowledge that we are free from aggression and war, free to pursue more profitable enterprises. Now
we do not pretend to have achieved perfection, but we do have a system, and it works. I came here to
give you these facts. It is no concern of ours how you run your own planet. But if you threaten to extend
your violence, this Earth of yours will be reduced to a burned-out cinder. Your choice is simple. Join us
and live in peace, or pursue your present course and face obliteration. We shall be waiting for your
answer. The decision rests with you.
30
Julius Caesar (1953)
Screenwriter(s): Based upon William Shakespeare's play, Joseph L. Mankiewicz (uncredited)
"Friends, Romans, Countrymen, Lend Me Your Ears" - Marc Antony's Thoughts on the Assassinated
Tyrant Caesar
Marc Antony (Marlon Brando) gave an address to the Roman citizenry following the death of
tyrannical Julius Caesar (Louis Calhern), who had been stabbed by Brutus (James Mason). He
confronted an angry crowd that sided with Brutus and other conspirators:
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that
men do lives after them. The good is oft interred with their bones. So let it be with Caesar. The noble
Brutus hath told you Caesar was ambitious. If it were so, it was a grievous fault, and grievously hath
Caesar answered it. Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest (For Brutus is an honorable man. So are
they all; all honorable men) Come I to speak in Caesar's funeral. He was my friend, faithful and just to
me: but Brutus says he was ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man. He hath brought many captives
home to Rome whose ransoms did the general coffers fill: Did this in Caesar seem ambitious? When that
the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept: Ambition should be made of sterner stuff: Yet Brutus says he was
ambitious; And Brutus is an honorable man. You all did see that on the Lupercal, I thrice presented him a
kingly crown - which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition!? Yet, Brutus says he was ambitious; And,
sure, he is an honorable man.
I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke, but here I am to speak what I do know. You all did love him
once, not without cause: what cause withholds you then to mourn for him? Oh judgment! Thou art fled
to brutish beasts. And men have lost their reason...Bear with me. My heart is in the coffin there with
Caesar, and I must pause till it come back to me....
31
Love and Death (1975)
Screenwriter(s): Woody Allen
Final Thoughts on Life, Love and Death
Boris Grushenko's (Woody Allen) rambling, final thoughts on life and death:
The question is - have I learned anything about life. Only that human beings are divided into mind and
body. The mind embraces all the nobler aspirations, like poetry and philosophy, but the body has all the
fun. The important thing, I think, is not to be bitter... if it turns about that there is a god, I don't think
that he is evil, I think that the worse thing you could say is that he is, basically, an under-achiever. After
all, there are worse things in life than death. If you've ever spent an evening with an insurance salesman,
you know what I'm talking about. The key is, to not think of death as an end, but as more of a very
effective way to cut down on your expenses. Regarding love, heh, what can you say? It's not the
quantity of your sexual relations that counts. It's the quality. On the other hand, if the quantity drops
below once every eight months, I would definitely look into. Well, that's about it for me folks. Goodbye.
32
Network (1976)
Screenwriter(s): Paddy Chayefsky
On a Mission to Speak the Truth
"Mad prophet of the airwaves" news anchor Howard Beale (Peter Finch), believed he had been
inspired by a "shrill, sibilant, faceless Voice" that awakened him from sleep. He had been given a
mission on television "to tell the people the truth - not an easy thing to do because the people don't
want to know the truth":
Last night, I was awakened from a fitful sleep, shortly after 2 o'clock in the morning by a shrill, sibilant,
faceless voice. I couldn't make it out at first in the dark bedroom. And I said, 'I'm sorry, you will have to
talk a little louder.'...And the Voice said to me: 'I want you to tell the people the truth, not an easy thing
to do because the people don't want to know the truth.' And I said, 'You're kidding. What the hell should
I know about the truth?' But the Voice said to me: 'Don't worry about the truth. I will put the words in
your mouth.' And I said, 'What is this, the burning bush? For God's sake, I'm not Moses.' And the Voice
said to me: 'And I'm not God. What has that got to do with it?'
And the Voice said to me: 'We're not talking about eternal truth or absolute truth or ultimate truth.
We're talking about impermanent, transient, human truth. I don't expect you people to be capable of
truth, but god-dammit, at least you're capable of self-preservation!' And I said, 'Why me?' And the Voice
said: 'Because you're on television, dummy! You have 40 million Americans listening to you and after the
show you could have 50 million. For Pete's sake, I'm not asking you to walk the land in sackcloth and
ashes preaching the Armageddon. You're on TV, man.' So I thought about it for a moment, and then I
said, 'Ok.'
33
Network (1976)
Screenwriter(s): Paddy Chayefsky
"I'm As Mad As Hell and I'm Not Gonna Take This Anymore!"
TV announcer Howard Beale's (Peter Finch) "mad as hell" speech to his viewers:
We know things are bad - worse than bad. They're crazy. It's like everything everywhere is going crazy,
so we don't go out anymore. We sit in the house, and slowly the world we are living in is getting smaller,
and all we say is: 'Please, at least leave us alone in our living rooms. Let me have my toaster and my TV
and my steel-belted radials and I won't say anything. Just leave us alone.'
…
So, I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right
now and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell: 'I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not
gonna take this anymore!'
I want you to get up right now. Sit up. Go to your windows. Open them and stick your head out and yell 'I'm as mad as hell and I'm not gonna take this anymore!' Things have got to change. But first, you've
gotta get mad!...You've got to say, 'I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take this anymore!' Then we'll
figure out what to do about the depression and the inflation and the oil crisis. But first, get up out of
your chairs, open the window, stick your head out, and yell, and say it: 'I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not
gonna take this anymore!'
34
MacArthur (1977)
Screenwriter(s): Hal Barwood, Matthew Robbins
"Duty, Honor, Country"
General Douglas MacArthur (Gregory Peck) presented his acceptance speech to West Point cadets on
May 12, 1962 on the occasion of his receiving the Sylvanus Thayer Award:
Duty, Honor, Country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you
can be, and what you will be. They are your rallying points. They give you a temper of the will, a quality
of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions, a freshness of the deep springs of life, a temperamental
predominance of courage over timidity, an appetite for adventure over love of ease. In this way, they
will teach you to be an officer and a gentlemen. From your ranks come the great captains who will hold
the nation's destiny in their hands the moment the war tocsin sounds. The Long Gray Line has never
failed us. Were you to do so, a million ghosts in olive drab, in brown khaki, in blue and gray, would rise
from their white crosses thundering those magic words: 'Duty, Honor, Country.' This does not mean that
you are warmongers. On the contrary, the soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must
suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. But always in our minds ring the ominous words
of Plato: 'Only the dead have seen the end of war.' ....The shadows are lengthening for me. The twilight
is here. My days of old have vanished in tone and tint. They have gone glimmering through the dreams
of things that were. Their memory is one of wondrous beauty, watered by tears, and coaxed and
caressed by the smiles of yesterday. I listen vainly, but with thirsty ear, for the witching melody of faint
bugles blowing reveille, of far drums beating the long roll. In my dreams I hear the crash of guns, the
rattle of musketry, the strange, mournful mutter of the battlefield. But, in the evening of my memory,
always I return to West Point. Always there echoes and re-echoes: 'Duty, Honor, Country.' Today marks
my final roll call with you. I want you to know that when I cross the river, my last conscious thoughts will
be of The Corps, and The Corps, and The Corps. I bid you farewell.
35
MacArthur (1977)
Screenwriter(s): Hal Barwood, Matthew Robbins
"I Now Close My Military Career and Just Fade Away" Farewell
Famed WWII US Army General Douglas MacArthur (Gregory Peck) delivered his final farewell speech
to a joint session of Congress on April 19, 1951, often interrupted by applause:
...But, once war has been forced upon us, there is no other alternative than to apply every available
means to bring it to a swift end. War's very object is victory, not prolonged indecision. In war, there can
be no substitute for victory. For history teaches us with unmistakable emphasis that appeasement but
begets new and bloodier war. Like blackmail, it lays the basis for new and increasingly greater demands
until, as in blackmail, violence becomes the only alternative. 'Why?' 'Why,' my soldiers asked of me,
'surrender military advantages to an enemy in the field?' I could not answer. The magnificence of the
courage and fortitude of the Korean people defies description. They have chosen to risk death rather
than slavery. Their last words to me were: 'Don't scuttle the Pacific.' I am closing my 52 years of military
service. When I joined the Army, even before the turn of the century, it was the fulfillment of all of my
boyish hopes and dreams. The world has turned over many times since I took the oath on the plain at
West Point, and the hopes and dreams have long since vanished. But I still remember the refrain of one
of the most popular barrack ballads of that day which proclaimed most proudly that 'old soldiers never
die, they just fade away.' Like the old soldier of that ballad, I now close my military career and just fade
away, an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty. Goodbye.
36
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Screenwriter(s): John Milius, Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Herr (narration)
"I've Seen the Horrors"
Col. Kurtz' (Marlon Brando) 'horror' speech, in which he spoke of the "horrors" that he had seen in the
bloody conflict, including the hacked-off arms of inoculated South Vietnamese children by Vietcong
guerrillas. He also denied that Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) had any moral right to judge his actions
or behavior:
I've seen the horrors -- horrors that you've seen. But you have no right to call me a murderer. You have
no right to call me a murderer. You have a right to kill me. You have a right to do that, but you have no
right to judge me.
It's impossible for words to describe what is necessary to those who do not know what horror means.
Horror. Horror has a face. And you must make a friend of horror. Horror and moral terror are your
friends. If they are not, then they are enemies to be feared. They are truly enemies.
I remember when I was with Special Forces. Seems a thousand centuries ago. We went into a camp to
inoculate some children. We'd left the camp after we had inoculated the children for polio. And this old
man came running after us, and he was crying. He couldn't say. We went back there, and they had come
and hacked off every inoculated arm. There they were, in a pile - a pile of little arms. And I remember,
I...I...I cried. I wept like some grandmother. I wanted to tear my teeth out. I didn't know what I wanted
to do. And I want to remember it. I never want to forget it. I never want to forget.
37
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
Screenwriter(s): Robert Benton
Arguing to Have Custody of Son
Separated husband and nurturing father Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman) made an eloquent and heartfelt court plea - it was the defense of his right to have custody of son Billy (Justin Henry) over his
estranged ex-wife Joanna (Meryl Streep), and his admission that he was not a perfect parent:
If I understand it correctly, what means the most here is what's best for our son. What's best for Billy.
My wife used to always say to me: 'Why can't a woman have the same ambitions as a man?' I think
you're right. And maybe I've learned that much. But by the same token, I'd like to know, what law is it
that says that a woman is a better parent simply by virtue of her sex? You know, I've had a lot of time to
think about what it is it that makes somebody a good parent? You know, it has to do with constancy, it
has to do with patience, it has to do with listening to him. It has to do with pretending to listen to him
when you can't even listen anymore. It has to do with love, like, like, like she was saying. And I don't
know where it's written that it says that a woman has a corner on that market, that, that a man has any
less of those emotions than a woman does.
Billy has a home with me. I've made it the best I could. It's not perfect. I'm not a perfect parent.
Sometimes I don't have enough patience because I forget that he's a little kid. But I'm there. We get up
in the morning and then we eat breakfast, and he talks to me and then we go to school. And at night, we
have dinner together and we talk then and I read to him. And, and we built a life together and we love
each other. If you destroy that, it may be irreparable. Joanna, don't do that, please. Don't do it twice to
him.
38
Poltergeist (1982)
Screenwriter(s): Steven Spielberg, Michael Grais, Mark Victor
The Unseen Spirits
The spellbinding monologue by eccentric Tangina (Zelda Rubinstein) about Carol Anne's (Heather
O'Rourke) relation to the unseen spirits that had pulled her into their sphere:
There is no death. There is only a transition to a different sphere of consciousness. Carol Anne is not like
those she's with. She's a living presence in their spiritual, earth-bound plane. They're attracted to the
one thing about her that's different from themselves. Her life-force - it is very strong. It gives off its own
illumination. It is a light that implies life and memory of love and home and earthly pleasures, something
they desperately desire but can't have anymore. Right now, she's the closest thing to that, and that is a
terrible distraction from the real light that has finally come for them. Do you understand me?
These souls who for whatever reason are not at rest are also not aware that they have passed on.
They're not part of consciousness as we know it. They're in a perpetual dream state, a nightmare from
which they cannot wake. Inside this spectral light is salvation - a window to the next plane. They must
pass through this membrane with friends who are waiting to guide them to new destinies. Carol Anne
must help them cross over, and she will only hear her mother's voice. Now, hold onto your selves.
There's one more thing - a terrible presence is in there with her. So much rage, so much betrayal. I've
never sensed anything like it. I don't know what hovers over this house, but it was strong enough to
punch a hole into this world and take your daughter away from you. It keeps Carol Anne very close to it
and away from the spectral light. It lies to her. It says things only a child can understand. He's been using
her to restrain the others. To her, it simply is another child. To us, it is the Beast. Now let's go get your
daughter.
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The Verdict (1982)
Screenwriter(s): David Mamet
"You Are the Law... I Believe There is Justice In Our Hearts"
Play clip (excerpt): The Verdict
Alcoholic, ambulance-chasing lawyer Frank Galvin (Paul Newman) presented a subdued closing
summation-argument to the courtroom jury at the conclusion of a medical malpractice lawsuit, the
case of his career:
So much of the time, we're just lost. We say, 'Please, God, tell us what is right. Tell us what is true.' I
mean there is no justice. The rich win. The poor are powerless. We become tired of hearing people lie.
And after a time we become dead, a little dead. We think of ourselves as victims, and we become
victims.
We become, we become weak. We doubt ourselves. We doubt our beliefs. We doubt our institutions,
and we doubt the law. But today, you are the law. You are the law, not some book, not the lawyers, not
a marble statue, or the trappings of the court. See, those are just symbols of our desire to be just. They
are, they are, in fact, a prayer, I mean a fervent and a frightened prayer. In my religion, they say, 'Act as
if you had faith. Faith will be given to you.' If-if we are to have faith in justice, we need only to believe in
ourselves and act with justice. See, I believe there is justice in our hearts.
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Emilio Aguinaldo's First State of the Nation Address
Gentlemen:
My joy today is so great that i feel like being in Heaven, now that I am witnessing the gathering of the
defenders of mother Philippines, my tongue seems lied because of my extreme joy.
However, i will force myself to speak in order to tell you what i feel. I am like one who fell asleep since
August 30, 1896 up to now, and dreamed of having seen the delivery, with aid of Heaven, of our
suffering Mother from the cruel Spanish domination. I saw the flower then the fruit, which blossomed
into Liberty and Freedom.
And you, my dear brothers are here to give effect and testimony to the fruit of our struggle for freedom,
by establishing our Congress.
I am deeply grateful to you for coming this Congress, I can say that with the establishment of this
Congress, our battle for freedom is at an end. Let all nations take notice that we have an Army, A
Congress and a Government, three things needed to replace the Spanish rule in our beloved Philippines.
All progressive nations like America, France and England, also availed these three things to attain liberty,
wisdom and wealth
There are those patriots only in word, and others who advocate annexation. These kind of men will
destroy our nation. I plead for unity. We are all brothers, and we alone can help each other. I call upon
the educated, the intelligent, and the wealthy to come forth and cooperate with our Army which so
gallantly and heroically fought for our freedom. Come all of you, and hasten the complete independence
of the country including Visayas and Mindanao.
Thank you.
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I am a Filipino by Carlos P. Romulo
I am a Filipino, and this is my inheritance. What pledge shall I give that I may prove worthy of my
inheritance? I shall give the pledge that has come ringing down the corridors of the centuries, and it
shall be compounded of the joyous cries of my Malayan forebears when they first saw the contours of
this land loom before their eyes, of the battle cries that have resounded in every field of combat from
Mactan to Tirad pass, of the voices of my people when they sing:
Land of the Morning,Child of the sun returning
Ne’er shall invadersTrample thy sacred shore.
Out of the lush green of these seven thousand isles, out of the heartstrings of sixteen million people all
vibrating to one song, I shall weave the mighty fabric of my pledge. Out of the songs of the farmers at
sunrise when they go to labor in the fields; out of the sweat of the hard-bitten pioneers in Mal-ig and
Koronadal; out of the silent endurance of stevedores at the piers and the ominous grumbling of
peasants in Pampangga; out of the first cries of babies newly born and the lullabies that mothers sing;
out of the crashing of gears and the whine of turbines in the factories; out of the crunch of ploughs
upturning the earth; out of the limitless patience of teachers in the classrooms and doctors in the clinics;
out of the tramp of soldiers marching, I shall make the pattern of my pledge:
“I am a Filipino born of freedom, and I shall not rest until freedom shall have been added unto my
inheritance — for myself and my children’s children — forever.”
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