Submitted by Heloise, Jan 8, 2008 16:23

I have studied the speeches and what makes a great orator, like Cicero. And it is no mystery. It is not just picked up. JFK wanted to know what made Lincoln such a great orator and studied his speeches. Voila he found that he used lots of monosyllabic words, hence poetic sounding. and anyone knows that pacing is the other real key to a great speech. You don't rush it. That was JFK's problem he talked tooooo fast.

He slowed it down, studied the masters and we know the result. King had an advantage because his daddy was a preacher. Then there is the advantage of the natural poetic nature that black people write and think with.

Obama may or may not have studied anyone else's speeches or styles in particular, but as an educated man he is a keen observer and will pick and choose what works in a speech. Maybe he's a natural, but I doubt it.

Heloise

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