Essay Rewrite

ORIGINAL PAPER #1

In New York City at the Madison Square Garden, the legendary coach by the name of Jim Valvano bestowed upon us one of the most memorable acceptance speeches of all time. Some may remember Valvano as the energetic North Carolina State Men’s Head Basketball Coach who lead his underdog team to become the champions of the 1983 NCAA Tournament while others may recall his name because of his very public announcement of his battle with bone cancer. At the time of him receiving the Arthur Ashe for Courage Award at the first Annual ESPY Awards in 1993, all were aware of the news that his bone cancer had metastasized to the rest of his body, leaving him weak and frail. As Valvano was escorted onto the stage to receive this honorary award he was greeted by a standing ovation and some were already wiping away tears. This type of reaction truly displayed how much he was loved and respected throughout the sporting world. The Arthur Ashe Award is presented to the sports related person(s) or team, adjudged to have made the most significant or compelling humanitarian contribution in sports in that given year, and there was not a better person to receive this award other than Jim Valvano.

Not only was his speech at the 1991 ESPY’s inspirational and meaningful, but it also serves as a great model of public speaking and persuasive techniques. In his speech, Valvano addresses the need for a stronger continuance toward funding cancer research. He was able to successfully get his message across about cancer reach through many strategies, and I will spotlight theses strategies by applying the neo-classical criticism to analyze the context and text more in depth. 

 As stated by Burgchardt neo-classical criticism “should systematically analyze a speaker’s audience, perceived character, major themes, emotional appeals, arguments arrangement of ideas, style and delivery.” The context surrounding the speech launched Valvano’s success. One of the biggest factors was that 1993 was the birth of the ESPY Awards, in an age of technology, thus allowing his speech to be televised and subsequently reach many different audiences. He did an outstanding job to appeal to all audience and viewer members by name dropping and presenting his beliefs and values. In neo-classical criticism it is not all about the rhetoric involved but other factors surrounding the text.

 In his acceptance speech, Valvano mentions Mike Krzyzewski, the well-known Men’s Head Basketball Coach for the North Carolina Tar Heels, as one of his good friends. During the time of the speech many people viewed Krzyzewski as a class act. He is another example of someone you do not necessarily have to like, but you certainly still respect him because of his ethics and accomplishments as a coach. Valvano goes on to mention how he idolizes Vince Lombardi. If you did not recognize Krzyzewski’s name, then you may have a better chance relating to his liking of Lombardi, a legendary football coach known for his encouraging and empowering coaching technique. Although Valvano used some popular and well-respected names, not everyone in the audience may have known who they were, so that is why he emphasized his value of the family unit. He said, “My family's so important. People think I have courage. The courage in my family are my wife Pam, my three daughters, here, Nicole, Jamie, LeeAnn, my mom, who's right here too.”  He was associating himself with the right kind of people and important values that would most likely resonate with the majority of his audience to help gain supporters for his main argument about cancer research donation.

Valvano also used emotional appeals as an avenue to project his message for the need for more funding toward cancer research. One of the most effective appeals he used was his own narrative and his value of time. It is no secret that Valvano’s time here on earth was limited as he stood up in front of his audience. This realization provided a strong emotional pull on his usage of time. At different points throughout his speech he referenced time when he stated, “Time is very precious to me. I don't know how much I have left,” and ”Don't give up, don't ever give up," along with, “That's what I'm going to try to do every minute that I have left. I will thank God for the day and the moment I have.” He used his references about time and the publication of his battle with bone cancer to help motivate others to use their time effectively and cherish it. Valvano is implying if you support the funding for cancer research you are giving someone else the irreplaceable gift of time.  

Throughout Valvano’s speech the audience was on an emotional rollercoaster. He would have his audience on the verge of tears and then the next moment he would make light of the situation by telling a joke or a humorous story. Being able to make an audience laugh, considering his situation, tells us a lot about Valvano’s character. For example he told the story of his first pre-game speech at Rutgers when he was the Freshmen Coach and how he failed miserably to encourage and enthuse his players. In using this story it made him seem more relatable and human. Not only did it show the audience that he had to start at the lower level in his career as a freshman coach and work his way up, but it also showed the audience that he too has experienced failure in his life. His story about failure taught the audience that if you put in the work hard, then ordinary people could do extraordinary things.

The time period in which the speech took place is another important factor to consider while analyzing Valvano’s speech. The scare of AIDS hit the U.S. in the early 1980’s, but it wasn’t until the 1990’s when it was more publicly talked about. A few examples of AIDS educators were Pedro Zamora from the MTV Real World: San Francisco, and Magic Johnson who had just recently announced his relevance with AIDS at the time of Valvano’s acceptance speech. Valvano mentions how money is being poured into AIDS research at a rate of ten times more than cancer research. He did a good job of redeeming himself from offending anyone who strongly supports AIDS research by saying, “it is still not enough for the AIDS Foundation.” What he did by comparing the two avenues for possible research donation was to put a spotlight on the need for funding more cancer research than what was being done. His argument highlighted that if AIDS research has ten times more money poring in, and that is not enough for AIDS research, then cancer research definitely needs more support. He also backs his argument up with statistics, mentioning that “500,000 people will die of cancer this year” and “Cancer is the #1 cause of death in the United States.”

            After my analysis using the neo-classical criticism method of Jim Valvano’s acceptance speech at the 1993 ESPY Awards it is no surprise to me why it was such an effective speech. Valvano was able to be relatable by liking and looking up the same people as his audience does, triggering emotions through his use of the realization of time, and his overall personal narrative. What he did was take a tragedy and turn it into a voice that had the capability to promote awareness about the lack of funding for cancer research and encourage his audience to become donators. Valvano took full advantage of his precious time in the spotlight while he received the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage.

Work Cited:

Burgchardt, Carl R. Readings in Rhetorical Criticism. 4th ed. N.p.: Strata, 2010. Print.

"ESPY Award." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 June 2013. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESPY_Award>.

Hilbert, Evan. "Jim Valvano's ESPYs Speech: Video, Transcript." AOL News. N.p., 01 Dec. 2010. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://www.aolnews.com/2010/12/01/jim-valvanos-espys-speech-video-transcript/>.

"History of HIV & AIDS in the U.S." HIV and AIDS Information and Resources. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://www.avert.org/history-hiv-aids-us.htm>.

Staff, Bossip. "R.I.P. AIDS Activist And MTV “Real World” Hubby Sean Sasser Passes Away At Age 44." Bossip RSS. N.p., 08 Apr. 2013. Web. 22 Oct. 2013. <http://bossip.com/816106/r-i-p-aids-activist-and-mtv-real-world-hubby-sean-sasser-passes-away-at-age-44/>.

REWRITE PAPER #1

In New York City at the Madison Square Garden, the legendary coach by the name of Jim Valvano bestowed upon us one of the most memorable acceptance speeches of all time. Some may remember Valvano as the energetic North Carolina State Men’s Head Basketball Coach who lead his underdog team to become the champions of the 1983 NCAA Tournament while others may recall his name because of his very public announcement of his battle with bone cancer. At the time of him receiving the Arthur Ashe for Courage Award at the first Annual ESPY Awards in 1993, all were aware of the news that his bone cancer had metastasized to the rest of his body, leaving him weak and frail. As Valvano was escorted onto the stage to receive this honorary award he was greeted by a standing ovation and some were already wiping away tears. This type of reaction truly displayed how much he was loved and respected throughout the sporting world. The Arthur Ashe Award is presented to the sports related person(s) or team, adjudged to have made the most significant or compelling humanitarian contribution in sports in that given year, and there was not a better person to receive this award other than Jim Valvano.

Not only was his speech at the 1993 ESPY’s inspirational and meaningful, but it also serves as a great model of public speaking and persuasive techniques used in neo-classical criticism. Valvano addresses the need for a stronger continuance toward funding cancer research. He was able to successfully get his message across about cancer reach by incorporating ethos, pathos, logos, and even archetypal metaphors into his speech to become more relatable to the viewers than just the live audience.

 As stated by Burgchardt neo-classical criticism “should systematically analyze a speaker’s audience, perceived character, major themes, emotional appeals, arguments arrangement of ideas, style and delivery.” The context surrounding the speech launched Valvano’s success. One of the biggest factors was that 1993 was the birth of the ESPY Awards, in an age of technology, thus allowing his speech to be televised and subsequently reach many different audiences. He did an outstanding job to appeal to all audience and viewer members by name dropping and presenting his beliefs and values. In neo-classical criticism it is not all about the rhetoric involved but other factors surrounding the text.

 In his acceptance speech, Valvano mentions Mike Krzyzewski, the well-known Men’s Head Basketball Coach for the North Carolina Tar Heels, as one of his good friends. During the time of the speech many people viewed Krzyzewski as a class act. He is another example of someone you do not necessarily have to like, but you certainly still respect him because of his ethics and accomplishments as a coach. Valvano goes on to mention how he idolizes Vince Lombardi. If you did not recognize Krzyzewski’s name, then you may have a better chance relating to his liking of Lombardi, a legendary football coach known for his encouraging and empowering coaching technique. The use of ethos was presented when Valvano mentioned these two highly credible coaches being someone he looks up to and strives implement their morals and ethics into his coaching philosophy. He is just like for anyone else who has a role model they wish to be more like. Even though Valvano is receiving an award for his excellence he takes a step back and thanks the other great coaches and past coaches out there that have molded him as a coach highlighting his humble character.

Although Valvano used some popular and well-respected names, not everyone in the audience may have known who they were, so that is why he emphasized his value of the family unit. He said, “My family's so important. People think I have courage. The courage in my family are my wife Pam, my three daughters, here, Nicole, Jamie, LeeAnn, my mom, who's right here too.”  He was associating himself with the right kind of people and important values that would most likely resonate with the majority of his audience. Many people have been affected by cancer in some way, either they have cancer themselves or know someone that does. The audience is aware of the hardships a family has to go through when one of there loved one’s is critically ill and that pulls on the emotions aspect of pathos.   

Valvano also used pathos as an avenue to project his message for the need for more funding toward cancer research. One of the most effective appeals he used was his own narrative and his value of time. Time is a universally known concept that has a beginning and an end. In the game of basketball you know you have four, fifteen-minute quarters, but dealing with cancer we all know time they have left is a mystery. It is no secret that Valvano’s time here on earth was limited as he stood up in front of his audience. This realization provided a strong emotional pull on his usage of time. At different points throughout his speech he referenced time when he stated, “Time is very precious to me. I don't know how much I have left,” and ”Don't give up, don't ever give up," along with, “That's what I'm going to try to do every minute that I have left. I will thank God for the day and the moment I have.” He used his references about time and the publication of his battle with bone cancer to help motivate others to use their time effectively and cherish it. Valvano is telling his audience that no one person or family should have to go though this type of emotional hardship and by supporting the funding for cancer research you are going someone else the irreplaceable gift of time.

Throughout Valvano’s speech the audience was on an emotional rollercoaster. He would have his audience on the verge of tears and then the next moment he would make light of the situation by telling a joke or a humorous story. Being able to make an audience laugh, considering his situation, tells us a lot about Valvano’s character. For example he told the story of his first pre-game speech at Rutgers when he was the Freshmen Coach and how he failed miserably to encourage and enthuse his players. In using this story it made him seem more relatable and human. Not only did it show the audience that he had to start at the lower level in his career as a freshman coach and work his way up, but it also showed the audience that he too has experienced failure in his life. Although his story was about failure it still is an excellent display of ethos exhibiting his credibility. He flat out tells the audience he failed and miserably he added, but what made this story credible is that he learned from that experience and continued to coach for the next 20 something years. This story about failure taught the audience that if you put in the work hard, then ordinary people could do extraordinary things.

The time period in which the speech took place is another important factor to consider while analyzing Valvano’s speech. The scare of AIDS hit the U.S. in the early 1980’s, but it wasn’t until the 1990’s when it was more publicly talked about. A few examples of AIDS educators were Pedro Zamora from the MTV Real World: San Francisco, and Magic Johnson who had just recently announced his relevance with AIDS around the time of Valvano’s acceptance speech. Valvano mentions how money is being poured into AIDS research at a rate of ten times more than cancer research. Cancer and AIDS are both deadly sickness to have and to say how one needs more attention than the other could become controversial topic to discuss. Valvano was able to avoid conflict by using logos. Facts, stats, and logic helped support his argument that cancer research needs more support in funding than it is at that time. He did a good job of redeeming himself from offending anyone who strongly supports AIDS research by saying, “it is still not enough for the AIDS Foundation.” What he did by comparing the two avenues for possible research donation was to put a spotlight on the need for funding more cancer research than what was being done. His argument highlighted that if AIDS research has ten times more money poring in, and that is not enough for AIDS research, then cancer research definitely needs more support. He also backs his argument up with statistics, mentioning that “500,000 people will die of cancer this year” and “Cancer is the #1 cause of death in the United States.”

            After my analysis using the neo-classical criticism method of Jim Valvano’s acceptance speech at the 1993 ESPY Awards it is no surprise to me why it was such an effective speech. Valvano authentic use of ethos, pathos, logos, and metaphor of time is what made his speech so successful. Valvano was able to be relatable by liking and looking up the same people as his audience does, triggering emotions through his use of the realization of time, and his overall personal narrative. What he did was take a tragedy and turn it into a voice that had the capability to promote awareness about the lack of funding for cancer research and encourage his audience to become donators. Valvano took full advantage of his precious time in the spotlight while he received the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage. 

REFLECTION- I noticed that I have to articulate my overall argument a bit better. My argument wasn't that Valvano's speech was about how cancer needs more funding but how his use of ethos, pathos, logos, and metaphor of time helped persuade his audience that cancer needs more funding. I felt that my original paper did a nice job of analyzing Valvano's ESPY speech by incorporating outside context factors like this being the first televised ESPY awards and how the early 1990's was a time of AIDS awareness. What I felt that I needed to improve on was elaborating or finish my original thoughts. I did this by tying my thoughts back to either ethos, pathos, logos, or archetypal metaphors.