World Wars in Media, Tuesday
"So today we'll be seeing about Britain during the Second World War," Mitchell announced, rubbing his hands together. "This is the second to last one before we give Hitler a kick in the backside, so pay attention." Hey, that almost made him sound teacherly. "They started with a mostly naval battle - I won't go into the tactical points, since this isn't Tactics 101 - but the Germans managed to get one over on them several times in a row, culminating in the Battle of Britain."
"And no, this class has nothing to do with my nationality. I'm Irish. During World War 2, we stuck our fingers in our ears and danced along the foggy dew while asking directions towards the nearest pub. Government-mandated, even-- barring those who went and joined the English." Like Mitchell, but that was Personal History 101. He clapped his hands together. "Well, and D Day weather. Really, they owe us. Anyway, the Germans thought they could push the advantage by taking control of the British skies. Some of you may have heard of the Blitz: the Germans bombed the shit out of half the big cities on the island for several weeks, quite possibly the closest the country had gotten to losing its territory to anyone in centuries. Of course, the Germans didn't really get anywhere, so Hitler decided to play it psychological."
A completely inappropriate, amused smile tugged on Mitchell's mouth, and he said, "Obviously, he didn't take into the account that the English are already out of their minds. They don't really need any help. The RAF drove back all of their attacks, and in the end, Hitler had to give in and admit to his first loss during the war. In the process, even the Americans had to concede that maybe the Brits weren't completely pants."
He leaned back. "One of you asked me about Churchill a few weeks ago," he said, "For those of you not in the know, Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister of the UK during the Second World War. He was known for being a cynical bastard who knew how to talk. Well, not really talk literally, since he had this stutter, but he knew how to make the hair rise on the back of some necks. Oh, and he smoked cigars the size of houses." Amused, yeah. "World War 2 was a war started on the wings of good orators. We heard some of them over the past few weeks; now it's time to give Churchill a try."
He took a deep breath. "And afterwards, you can try and take a stab at part of the point of this course. 'Rhetorical power is neither wholly bestowed, nor wholly acquired, but cultivated', as Churchill once said. Tell me what you think makes for a good speechmaker."
"And no, this class has nothing to do with my nationality. I'm Irish. During World War 2, we stuck our fingers in our ears and danced along the foggy dew while asking directions towards the nearest pub. Government-mandated, even-- barring those who went and joined the English." Like Mitchell, but that was Personal History 101. He clapped his hands together. "Well, and D Day weather. Really, they owe us. Anyway, the Germans thought they could push the advantage by taking control of the British skies. Some of you may have heard of the Blitz: the Germans bombed the shit out of half the big cities on the island for several weeks, quite possibly the closest the country had gotten to losing its territory to anyone in centuries. Of course, the Germans didn't really get anywhere, so Hitler decided to play it psychological."
A completely inappropriate, amused smile tugged on Mitchell's mouth, and he said, "Obviously, he didn't take into the account that the English are already out of their minds. They don't really need any help. The RAF drove back all of their attacks, and in the end, Hitler had to give in and admit to his first loss during the war. In the process, even the Americans had to concede that maybe the Brits weren't completely pants."
He leaned back. "One of you asked me about Churchill a few weeks ago," he said, "For those of you not in the know, Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister of the UK during the Second World War. He was known for being a cynical bastard who knew how to talk. Well, not really talk literally, since he had this stutter, but he knew how to make the hair rise on the back of some necks. Oh, and he smoked cigars the size of houses." Amused, yeah. "World War 2 was a war started on the wings of good orators. We heard some of them over the past few weeks; now it's time to give Churchill a try."
He took a deep breath. "And afterwards, you can try and take a stab at part of the point of this course. 'Rhetorical power is neither wholly bestowed, nor wholly acquired, but cultivated', as Churchill once said. Tell me what you think makes for a good speechmaker."