A Critical Analysis of Kevin Costners - Speech or Presentation Example

A Critical Analysis of Kevin Costner’s speech The emotive speech by Kevin Costner was delivered on a Saturday afternoon, at a Baptist Church, with more than 1500 people, celebrities included, in attendance to give their last respect to Whitney Houston. In the speech, Costner relays a story that sums up Whitney’s journey in music, from how she stated sing at the same church, to when she was invited to play a role in the casting of the film ‘The Bodyguard’. An analysis of this speech reveals how Costner deftly and expressively eulogizes the fallen music ace. Having worked with Whitney on her maiden film, Costner not only understood her, but was able to detect what her fears were, and how he could help her overcome them to become the great artist she was. The Baptist Church where her journey began is the same place Costner told the world about her story, in the presence of her mother Cissy and her daughter Bobby Christina. A somber mood engulfed the Church due to the untimely demise of Whitney, and no one managed to eulogize her as did Costner, putting every piece of detail about her in place. Costner, in his opening paragraph, gives the audience the setting and the mood that the loss had put them into. He begins his speech with his face set to his left, which implies that he is checking with the memory side of his brain. His words follow true to this as he confirms that he wrote down the speech so as not to forget anything. That notwithstanding, he seems unsure whether what he has written down is everything he would have wanted to share. This is made evident when he severally shifts his gaze from left to right and back, as he tries to keep his face down. Note that at this point he has not started reading. The face down cue is also a sign of the somber mood he is in, and can thus be interpreted as signifying grief. While giving the introduction part, Costner generally uses a low tone. This helps set the mood that marks the occasion. However, the moment he approaches the onset of the story, he uses a raised voice to bring the audience back into the story, away from the sadness that seems to have covered the place. The phrase “So what am I talking about here?” is a perfect instance when he raises his voice to achieve this objective. He articulately delivers the theme of his speech; that of taking the audience back in time when they were still growing up, and uses trivial body movement and surly facial expression, to bring out the idea that however funny the stories might seem, they are a reflection on the life of the departed soul. Costner also utilizes the art of posing between sentences, especially when the phrases are emotive, or when he wants the audience to process and understand what he has just mentioned, and perhaps give an applause as a sign of approval. For instance, when he says that both Whitney and him grew up in a Church, he poses for the applause and laughter that follows, this enables the reader to understand that they were brought up in the ways of the Church, and not within the Church confines as the literal meaning may carry. To enhance credibility, Costner puts the story into perspective by giving their childhood life, how he watched the construction of the church, his farther being among the people who played an active role in its construction. At this point, the emotional attachment he has is laid bare, and the audience is appalled at the recollection. Costner flips his hand when talking about the building of the Church, pointing to the downward direction a shovel takes when aimed at scooping sand. The after he rubs his forehead, like somebody trying to wipe sweat from his face, a behavior that enables one to know that he actually watched men, his father included, working hard to see to it that the Church is completed. As he enacts a small part of the construction he could piece together, explaining how the choir stand was constructed with a lot of caution, he turns as if to face the stand itself, or the pulpit. This behavior helps understand that the story he is giving is based on everything he was able to put together. At this point, he even scratches his head as a confirmation that all was based on memory and not mere cook up. When talking about the option of finding another actor in place of Whitney in the film that they worked on together, Costner intentionally leans slightly forward and in a relatively lower tone compared to what he had been using, drops the phrase “maybe somebody white.” This reminds the audience about the doubt he had earlier pointed to concerning how Whitney being black and how he being white could even remotely share something in common. He again culminates his speech by reflecting on the void created by the demise of Whitney. He notes that young girls across the globe sing Whitney’s songs, not only for the mere reason of singing, but as a form of practice, as they dream of being good artists just like her. He invokes the fact the Whitney once thought she was not as good enough, the same perception that majority of upcoming musicians, at tender ages, do suffer from. However, this information helps the audience to come to terms with the fact that even in loss, a legacy such as that left by Whitney lives behind, inspiring generations. His last phrase of “off you go” marks the epic of his sadness at the loss, and that of the audience as well. Costner also mentions the fact that Whitney was a great singer. This does not only serve as an opinion, but also gives his expectation on the position occupied by Whitney’s legacy in the world of music. He uses a rising and falling intonation when delivering this part of his speech, which explicitly depicts the high and lows they went through in their attempt to get Whitney a chance to participate in the film. Furthermore, this intonation help bring out his emotional status as he recollects the experiences they had. Costner culminates his speech with a several mid-sentence poses, signifying a sad farewell. These poses could as well signify a point of breakdown, having a heavy heart, while at the same time ready to let go with the hope that all the awaits the departed is good. He gets an applause for this last, not because his presentation was good, but because he was able to express that which was in his heart, both with words and with bodily non-verbal cues. One cue that Costner uses prominently in his speech is touching his forehead and the upper part of his left ear. The frequency with which he does this is suggestive of the fact that even though the speech itself is written, most if not the whole of it came from a recollection of the past. This means that every single detail in this speech is based on memory, and any disparities there may be could only be due to memory lapse, and not a conspiracy to lie to the mourners. However, it points to the fact that he had been selective in the selection of information to avail, and that it is probable he intentionally left out some information about the departed Whitney. Lessons from the speech Several lessons can be learnt from the way this speech is organized and the manner and which it is delivered. Given the sad mood that engulfed the attendants during the memorial service, the organization, flow, body and facial cues, as well as the tone of the speech have a good number of lessons that any critical speech analyst can extract. One such lesson is Costner’s ability to capture the listeners’ attention by setting the mood of the speech, and quickly turning it around by making light funny quotes that leaves every attendant laughing, and at the same time eager to follow what more of the store is to come. In so doing, Costner skillfully takes he story to the audience, who has no choice but to remain attentive, exactly the art of delivering a good speech, even at a function whelmed in utter gloom as this memorial function. One can also learn how to make an objective of a speech clear and concise. What this achieves is that the audiences, who probably know the life history of Whitney, start thinking of the obvious things he may touch on, and thus become more attentive. However, as the speech progresses, Costner reflects back on the childhood ages of Whitney, giving them a glance on how far the deceased came, and how her life was typical of that of many children around the globe. Finally, good speechmakers know exactly how to utilize non-verbal cues. Costner, for instance, used minimal non-verbal cues in this speech, reason being that the type and mood of the occasion called for the same. Unlike what would be typical of say, political speeches, a memorial speech must be straight, and not involving the audience in approval prompts, as is always with political and other forms of speeches. Works Cited American Rhetoric. Online speech bank. Kevin Costner’s address at the public memorial for Whitney Houston. 2012. Retrieved from http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/kevincostnerwhitneyhoustoneulogy.htm Read More