Creating Texts

Question 1

1. Transcript - Hook

Answer 1

1. You are standing with a crowd at an anti-war protest. You are in front of a mass of soldiers all holding bayonet rifles.
2. They stand in formation meters away from you, eyes glaring into you, bayonets shining and looking very sharp indeed. Ready to go to war. Scary right?
3. You and everyone in the crowd knows that the order to shoot could be given at any moment.
4. Despite this, and despite being scared, you quell your fears and begin to protest.
5. ‘Stop war, stop the fighting, stop being sent to die,’ you scream. The crowd begins to echo your chant.
6. And as you all say these words you look at these soldiers. And you see their faces. And you realise that they are just young men. And the weapons they hold tremble in their hands.
7. Innocent lives being sent off to battle, frightened that they may never return.

Question 2

2. Transcript - Your voice

Answer 2

1. Your voice has become the voice of the soldiers.
2. Your voice speaks, for they cannot.
3. Your voice, as scared as you may have felt, has made an impact.
4. That is the power, and necessity, of protesting with courage.
5. As actor John Wayne said, “Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway”.
6. Having the courage to protest and speak the truth, despite being tense and nervous.

Question 3

3. Transcript - Flower Girl

Answer 3

1. Protesting with courage, especially against the power holders in society can be a daunting thing.
2. But it is when the obligation to protest takes priority, and the call for change is answered, that change can actually take place.
3. For example, the Vietnam War. A conflict in which more than two million lives were lost. Just two weeks in May 1967 saw 1800 Americans killed and 18,000 seriously wounded.
4. Such immense casualties prompted a revolutionary anti-war movement in America protesting the end of US involvement in the Vietnam conflict. One of these protests was held at the Pentagon, in 1967.
5. A famous picture there was taken, of a 17-year-old girl by the name of Jan Rose Kasmir standing in front of a group of soldiers.
6. With bayonets pointed at her, she held a chrysanthemum flower towards them in a call for peace.
7. The photo, capturing such a powerful action of Jan literally protesting in the face of her adversity became one of the most influential portrayals of peaceful protest and bravery.

Question 4

4. Transcript - Voice of masses

Answer 4

1. Just a young student. Just one of the many people at the time protesting against the actions of the United States of America, the most powerful country in the world.
2. That is what protesting with courage is, and that is what we are all called to do. That is what I call all of you here to do.
3. Because it is the voice of the masses that the governments listen to. When the voice of the masses scrutinise their actions, question their decisions and challenge their leaderships, that is when change begins.

Question 5

5. Transcript - Governments

Answer 5

1. The thing is, there is always fear when people protest, especially against a group that holds power, like governments.
2. What if they are ignored? What if they are arrested? Or worse?
3. However my friends, history has taught us that overcoming such fears, and having the courage to protest despite fearfulness, results in a message all the more powerful and inspiring.

Question 6

6. Transcript - Monk

Answer 6

1. Of course, people do still say that the only way to bring about change is to protest without fear, not caring about the consequences.
2. It is not exactly true, as none of us are completely devoid of the emotion of fear.
3. Instead, it is the incredible bravery involved with protesting that is key. We only have to look to the past to see examples of this.
4. Take the Buddhist Crisis that occurred during the Vietnam war. After a series of oppressive acts by the South Vietnamese government led to religious and political tension, the Crisis was kicked off when 9 unarmed civilians were shot dead in the city of Hue.
5. The reason? Protesting against a ban on the Buddhist flag.
6. The outrage from the Buddhist community resulted in multiple acts of protest, but one stands out as an act of sheer bravery and resolve.
7. On the 11th of June 1963, Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc set himself on fire in an act of self immolation to protest the anti-Buddhist policies.
8. His last act of protest helped to lift the oppression the Buddhists faced, as the repressive policies were lifted just a week later.

Question 7

7. Transcript - Bravery

Answer 7

1. The photo of the burning monk, sitting cross legged on a busy intersection in Saigon touched the hearts of many around the world, becoming a symbol of the fight against oppression and injustice.
2. US President John F Kennedy stated that “No news picture in history has generated so much emotion around the world as this one”.
3. Whilst such protests may not be as extreme today, the immense bravery and dedication in his final selfless act serves as an example of the power of protesting with courage.

Question 8

8. Transcript - End

Answer 8

1. I’m sure you have looked at the news recently and seen all these protests occurring, for conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war. And you think about how fearless these protestors must be to do these things in order to raise awareness to their cause.
2. But have you ever considered that maybe the people you see on the screen might not be as unflinching as they appear?
3. Yes, you can be scared to protest. We are all only human, after all.
4. But the key is being able to overcome that fear, just like Jan Rose Kasmir did. Just like Thich Quang Duc did.
5. They stood up for what they believed in, and their message, and their bravery, and their strength, reverberated around the world.
6. And people saw! People saw that they were scared! But people also saw someone that was prepared to quash these fears for a greater cause.
7. And that’s the power of being able to speak out even when you’re scared. Those people that saw.
8. Those people that are inspired, who saw those protesting despite their fears. They still strived to make a change. They still strived to better the world. And so can you.
9. Because you guys are the thought leaders, the intellectuals, the entrepreneurs. You guys have the smarts, but do you also have the courage to make a change, and stand up for what is right? Thank you.

Question 9

1. Commentary - Reflection

Answer 9

1. Within my piece, I have explored the importance of protesting with courage.
2. Playing the role of a historian specialising in the Vietnam War, I have used examples of protests resulting from the conflict to explore the fears associated with speaking out against authority, and the positives that arise from overcoming such disquietude.
3. I was inspired by Pankhurst’s speech in which she states the suffragettes must protest with fearlessness, so I focused on making the TedTalk one that would inspire and invoke action and explore the courage involved with protesting.
4. Whilst I initially struggled by writing about multiple war protests, I chose to use examples only from the Vietnam War. This was to help the flow of the piece as it doesn’t just jump from one conflict to another, and to add credibility to the persona of a historian who specialises in the Vietnam campaign.

Question 10

2. Commentary - Hook
   Imagery
   Repetition of inclusive language
   Polysyndeton

Answer 10

1. I begin my piece with imagery, calling the audience to picture themselves “in front of a mass of soldiers”, capturing their attention as I place them into the shoes of a protester.
2. Throughout the imagery there is a repetition of inclusive language in the form of ‘you’, creating rhythm and constantly including the audience to engage, encouraging a sense of responsibility as I address them personally.
3. To emphasise the gravity of the situation that the person in the hook is protesting for, polysyndeton of ‘and’ is employed, repeatedly drawing attention to the plight of the frightened soldiers, being sent to a conflict that “they may never return” from.

Question 11

3. Commentary - Vietnam War
   Facts and statistics
   Anecdotes
   Rhetorical question
   Quote
   Emotive language

Answer 11

1. As I explore my topic with facts and statistics such as the casualty figures for the Vietnam War, I hope to lend credibility to the historian role, and weight to my argument as I explore why people felt like protesting was necessary despite the authority of the government.
2. The two anecdotal evidences of student Jan Rose Kasmir and monk Thich Quang Duc provide a human example that makes the issue more tangible, lending validity to my argument.
3. I also ask for “The reason?” for the murder of 9 people, a rhetorical question that is then answered, aimed at shocking the audience about the injustice of the killings.
4. To highlight the wide impact of protest a quote from President Kennedy, providing credibility to the talk about the resulting “emotion…the world” felt.
5. Also, with emotive language like “immense bravery and dedication”, I hope to create an emotional connection with the audience, and emphasise the significance of the monk’s protest.

Question 12

4. Commentary - End
   Polysyndeton
   Exclamation marks
   Questioning, call to action

Answer 12

1. The end of my piece deliberately returns to the polysyndeton of the word ‘and’, continually highlighting the merits of protest one after the other to encourage them to speak out.
2. I also include the use of exclamation marks (“And people saw! … they were scared!”) to emphasise the significance of people witnessing protests and that their actions were not in vain, and the impact of speaking out even in the face of fear.
3. Finally, the audience is purposely included in the conclusion of the TedTalk to inspire them; They are the “thought leaders”, but I question whether they have the courage to act “and stand up for what is right?”, and call them to act in an answer to that final question.