I wish speech

People wish for many things, some are small wishes, made almost every day. Other wishes are much more significant, things that they've wanted for a while and remind themselves of on a daily basis.

This is applicable to me, for example, I wish that I'll get a good grade on a test or that I remember to do my homework on any given day

But significant wishes change as the years pass. Now, my most important wish is to go back home to my native country of Venezuela.

I am one of many who were faced with the decision of leaving or staying in a hellish society. Because of this I know that I am not the only one who dreams of going back.

I am often asked why I would want to go back to such a place, and the reason is one which I cannot explain, it's a certain connection which I have to my native country which i will not lose until I die.

I've always known that I would move away eventually, but ever since that became a reality, I miss those things that used to make me dislike where I was from.

In Venezuela, the people were united. Even if it was against the government, yet we could not do anything about it, this was something that, to me, showed how everyone is equal and that united we stand a better chance.

The moral of the story is that you should always appreciate whatever has been given to you, whether that is new clothes or a functioning government, every little thing matters.

Speech Video

https://youtu.be/WDt6tbrLryM

Assignment 2

            For me, speeches are a hit-or-miss type scenario. A speech is either good or bad; this is because you need to have every single little component to make it a good speech. If your story is good but your enunciation and pronunciation is bad, the speech is completely ruined. Or if you have good enunciation but a bad story, you might as well not deliver the speech at all. Delivering speeches is similar to Jenga, there are some pieces which just cannot be left out.

            The most important part of a speech, for me, is not the story, but the enunciation because a good story is ruined if you cannot hear what the person is talking about because he is not loud enough or is mumbling. It generates boredom and confusion amongst the audience, because some people are trying to understand what is being said, and others are just waiting for it to be over. This will only have a negative effect on the speaker by reducing his confidence, which will, in turn, diminish the audience’s interests once and for all.

            A good story or content is a must in speeches, because no one want to listen for a boring story. Although the delivery plays a huge role in this, the content is what really makes it work, because you might have a very good delivery, but it doesn’t matter if you are just talking about a normal day in which nothing special happened. Your story must hook the audience into wanting more and more, even after you have delivered the speech. The way to ensure that the public is actively listening to what is going on is to give them something which they want to hear.

I believe that in order to make a good speech, factors like the content and the delivery are not the only important ones, context is also very critical. You have to make sure that your speech matches the context of whatever it is you are talking about, because mistakes here are very, very bad. You never want to make jokes when speaking of a sad topic, or bring up something dark amidst a humorous situation.

I feel like I have room to grow as far as delivering and writing speeches. My speech definitely needs some work on the content and I also have to focus on how to deliver it better by improving both my volume and my pronunciation. But, I think it is a decent start in public speaking and now I must prepare myself for what is to come.

My name is Lorenzo Rodríguez, I am 15 years old and I am from Caracas, Venezuela. I am a sophomore at Cheshire Academy, and it is my first year attending this school. I moved to the United States of America in August of 2016 along with the rest of my family.

I am from Caracas, the murder-capital of the world, with 120 per 100,000 people. Caracas is home to around 8 million people, with the majority living in poverty, including some of the world's most corrupt politicians and, at 475%, the second-worst inflation rate in the world. I lived in a country which has the chance to be one of the greatest, yet it is one of the worst because of selfish and greedy people. This is something that has had a large effect on me, as it shows what happens when you do not control your greed. Our corrupt government has a large effect on kids growing up, for example, kids in America commonly want to be president of the United States, however no-one wants to become a corrupt politician when they grow up. 

  I was fortunate enough to have been able to escape from such a place, yet I feel for those who still remain. I want to try and spread some awareness for the horrors that occur everyday in Venezuela, mainly because no-one seems to truly know what is going on.

Assignment 1

    My name is Lorenzo Rodríguez, I am 15 years old and I am from Caracas, Venezuela. I am a sophomore at Cheshire Academy, and it is my first year attending this school. I moved to the United States of America in August of 2016 along with the rest of my family. My brother, Gonzalo, attended Cheshire Academy in 2013 and graduated with the class of 2015. I am taking Public Speaking because I think it is a crucial skill in life that should always be worked on, even if you are good at it. The ability to write and give speeches is also very important to have, I believe. My goals for this class are to be more efficient as a public speaker and to be able to write decent speeches. I have never been afraid of speaking in public, but I think I still require practice in order to master the skill. As to speeches, I have never had the chance to practice them, either writing or delivering them. Because of my relative unknowing of the subjects, I believe that taking this class will benefit my future in this school and beyond a good amount.

  I am from the most dangerous city in the world, with 120 murders per 100,000 people. Caracas is home to around 8 million people, with the majority living in poverty, including some of the world's most corrupt politicians and, at 475%, the second-worst inflation rate in the world; second only to South Sudan at 476%. This is something that has a large effect on kids growing up, for example, kids in America commonly want to be president, however no-one wants to be a corrupt politician when they grow up. Also, the sense of having danger all around you has a large influence on the way you think.

  I played football for the fall season of 2016 at Cheshire Academy. Having never played the sport, it was quite a transition from anything that I had ever played before. I decided to be part of the team because moving to the United States was new to me, and I thought that doing something else new would be great, and it was. The brotherhood formed in the team was something never before experienced for me, from pre-game rituals in the locker room to practice.

                                        

  There is one thing in my life that has always and always will be by my side, no matter what happens: my family. They support my decisions when I am right, they correct me when I am wrong and help get through everything in life. My older brother and younger sister help me with anything that I need; they are my best friends. My parents are great role models, being successful in life and in parenting.

                     

Public Speaking Notes

Projection: volume; how your voice carries through the room.
Enunciation: pronunciation; syllables, consonants
Emphasis: exaggerating certain words; adding emotion

The Most Dangerous Place You've Never Heard Of

I posted this because this is a common sight where I'm from and also because it is shocking that people have no idea about what is going on or where Venezuela even is. Caracas is the most dangerous city in the world with 120 murders per 100,000 people, yet people have absolutely no clue where it is.