Justin Trudeau's Speech

What constitutes a great and memorable speech? Following the recent results of the October 19th federal election in Canada, two major speeches were delivered – Justin Trudeau’s victory speech and Steven Harper’s defeat speech. Just as with President Barack Obama’s 2008 victory speech ("Top 10 Presidential Addresses of All Time"), people with political preference may rank one of the two speeches more highly solely due to the identity of the speaker. Thankfully however, Lifehack provides some invaluable insights on the basic factors of a memorable public address. According to the website, imagery increases the effectiveness of a strong public speech, as does connection with the audience and persuasive, powerful statements. Taking those factors into account will help in evaluating both Trudeau’s and Harper’s speeches with a minimal amount of political bias.
As previously hinted, usage of imagery helps increase the effectiveness of a public address. It represents one of the strongest literary devices by using “words and phrases to create ‘mental images’” and, in the process, helps listeners
When delivering the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln concluded by stating, “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth” (Lifehack). Due to the relevance of that one line, his words remain widely circulated to this day. Trudeau himself made some memorable statements throughout his victory speech, such as “politics doesn’t have to be negative and personal to be successful” ("Justin Trudeau Victory Speech: In Canada, Better Is Always Possible - Federal Election 2015 |FULL"). Like Lincoln, Trudeau used simple words to bring up a point his audience believed in, thus creating a memorable quote. Harper, on the other hand, makes very few defined statements and they all fail to encompass the timeless quality Trudeau incorporates in his