Essay Sample on Analyzing a Wedding Speech

Green defined a wedding as a typical ceremony that entails uniting two or more couples in marriage (1). A wedding is an essential live speaking event that can provide students with an opportunity to witness and analyze public speaking skills. The royal wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry offers the best example of a public speaking event watched across the world (Zimmer 1). This paper provides a detailed analysis of the message delivered by Reverent Michael Curry in his speech and the presentation approach.

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Analysis

Bishop Curry served as the main speaker during the royal wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on 19 May 2018 (Cooney 1). The occasion took place in St Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom. Love was the main message in Reverend Curry's speech despite his decision to use different themes, including hunger, war, and poverty, while relaying it to the congregation. The outspoken bishop proved his credibility through his religious experience, a unique focus, and congruency (Zimmer 1). For example, the speaker quoted different parts of the Bible as a way of emphasizing the power of love in resolving major social problems in contemporary society. For instance, the legendary preachers quoted the book of Amos saying that embracing love could help in promoting justice and righteousness as well as eliminating poverty and hunger. Also, Reverent Curry relied on various techniques to deliver his speech (Evans 1). For instance, the bishop used an unapologetically fierce preaching technique by bringing and fitting unexpected themes into a wedding context.

Indeed, no one could expect that such an experienced preacher could bring the subject of promoting justice, ending poverty, and hunger eradication in a church (Green 1). However, Bishop Curry used these subjects and captured the attention of the anxious congregation. The preacher mentioned former quotes of famous revolutionists, such as Martin Luther King to attract and maintain the attention of his congregation. Also, Reverent Curry used humor repeatedly to capture the attention of his audience. For instance, the legendary preacher said, "Two young people fell in love, and we all showed up" (Zimmer 1). Lastly, the preacher also different rhetorical devices in his speech to keep the audience focused. For instance, Reverent Curry used fire as a metaphor throughout his sermon to call people to embrace the concept of love and, in turn, have a positive impact in the world by resolving the current social issues (Cooney 1). The message of the speaker was also well-organized and easy to follow.

Bishop Curry began by highlighting the theme of love and using different hypothetical examples to demonstrate how to practice love and its positive impact in contemporary society (Zimmer 1). Also, the speaker had an outstanding delivery style, as depicted through his unique verbal and non-verbal cues. For instance, Curry changed the rhythm of his speech by going faster and, in turn, slowing down with long pauses. This rate was crucial in keeping the attention of the congregation. Curry also varied the volume and the pitch of his voice during the sermon. For example, the outspoken bishop used a falling and a rising intonation on different instances to deliver his message. The legendary speaker also maintained unique eye contact with the audience and used frequent gestures with facial expressions and body movements to emphasize the importance of his speech. The use of Biblical quotations, which were familiar among the audience and the ability to highlight social issues such as injustices, poverty, and hunger (Evans 1), helped Reverent Curry to relate his information with the audience.

Conclusion

The sermon delivered by Reverent Curry during the 2018 royal wedding remains one of the best speeches witnessed in the world. Curry made outstanding use of public speaking skills to deliver his message to the congregation. However, there are different things that the speaker could do better. For instance, Bishop Curry needed to reduce the duration of his speech to at least seven minutes to allow the celebration to go on as initially planned. Also, Reverent Curry needed to mention Prince Harry and Markle by names at least at one instance to demonstrate his value for them and acknowledge their presence. Lastly, the speaker needed to ask the congregation to raise their hands as opposed to nodding their heads as a sign of gauging their familiarity with the power of love.

Works Cited

Cooney, Samantha. Bishop Michael Curry delivered a powerful royal wedding sermon. The Time, May 2018, https://time.com/5283953/royal-wedding-sermon-transcript/. Accessed 25 November 2019.

Evans, Diana. Michael Curry's royal wedding sermon will go down in history. The Guardian, May 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/may/20/bishop-michael-curry-sermon-history-harry-meghan-wedding. Accessed 25 November 2019. .

Green Emma. A black bishop brings a political message to the royal wedding. The Atlantic, May 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/05/bishop-michael-curry-black-church-royal-wedding/560798/Accessed 25 November 2019.

Zimmer, John. Analysis of a speech by Bishop Michael Curry. Manner of Speaking, May 2018, https://mannerofspeaking.org/2018/05/20/analysis-of-a-speech-by-bishop-michael-curry/. Accessed 25 November 2019.