"And I refuse to accept that we can't build this world into something new, some place where a child's name doesn't have to be written on a t-shirt, or a tombstone, where the value of someone's life isn't determined by anything other than the fact that they had lungs, a place where every single one of us can breathe"
- Clint Smith
- Clint Smith
Clint Smith’s presentation, “How to raise a black son in America”, offers a passionate first hand account of what it is like to grow up as an black boy in America. Smith’s main idea focuses on how he and numerous other black people in America are raised differently because they are not guaranteed the same safeties that white people are. The speaker uses ethos by describing his childhood, where his parents taught him how he must act carefully because someone else’s bigotry could mean his death. He maintains this by stating that, “My parents raised me and my siblings in an armor of advice, an ocean of alarm bells so someone wouldn't steal the breath from our lungs, so that they wouldn't make a memory of this skin. So that we could be kids, not casket or concrete. And it's not because they thought it would make us better than anyone else it's simply because they wanted to keep us alive” (Smith). The speaker relied mostly on pathos during his presentation by alluding to various real life events in which despicable acts of discrimination occurred. For instance, he is possibly implying the death of Tamir Rice when he claims that, “I want to live in a world where my son will not be presumed guilty the moment he is born, where a toy in his hand isn't mistaken for anything other than a toy” (Smith). Clint Smith also uses a poetic form speaking that elicits strong emotions from the audience, which assists him in his inspirational work.
The content in this speech relates to Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, because of the novel’s representation of the oppression faced by African Americans. In the novel, it is made evident that the inequality and unfair treatment of black people results in major injustices, and even deaths. This connects to Smith’s speech because he references similar acts of discrimination, even though the events that he hints at all occurred at a time when people of different races supposedly have the same rights. Smith’s presentation also relates to Sue Monk Kidd’s novel, The Secret Life of Bees, because the novel displays many moments of racism, such as when one character, an African American, is arrested for throwing a bottle at a white man. This relates to the speech because it proves how horribly black people are treated.
Smith illustrates American values by expressing the need for true equality between black and white people. The speech connects to the American Dream when Smith suggests that he wants to pursue equality throughout the nation. The presentation depicts how America fits in the world by emphasizing the country’s inabilities to contribute to an equal and fair society. The speech displays the Global Dream by suggesting the need for basic human rights to be applied to all.
The content in this speech relates to Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, because of the novel’s representation of the oppression faced by African Americans. In the novel, it is made evident that the inequality and unfair treatment of black people results in major injustices, and even deaths. This connects to Smith’s speech because he references similar acts of discrimination, even though the events that he hints at all occurred at a time when people of different races supposedly have the same rights. Smith’s presentation also relates to Sue Monk Kidd’s novel, The Secret Life of Bees, because the novel displays many moments of racism, such as when one character, an African American, is arrested for throwing a bottle at a white man. This relates to the speech because it proves how horribly black people are treated.
Smith illustrates American values by expressing the need for true equality between black and white people. The speech connects to the American Dream when Smith suggests that he wants to pursue equality throughout the nation. The presentation depicts how America fits in the world by emphasizing the country’s inabilities to contribute to an equal and fair society. The speech displays the Global Dream by suggesting the need for basic human rights to be applied to all.
author's notes
Clint Smith's speech was the most emotional and inspiring pieces I have ever seen. I really enjoyed his use of real life events to prove to his audience how little justice there is in this country. From this speech, I have gathered that we truly need to rally together as a whole and fight for true equal rights.