Analyzing Body Lang

Social Movements are only as important as the person leading them. The person(s) leading a social movement must have charisma and be able to captivate an audience. Political scientists and historians are taught to analyze body language, especially during debates and speeches.

For this assignment, you will watch Dr Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream (Links to an external site.) speech and a speech by Alicia Garza of the Black Lives Matter movement (Links to an external site.) and answer questions listed below. Pay special attention to the following aspects in the two speeches.

• Importance of body language while delivering the speech.
• Gestures, cadence and delivery style.

1. Provide a summary of the two speeches.
2. Compare Dr. King's leadership, charisma, power and passion to capture his audience to Alicia Garza's speech. What are the similarities, if any? What are the differences, if any?
3. How does the location of the speeches support their messaging? Dr. King's speech was held in a church and at the Lincoln Memorial, whereas today we have social networking and more avenues to relay messages. Does messaging make a difference?
4. Describe how the audience in Dr. King's speeches relate to the Alicia Garza's audience. Do you see a similarity or differences in the speeches and in the audience?