Faulkner+Speech+Research+Paper

 Jacob Mewborn Walls World Lit. G 25 March 2015  __Faulkner: Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech __   In December of 1950, the world was shaken by the horrors of the world wars. Nuclear warfare was new to the world; moreover, it scared everyone and left them without hope for the future, leaving the world in shambles. Within this “era of great conflict” (History.com Staff), William Faulkner, a renowned American author, gave a speech to accept a Nobel Prize for Literature on December 10, 1950 (“Biography”). Facing the uncertainty, fear, and hopelessness within the world, Faulkner planned to break through that emotional barrier to inspire strength, pride, and hope within the people. Along with his images of hope and victory, Faulkner wanted to warn his younger audience of the imminent dangers presented by the newly found nuclear warfare. He hoped to get a message of precaution to the future generations by reminding them of the horrors presented through the world wars (Popova). Faulkner used sympathetic and prideful diction in his speech to appeal to the emotional aspects of his audience. On December 10, 1950, Faulkner made it clear to the world the dangers of nuclear warfare through his speech, but he also pumped security and pride into the hearts of the world to power through its uncertainty and fear so that the human race may still prevail.

 Although his main purpose in giving his speech was to inspire hope within the world, Faulkner specifically wanted to warn the future generations from ever becoming like his cowardice world, so he spent a portion of his speech warning the future generation to come. He did not want the world to continue living in horror and dread. Faulkner tried to steer his younger audience in the right direction so that they might not become like his ravaged world. During Faulkner’s time, people everywhere were hopeless and “dying” (Faulkner), and Faulkner wanted to erase that from the world. He wanted to remove the ideas of “anguish and travail” (Faulkner) from the minds of his younger listeners. Faulkner hoped to heavily inspire his younger audience because he did not just want the human race to continue on, but he wanted to see the success and prevalence of humankind. To boost confidence within this vision, Faulkner needed to engage the younger generation that was listening to him speak. Faulkner believed the world could “endure” (Faulkner) through their suffering and anguish; furthermore, he did not simply hope for the world to continue living, but he wanted the world to “prevail” (Faulkner) through his time of panic and uneasiness. Faulkner saw the potential the world had to become strong and confident in itself, and he gave his speech hoping to unleash that strength and confidence. Faulkner wanted humankind to overcome its uncertainty and fear, and although his purpose in speaking was to do so, he also wanted to raise the spirits of the future generation so that the human race could thrive in its legacy in the universe.

 Faulkner’s ethos allowed him to connect with his listeners more effectively, and he established his knowledge of the fear and lack of faith within the world and within himself through his imagery.Faulkner saw his “tideless” (Faulkner) world begin to crumble, but he refused to accept this hopeless fate and used his “inexhaustible voice” (Faulkner) to lift the world out of its ashes.He organized his speech in such a way that it began full of despair and agony but Faulkner resurrects the speech to end hopeful and victoriously which he planned to help do to the world. He established his credibility in his speech through his awareness of the world’s situation, and by using an uncertain tone for the beginning of his speech, Faulkner revealed his own fear of being “blown up” (Faulkner) and how he also feared death. Faulkner recognized the “scars” (Faulkner) and “agony” (Faulkner) in the world which allowed his audience to realize how he too had suffered alongside the world. By doing so, Faulkner’s speech further inspired the world to see how hope and victory could still be achieved. In the beginning of the speech, Faulkner began by acknowledging the dangers in the world that severely frightened it; however, he ended his speech with the vision of “courage and honor” (Faulkner) resting upon the minds of everyone who listened. Faulkner’s choice in using such strong language excited the mass of people listening to his speech, and his inspirational diction gave the audience hope for the future.Although he may have started his speech filled with hopelessness and despair, Faulkner ends his speech in a hopeful manner. Faulkner’s ethos in his speech allowed his audience to connect with him on a mental level; furthermore, to help further his connection with the world, Faulkner used discouraging diction and language to describe his personal fear and despair in the human race.

 However, the true power of Faulkner’s speech lied in its pathos and imagery. He used the art of alliteration and twisted it to inspire his people through his people. Faulkner gave his listeners ideas of “pity and pride” (Faulkner).Wanting to provide hope and pride for the hearts of the people in the world, Faulkner used loving and compassionate diction throughout his speech to allow his listeners to feel as though all of Faulkner’s loving images and thoughts were achievable. By giving his audience images of “love and honor” (Faulkner), he placed faith and pride in the minds of the people. He erased the “physical fear” (Faulkner) which encased everyone’s mind. Faulkner’s main goal in speaking was to give pride and honor to the world, and by using hopeful diction, he plants security and peace in his listeners. He spoke of the many “victories” (Faulkner) the world was capable of accomplishing. Also in his acceptance speech, he played with the alliteration of words and used it to excite the world. Faulkner believed “the last dingdong of doom [had] clanged and faded” (Faulkner) from his world. He purposely placed the “d” sound at the end of his sentence to signify how Death and Doom had left the world, and Faulkner wanted the world to revive itself from that fear of Death and Doom. He hoped to inspire the fearful listeners to endure through the misery of fear and hopelessness through his pathos and powerful imagery; moreover, he wanted the world to regain confidence in itself.

 Through his acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize, William Faulkner restored faith and self-confidence within the world, and he helped the world see how success and progress could be accomplished. One sees how Faulkner met the challenge of fear and agony within the world, and he broke down the barrier that trapped the world through his speech. Faulkner’s speech became an inspiration to many at the time, and it is still widely known to this day. By effectively using his ethos, Faulkner established a connection with the world which allowed it to see how success was obtainable. With his speech, Faulkner showed his faith in the human race; moreover, Faulkner maintained the vision that the human race could not only continue, but he saw how humankind could thrive. After he presented his speech, Faulkner went on to win even more literary awards (Biography.com). His speech changed the way the world looked at itself, and people became more prideful of their world. Faulkner’s speech would go on to serve as a foundation for other famous speeches. E. B. White would echo Faulkner’s motivational speech when he also won literary awards decades later (Popova). Clearly, his speech impacted the world greatly because of the many successes the world has accomplished throughout its time since 1950, and it’s words of inspiration and hope also spread their message into many other famous speeches given.

 Works Cited History.com Staff. "1950." A+E Networks, 2010. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. Popova, Maria. "The Writer as a Booster of the Human Heart: William Faulkner’s Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech." Brain Pickings RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. "William Faulkner - Banquet Speech". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. "William Faulkner." Biography.com. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. "William Faulkner- Biography." William Faulkner. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.