Christopher Reeves and Tom Hanks

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews, discusses and compares the speech made by Christopher Reeves at the National Democratic Convention, and by Tom Hanks at Vassar College. According to the paper, the speeches are given nearly a decade apart, but both actors appeal emotionally to the audience for help.

From the Paper:

"Tom Hanks takes somewhat longer than Reeve to reach the thesis of his speech. After the opening humor, he begins his speech with a statistical claim relating to the "power of four". According to a study, only four percent of cars need to be removed from gridlocked highways to secure the free flow of traffic. Hanks uses this premise to appeal to his audience's sense of power. It is interesting to briefly note that Reeve's statistic is very similar: one in five people suffers from a disability; in other words, for every four people without disabilities, there is one who does. There are therefore four healthy people in five to whom Reeve is addressing his appeal for help."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Hanks, Tom. "The Power of Four." Poughkeepsie, 22 May 2005. American Rhetoric. Ed. Michael E. Eidenmuller. 2006. 26 Sept. 2006 http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/tomhanksvassar.htm.
• Reeve, Christopher. "1996 Democratic National Convention Address." Chicago, 26 Aug. 1996. American Rhetoric. Ed. Michael E. Eidenmuller. 2006. 26 Sept. 2006 http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/christopherreeve1996dnc.htm

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