Will Smith Flashcards
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Will Smith begins his speech with the use of a filler word “Richard Williams… ummmm” this use of a filler word suggests that Will Smith’s nerves are getting to him after the previous dispute with Chris Rock
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In Will Smith’s Speech, he uses battle imagery in the opening metaphor about Richard Williams as a “fierce defender of his family”. Smith begins his victory speech with a tribute to the man he plays in the movie “King Richard” and it is also characteristic of an Oscar Winning speech to show humility in moments of victory.
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The motif of defending one’s family is ironic given that Smith is accepting this award after hitting Chris Rock and he will go onto Portray the assault as a defence on his wife. It is evident that Smith is beginning to break down and we can tell this from the heavy breathing in the motif he uses “I got to protect”. The heavy breathing is an obvious indicator to the audience that Smith is emotional, possibly due to the previous assault on Rock.
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At this point, Smith’s tone becomes more stressed and he begins to get more emotional, it could be argued that his emotions aren’t a result of his victory and are the result of his actions in front of a global audience and his peers.
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With the emotive words “In my life, i am overwhelmed”, Smith starts to build pathos, evoking sympathy for the intensity of emotion he is feeling. At this point, Smith starts to cry and stutter trying to suppress his emotions and aware of the awkwardness of his victory when he tarnished his reputation with the assault on Rock.
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When smith uses slang, such as “gotta” in “You gotta be able to take abuse” This suggests that this part of the speech is unscripted, and that he is trying to repair the reputational damage created after the assault on Rock. The audience would feel apologetic as it could also be argued that Smith is referencing the racial abuse he has faced in his past.
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In addition, Smith uses self deprecating humour when he admits “I just spit I hope they didn’t see that on camera” his apologetic tone could be seen as a way of deflection from his more serious wrong doings in assaulting Rock. Smith utilises humour to win the audience’s sympathy and gain their respect for his victory.
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Smith later moves off script to apologise for hitting Rock. “I want to apologise to the academy. I want to apologise to all my fellow nominees.” The repetition of the verb “apologise” emphasises how sincere he is. It could be argued however that he is aware of the damage he has inflicted on his own career prospects.
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Furthermore, Smith is aware he is likely to be banned “Thank you. I’m hoping the Academy invites me back. Thank you.” This suggests that Smith is entirely aware of the fact that he may not be able to return to the Oscars for some time, and may be banned as a result of the Slap against Rock.
Introduction
In Will Smith’s case, this is his first ever Oscars award, he won best actor for playing Richard Williams in the movie “King Richard”, however this win was 40 minutes after the infamous slap on Chris Rock
Victory Speech
A victory speech is a speech people would deliver whenever they receive a reward, achieve a goal or reach a milestone. A person that delivers the victory speech, typically references challenges in their upbringing and background, and they would also normally thank those that have assisted in them achieving this victory.
