Please paste your Last Lecture to this topic area. Also upload it to Edmodo. I would like you to read some of the lectures and learn from them. :)
396 Comments
Catherine Jackson
5/10/2012 10:56:37 pm
Wow, there are still no posters. Well, someone has to be the first. This is still just a draft, and I may add more stuff to make it longer. Oookay, here it is. Please tell me if it's bad.
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Catherine Jackson
5/11/2012 12:36:30 pm
All of that in a French accent.
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Janice Kao
5/12/2012 12:04:58 pm
You're so lucky to be able to connect with your person more since you can do a French accent! I wanted to do my speech in a French accent, but it's really hard for me and plus J. Audubon's accent was supposedly very thick.
Sriram Palepu
5/13/2012 08:52:42 am
I liked how you will use the French accent and excerpts, it will really add to the credibility of your character. Your speech was great since you added humor into it.
Chandru Sundarrajan
5/14/2012 07:53:51 am
Wow! The French accent will definitely enhance the presentation!
Mukund Kuntimad
5/12/2012 11:45:49 am
I like the way you put french dialogues. It seems very real , jiving with the character and makes the last lecture very authentic!
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Catherine Jackson
5/12/2012 01:10:05 pm
Thank you Mukund and Janice! I will definitely use your advice. :)
Surabi Rao
5/13/2012 02:15:57 am
"My life sucks. Everyone is dead." AHAH I just started laughing at that....even though I really shouldn't be :D anyway, I loved your speech, it kept me engaged. Also, I like how you didn't start out my going "My name is Charles de Montesquien and I wrote a book." Nice job!
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Maddy G
5/13/2012 02:24:33 am
This sounds like a really fun lecture to watch! You really got to know your character, Catherine! Great!
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Shishir Jessu
5/13/2012 04:43:06 am
This seems pretty good, but not enough life lessons. Did you time it? And if you can pull off the French accent, that will really stick with the audience.
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Sierra Latshaw
5/13/2012 07:03:18 am
Thats a really good lecture Catherine! I really wish I was in your class to see you present it. I think its really cool that your going to speak in a french accent the whole time. However I think if you add in a few more lessons it will be a tad better :) but it's really good.
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Taeeun Kim
5/13/2012 08:58:55 am
I agree with Shishir. I think you're lacking life lessons! But other than that, it looks good :)
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Catherine Jackson
5/13/2012 09:16:04 am
Okay, thanks everybody. Unless a few more people want to say that I need more life lessons? :) Thanks!
Rahi Patel
5/13/2012 10:02:22 am
I don't even know what accent my person has!!!!
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John Wang
5/13/2012 10:26:30 am
I enjoy how your speech intertwines with your life so well! Reading books as part of a speech is something only you would think of.
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Catherine Jackson
5/13/2012 11:06:45 am
Yeah, the main reason I chose him was that he was a writer. When I found out he liked to read too (just search his quotes), I was sold.
Melody Siebenmann
5/13/2012 08:22:22 pm
I love all the french dialogues! it makes it more genuine and real.... It makes it feel like your person is really there.
Dheeraj Nuthakki
5/14/2012 01:51:03 am
I agree with Melody, the french dialogues make it realistic and very good. Nice lecture!
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Miika Jarvela
5/14/2012 08:55:29 am
Like everybody else has said, I really like the French accent. It really adds to the speech and makes it something your lecturer would have said and done. Very well done, and if you can speak French well and have a good accent, then this can be a very good project! Good luck!
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Joshua Chow
5/14/2012 11:28:56 am
I just opened this to take a look at essays and as i scroll down, I see comments. :D I was like, where's the second essay?
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Helen Zhang
5/14/2012 11:57:24 am
Wow, Catherine, your speech has probably been the most dramatic one I have read yet! The French accent and excerpts will truly add a nice touch to your speech. Great job! :)
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Catherine Jackson
5/14/2012 09:09:57 pm
Wait, hold on...This is the first one... :)
Neil Bhamoo
5/14/2012 12:01:46 pm
I really like your introduction, how you said you loved reading. That was very unique.
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Catherine Jackson
5/14/2012 12:04:03 pm
Yeah, he actually did like to read.
Catherine Jackson
5/14/2012 12:03:10 pm
Okay, this is the final copy.
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Lea Balcerzak
5/14/2012 12:20:16 pm
Catherine, I have one but correction I think you should look into. I like your idea of startign with an open book, but Montesquieu's eyesight was failing especially in the last years of his life.
J.C. Humen
5/14/2012 02:59:46 pm
You know I don't think it's the French accent that makes this sooo good. Rather it's how the accent adds to your character's personality and depth. It also shows your connection to the character and makes your performance that much more believable. In conclusion, good job, really good job.
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Catherine Jackson
5/14/2012 09:04:27 pm
Thanks, J.C. And Lea, I know, but he's gotten a disease sometime in the late years of his life, so I'm making it before that. And maybe the book is Braille.
Grace Lu
5/10/2012 11:08:03 pm
Ladies and gentlemen, for those of you that are unaware, I am known under the name of Sojourner Truth. I am a former slave, a preacher, an abolitionist, a Women's Rights Supporter, and a mother who has seen her children sold into the cruel chains of slavery. Now I have fallen ill, and dare say that I will not live for much longer. But for the world I have one last request: that I may be remembered for what I believed in, and that my efforts to make this nation a better place for people of all colors and genders, will be continued.
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Shishir Jessu
5/11/2012 11:36:15 am
You should say "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth" at the end, like they do with testimonies.
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Grace Lu
5/12/2012 08:17:59 am
Thanks Shishir! Thats a really good idea, and it sounds pretty good to the ear too.
Rahi Patel
5/12/2012 02:22:01 am
This is really good Grace! I really like the ending, but I think some got cut off right?
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Grace Lu
5/12/2012 08:15:55 am
Your right! OMG i don't know what happened there...sorry! I guess i'll post the rest of it in a reply
Grace Lu
5/12/2012 08:21:23 am
Thanks, btw! :)
Grace Lu
5/12/2012 08:17:16 am
END OF LAST LECTURE (oops):
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Selase Buatsi
5/14/2012 03:52:22 pm
I like how you mentioned footprints, it reminds me of the poem.
Mukund Kuntimad
5/12/2012 11:49:34 am
You mentioned all salient points about Soujourner Truth's life and her message to every one very clearly. I liked it very much
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Surabi Rao
5/13/2012 02:18:26 am
"But then again, what secrets about myself are not kept hidden from me?" I loved that quote! It really struck me. Also, it's really sad how Sojourner Truth couldn't marry Robert. I really liked your speech! Good job!
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Surabi Rao
5/13/2012 02:18:43 am
"But then again, what secrets about myself are not kept hidden from me?" I loved that quote! It really struck me. Also, it's really sad how Sojourner Truth couldn't marry Robert. I really liked your speech! Good job!!
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Surabi Rao
5/13/2012 02:19:14 am
AGH sorry for some reason it double posted
Chandru Sundarrajan
5/13/2012 02:21:51 am
Wow, I really like your speech! By the way, my character Harriet Tubman was a friend of Sojourner Truth. We met in Boston in the August of 1864 :)
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Sriram Palepu
5/13/2012 08:57:04 am
Your speech was detailed, and you included key points off Sojourner Truth's life. I like the way you embedded questions in your speech. That will definitely engage your audience.
melody siebenmann
5/13/2012 09:16:16 am
yours is realy good grace! I love all your qoutes! Its amazing!
Sydney Stevens
5/13/2012 09:28:45 am
I really like your speech Grace! I really like how you included a lot of quotes and subtly mentioned your legacy throughout the whole speech! You really did a good job of capturing the personality of Sojourner Truth!
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Taeeun Kim
5/13/2012 10:16:52 am
I don't know why, but I just bursted out laughing when you said "The exact date of my birth is a secret, kept hidden from even I." I really like your speech!
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Raghav Kotha
5/13/2012 11:16:24 am
I think its really good, especially the part where you talk about secrets about your birth.
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Beverly Lo
5/14/2012 12:09:16 pm
Wow...This is like the best one that I've read so far. Idk....its just like the way you word things made it sound really good like an acutal adult would give that speech!
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Lea Balcerzak
5/14/2012 12:16:58 pm
I think your second paragraph is very well written, though I do think you should revise your introductory paragraph a bit.
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Ashleigh Little
5/14/2012 02:12:28 pm
Wow this is really good Grace! I agree with Rahi the ending was nice!
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Caden Fernando
5/14/2012 02:47:53 pm
Good job, Grace! The Rhetorical questions and quotes should help engage the audience. I hope you include different tones in voice to suffice for the level of quality in this speech.
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Janice Kao
5/12/2012 03:29:03 am
INTRODUCTION
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Janice Kao
5/12/2012 03:31:14 am
Strange, my lecture got cut off. Here's the rest:
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Jenna Song
5/12/2012 04:42:26 am
This is really good Janice! I can really feel that you are that person in this last lecture!
Mukund Kuntimad
5/12/2012 11:53:08 am
I got a nice wholesome perspective of J. Audubon by reading your last lecture. I had no clue about him before.
Dheeraj Nuthakki
5/13/2012 01:02:44 am
I like the way you started it, instead of starting your lecture by saying Hi, I'm James Audobon in the first few sentences, you had started with like a mini anecdote and talked about how frantic you were this morning.
Surabi Rao
5/13/2012 02:22:42 am
I got so sad when you talked about how you couldn't see birds clearly anymore... and I also loved the "False callings" section! Also, are you going to say the title of each section aloud? Like, "Regrets. My life was satisfying...."
Maddy G
5/13/2012 02:26:34 am
I really like how you reflect and apologize at the end!
Shishir Jessu
5/13/2012 04:44:40 am
I think it's excellent, but you may want to make some of the lessons relate to one another.
Sriram Palepu
5/13/2012 09:03:41 am
I like how you broke your speech up into sections, it made it easier to comprehend. I had never heard of Audubon and your speech gave me a clear image of what he'll be like. The apology at the end helps make your speech more engaging to your audience since it seems like you're conversing with them.
Giselle Peng
5/13/2012 09:14:21 am
I especially liked the "Regrets" section, because you could really see what kind of person Audubon was, both the good parts and the bad. Good job!
Catherine Jackson
5/13/2012 09:29:36 am
I like how you used the personality of your person (the forgetfullness, etc.) like it was really them.
Taeeun Kim
5/13/2012 10:23:26 am
You're Audubon?! That's so cool! I read a book that was based on his paintings a couple of months ago! I like the part where you are descibing the Mockingbird.
Melody Siebenmann
5/13/2012 08:24:53 pm
I love it Janice. I love your last paragraph! It is a well written speech
Lea Balcerzak
5/14/2012 12:18:31 pm
I think it's very good that you have your lecture oraganized into certain sections. I'm sure it will help you remember what you have to say. Overall, I think you have great insight into your historical figure.
Vishaal Sakthivelnathan
5/14/2012 12:33:32 pm
Man this was a really good speech. I like how you labeled your sections so people could follow along easier. That was a really good speech!
Jenna Song
5/12/2012 05:32:51 am
Last Lecture
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Jenna Song
5/12/2012 05:33:47 am
(continued)
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Grace Lu
5/12/2012 08:29:59 am
Jenna, this is good! It really makes me see the world through Stanton's eyes.
Mukund Kuntimad
5/12/2012 11:55:20 am
I can feel the passion Stanton felt towards her belief in Women's rights in your Last lecture. Nice Job
Shishir Jessu
5/13/2012 04:46:57 am
The speech is really in depth, but the legacy was just a bit too long.
melody siebenmann
5/13/2012 06:56:15 am
Its realy good jenna. I wish could see you speak it! ;)
Sriram Palepu
5/13/2012 09:05:55 am
You really delved into Stanton's personality and perspective. The lecture had great word choice and it was very interesting to read.
Taeeun Kim
5/13/2012 09:10:04 am
Your legacy part is awesome :) I like how your entire speech is very detailed!
Eugene Han
5/12/2012 05:36:24 am
Marquis de Lafayette
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Eugene Han
5/12/2012 05:42:38 am
(Continued)
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Dheeraj Nuthakki
5/13/2012 01:08:02 am
I liked that you changed the title of this last lecture to the virtue of friendship. I can see how friendship relates to Lafayette's life. you really connected with him through the speech.
Daxton Davidson
5/13/2012 09:08:50 am
I am also doing Lafayette, but I am confused because I don't know if I am writing it correctly. I just go from one battle to the next, so I don't know if I should some how change it.
Taeeun Kim
5/13/2012 10:36:28 am
I like how your speech is mainly based of friendship. By the way, I'm James Armistead. You play a great role in my individual's life!
Raghav Kotha
5/13/2012 11:36:04 am
Good Job Eugene, but you might want to add something that is not facts, to keep the audience engaged.
Julia Stephenson
5/14/2012 08:05:08 am
Wow Eugene you actually worked, I'm proud of you! The speech sounds amazing and I wish I was still in 6th period so I could see you present!
Eugene Han
5/12/2012 05:37:10 am
(Continued)
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Eugene Han
5/12/2012 05:43:25 am
Sorry please look at my 1st post. I didn't write this part as a reply, so just put feed back on my other post!
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John Wang
5/13/2012 10:20:18 am
Delicious speech, Eugene.
Mukund Kuntimad
5/12/2012 11:57:58 am
I like the way you summarized key concepts with spiffy bullets. They do drive the point home.
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Shishir Jessu
5/13/2012 04:45:48 am
I like how you really found his solid legacy and kept it consistent throughout.
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Sriram Palepu
5/13/2012 09:07:46 am
I enjoyed reading your speech. I agree with Shishir, you kept consistent themes throughout your speech.
Swathi Sarathy
5/12/2012 10:36:57 am
Good Morning ladies and gentlemen. Let me start off by saying that I am William Harvey Carney, a former African American slave who joined the Union during the time of the Civil War. Now, I have become gravely ill, and I have come to know that I will not be alive for much longer. For all of you here though, I would like to leave behind with you a piece of lasting wisdom...a small amount of advice that I have accumulated during my eventful years. But that, I will leave for the end.
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Swathi Sarathy
5/12/2012 10:38:45 am
(Continued from Above)
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Mukkund Kuntimad
5/12/2012 12:09:02 pm
Your Last lecture gave a complete insight about W.Harvey, and his role for the Union army during the civil war
Beverly Lo
5/13/2012 07:51:06 am
It's really good swaswa!! i liked how you closed up everything. It flows really nicely(:
Sriram Palepu
5/13/2012 09:09:23 am
I had never heard of Carney before and your speech provided great insight into his personality and beliefs. It is consistent and organized as well.
Taeeun Kim
5/13/2012 10:46:13 am
Wow... 4 bullets, but he kept going? That's amazing :) I like the descriptions of the Civil War.
Dheeraj Nuthakki
5/14/2012 01:55:49 am
I learned a lot about William Harvey Carney. I didn't know who he was before but I definitely know now. I liked how you used repitition at the end of your speech.
Taddie Cook
5/14/2012 08:12:23 am
I really think you used quotes very well in your speech.
Miika Jarvela
5/14/2012 09:00:04 am
Like everybody else has pointed out, your lecture is from the perspective of somebody who not many people know much about. You did a good job informing us, though.
Neil Bhamoo
5/14/2012 12:03:59 pm
The ending was amazing!! I really liked how you said what your legacy was not going to be first.
Chandru Sundarrajan
5/13/2012 02:25:31 am
Wow! Your speech gave me a great perception on someone who I didn't know about before.
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Mukund Kuntimad
5/12/2012 11:40:27 am
Hi! I am Meriwether Lewis, the Governor of the Louisiana Territory. I am on my way to Washington DC to meet with William Eustis, the new Secretary of War. Clark, my trusted friend and confidant, is meeting me there. I have decided to travel over land from this point because I don’t want to lose my precious, valuable journal to the robbers at sea. Brrrrr. Perrier! I need blankets! Hurry, the chills are coming again! Where is the trusted servant when I want him? Oh, the fever is rising, I feel hot! Where is my Quinine? Ah, here it is. This is my bitter wife and companion. Yeah, I tried to find a wife after I returned from the expedition, but could not. However, Clark married Julia Hancock in January. But for me, Quinine is the nagging bitter companion that takes care of me. Loneliness is a curse! Oh, the blasted headache! Want to guess why I am off to Washington in this condition? It is a long story.
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Mukund Kuntimad
5/12/2012 12:02:07 pm
My teen years were equally golden and momentous. My tenure in US army gave me invaluable and skilled friend William Clark. It’s very important to maintain friendship by keeping in touch. It will be helpful in future. Do not lose good contacts. You never know when you may need their help.
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Mukund Kuntimad
5/12/2012 12:03:23 pm
Farewell to thee. God bless.
Dheeraj Nuthakki
5/13/2012 01:12:53 am
I can see in your speech that there is a lot of emotion and that is very good because your are personally connecting to your historical figure.
Chandru Sundarrajan
5/13/2012 02:29:50 am
I liked that you used a lot of character descriptions for the audience to really understand your personality!
Daxton Davidson
5/13/2012 09:11:34 am
I like how you really get into your character and show lots of vivid detail. I also like it how you character expresses him self.
Sriram Palepu
5/13/2012 09:13:06 am
Meriwether Lewis is my historical figure as well! I enjoyed how you used word choice that sounded a lot like Lewis. There was a lot of emotion and it was easy to realize that you really put a lot of time in perfecting the lecture.
Vishaal Sakthivelnathan
5/14/2012 12:44:23 pm
Mukund, Mukund, Mukund. I would expect none the less out of you! My gosh. I enjoyed how you introduced yourself, and essentially got one with the audience. You also set the scence very well. I would give yours a 100 to the power of infinity!
Sakina Daresalamwala
5/14/2012 03:51:30 pm
Mukund, you're speech looks really good. It flows well and I liked how you incorporated his personality into it subtly! Overall, really good job!
Surabi Rao
5/13/2012 02:25:11 am
I love your introductory paragraph! You really sounded like Meriwether Lewis. Your whole speech did an awesome job of "staying in character" and it kept me engaged!
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Miika Jarvela
5/14/2012 09:06:19 am
Very well done, as expected! You wrote a very good speech. You stayed in character very well throughout; heck, you could convince me you were Lewis. Based on previous presentations I've seen, I know for sure that you will get both a 100 and win the contest (if there is one). Good luck, Mukund! Not that you need it...
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Chandru Sundarrajan
5/13/2012 02:14:22 am
Hello ladies and gentlemen. My name is Harriet Tubman, and for those of y’all who don’t know me, I am a humanitarian and abolitionist. During the past 90 years, my life’s purpose has been to help people. I am sad to inform you that I will be leaving the earth soon, hopefully to a better place. I am very sick and may die within a matter of weeks from pneumonia. Today, I am here to pass on the wisdom I have gained throughout my life. Specifically, I want to elaborate on four pieces of advice that will hopefully give you a stronger idea of how to lead your life.
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Chandru Sundarrajan
5/13/2012 02:14:56 am
These four principles are what helped me be who I am. It is not enough just to know them, but you must practice them in your daily life. Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny. So start off with good morals and ethics. Ladies and gentlemen, I might die tomorrow. But all I want from you is to remember this - dream big, prepare well, believe in yourself, and persevere - then you too, can change the world.
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Surabi Rao
5/13/2012 02:28:00 am
LITERARY DEVICES :D
Chandru Sundarrajan
5/13/2012 02:31:28 am
Ya :D
Mukund Kuntimad
5/13/2012 03:25:00 am
Nice. I liked it. I am really curious to see your costume!!;-)))
Taeeun Kim
5/13/2012 03:49:35 am
I like your last paragraph! It's a nice message your giving to the people :) And I really like the way how you divided your speech to four principles.
Giselle Peng
5/13/2012 09:13:24 am
I liked how the lessons behind each story were very clear, instead of it just being "I will tell you my life story now." Good job!
Sriram Palepu
5/13/2012 09:16:00 am
You added a lot of literary device to your lecture which made it spectacular. Your speech helped me understand Harriett Tubman's philosophies and beliefs in a different perspective.
Dheeraj Nuthakki
5/14/2012 01:58:55 am
I like the way you organized your lecture using 4 advices.
Vishaal Sakthivelnathan
5/14/2012 12:38:23 pm
I enjoy how you state your life lessons to the class, not like I went on the Underground Railroad and freed slaves. Then I blah blah blah. You did a really nice job incorporating facts with your life lessons. Really Amazing job, and I can see that you put a lot of effort into yours!
Chandru Sundarrajan
5/13/2012 02:23:58 am
Oops, it cut off! Here it continues...
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Shishir Jessu
5/13/2012 04:48:08 am
It was really authentic.
Surabi Rao
5/13/2012 02:27:44 am
I like how you said "my first piece of advice is....", and then giving an example. I could understand how that principle would help me. Your speech is really good!
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Surabi Rao
5/13/2012 02:28:49 am
The Last Lecture
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Surabi Rao
5/13/2012 02:29:26 am
role in the Revolution in my book. We exchanged furious letters after my book’s publication, and Adams proceeded to insult me even more. The Warrens family and Adams family became enemies. My correspondence with Abigail Adams ceased, and a heated rift between our family continued for 7 years, until some of our friends intervened and we reconciled. During those 7 years, I felt sad that our families were no longer friends, but I didn’t feel regretful that I wrote the truth about John Adams. The truth is always the right path to follow. Always tell the truth, even if the consequences seem scary, because it gets harder and harder to live with lies. How will anyone know anything if we keep lying just to glorify ourselves?
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Mukund Kuntimad
5/13/2012 03:33:01 am
Nice speech. Good details which clarify her personality.
Shishir Jessu
5/13/2012 04:49:11 am
This was really good, but there are typos (for example, the Constitutional convention was in 1787 and not 1788.
Sanjuktha Pendyala
5/13/2012 07:00:48 am
I really like how you started with a quote. It actually drags the audience in.
Giselle Peng
5/13/2012 09:17:05 am
I liked how you used the small details to make her personality really clear. Good job! I wish that I could watch it
Taeeun Kim
5/13/2012 11:03:13 am
Surabi, I'm really glad you changed to last of the last day.... Your speech is really nice :)
Taddie Cook
5/14/2012 08:15:10 am
Wow! Your speech is really different from mine, and we have the same person. We really gave them different personalities, but I see similar lessons. I really do like the part about haters. But it is very intresting to see how we touched on different things.
Surabi Rao
5/15/2012 10:31:51 am
Thank you Mukund, Shishir, Sanju, Giselle, Tay, Taddie, and Chandru!!! :)
Surabi Rao
5/13/2012 03:08:45 am
Oh my gosh. I meant 1787 for the Constitutional Convention, not 1788. WHAT A FAIL.
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Chandru Sundarrajan
5/13/2012 02:33:08 am
I like how you started your speech off with a quote instead of a conventional "Hi my name is" beginning!
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Maddy G
5/13/2012 03:04:56 am
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Surabi Rao
5/13/2012 03:11:01 am
I totally love your speech! You say that you're not crazy, but you'll be muttering to yourself, and that'll be really cool! "And then there're the Stamp Act. Could a crazy king have done that?" I LOVE YOUR SPEECH!!!
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Maddy G
5/13/2012 07:43:54 am
Thank you Surabi!!
Mukund Kuntimad
5/13/2012 03:38:22 am
The eccentricity of King George really comes through!! Are you going to be in costume too?
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Maddy G
5/13/2012 07:42:49 am
yessss costume:D wig and all!
Taeeun Kim
5/13/2012 03:54:45 am
This is really good Maddy! I can actually imagine you saying these lines and being crazy.
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Shishir Jessu
5/13/2012 04:53:56 am
You nailed the craziness, but what is his advice to the world?
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Maddy G
5/13/2012 07:49:18 am
It's still a work in progress...I'm doing a little editing on that right now.
Catherine Jackson
5/13/2012 09:35:54 am
That's the best one I've read so far! I really like how you justified what "you" were doing, and how you also used that to prove that you weren't crazy. It's really awesome!
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John Wang
5/13/2012 10:24:36 am
So I'm assuming you want us to be crazy kings, just like you?
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Raghav Kotha
5/13/2012 11:26:55 am
I think it's great, but you might want to talk a bit about your past such as birth,childhood,etc.Just a suggestion.Very Good!
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Taddie Cook
5/14/2012 08:17:51 am
I really appreciate in your speech how you didn't focus on the basic, "Oh, those patriots are horrible" side of king George. You didn't try to explain the revolutionary war, just expected people to know it. I really liked that.
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Maddy G
5/14/2012 12:33:40 pm
Thank you, Taddie!
Nicholas Castorina
5/13/2012 03:27:10 am
When I was younger, my mother always told me when times are rough, push through it because the best will come of it. I have lived by that quote my mother told me all of those years ago and I have lived by it through my whole life. Just recently, I was diagnosed with an unknown disease and I only have a few months to live. I have come here today, to tell the story of my life to show how determination and a dream you had as a kid can decide the route of your life and how a small dream I had as a kid made me the man that I am today.
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Nicholas Castorina
5/13/2012 03:28:06 am
to the First Continental Congress.
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Nicholas Castorina
5/13/2012 03:28:53 am
Now I can die knowing I have lived a full and purposeful life.
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Mukund Kuntimad
5/13/2012 03:45:50 am
Very nice with lots of details. If you include the precedents set by President Washington like people addressing him as President instead of Royal titles, him picking the first presidential cabinet and picking capable people for the job, it will be astounding :-)
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Nicholas Castorina
5/13/2012 04:12:30 am
Thanks for the advice. I had that but I cut that out because I thought my speech was too long. I guess I will add that back in. Wish me luck trying to memorize this!
Nicholas Castorina
5/13/2012 04:25:21 am
ignore the first speech that I posted. I have changed some information.
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Nicholas Castorina
5/13/2012 04:25:45 am
When I was younger, my mother always told me when times are rough, push through it because the best will come of it. I have lived by that quote my mother told me all of those years ago and I have lived by it through my whole life. Just recently, I was diagnosed with an unknown disease and I only have a few months to live. I have come here today, to tell the story of my life to show how determination and a dream you had as a kid can decide the route of your life and how a small dream I had as a kid made me the man that I am today.
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Nicholas Castorina
5/13/2012 04:26:25 am
I attended the first Virginia Convention where the people there selected me as a delegate to the First Continental Congress.
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Nicholas Castorina
5/13/2012 04:26:58 am
Henry Knox as secretary of war, and Edmund Jennings Randolph as the attorney general. These men where the best men that I could find that I would be willing to work with through my presidency to help and aid me.
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Shishir Jessu
5/13/2012 05:01:34 am
It's a good speech, really delves into his life story, but you may want to mention your name at the beginning.
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Nicholas Castorina
5/13/2012 12:11:47 pm
lol I totally didn't realize that shishir thanks!
Taddie Cook
5/14/2012 08:20:59 am
I actually liked the fact that you didn't mention your name- I think it shows just how famous Washington is. You can figure out who you are talking about by the second paragraphy, but it isn't the obvious beginning of, "Hello, my name is Washington and I am probably the most reconginized person in America."
Mukund Kuntimad
5/13/2012 05:24:48 am
It reads very well! I m sure you will do a grat job! All the very best:-))
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Chandru Sundarrajan
5/13/2012 06:03:45 am
Wow, you went really detailed into the life of Washington!
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Lauren Kirkley
5/15/2012 08:22:12 am
Very long Nick! It was very informational though..pretty interesting! I learned quite a few more things about Washington! I guess it would be a good idea to mention your name, but other than that its great!
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Claire Jordan
5/13/2012 05:55:40 am
I had a pretty rough childhood. I was the fourth of five children, and was born into a very important yet poor family at the time. Even though my family owned Stanford Hall, we were still in great debt.
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Mukund Kuntimad
5/13/2012 07:57:01 am
Nice lecture. Is it your intention to keep your identity a secret and let the audience infer? maybe at the end you should reveal your identity before saying goodbye?
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Giselle Peng
5/13/2012 09:21:15 am
I really liked how he kept referring to the Civil War as the War of Northern Aggression. It made it clear whose side he was on and how his being the Confederate general changed the way he perceived the war.
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Shishir Jessu
5/13/2012 06:28:16 am
Last Lecture
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Shishir Jessu
5/13/2012 06:29:10 am
(Continued from above)
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Sierra Latshaw
5/13/2012 06:57:09 am
My gracious Shishir! That is like the best lecture ever!! Its obvious you know your charactar. I really think out of all these lectures posted so far its really good. I really like the intro, and I also like when you refer to the dred scott case. This is just so perfect!! Ahh Good job :)
Shishir Jessu
5/13/2012 07:01:00 am
I made the following change:
Janice Kao
5/13/2012 07:10:20 am
Your lecture is awesome! You point out lessons clearly unlike mine. I should probably edit mine a little when I'm speaking. Though on the second post, in the middle all the way down to the conclusion, it seems more about your life than lessons. But I guess that works too since you're trying to explain the legacy Lincoln lived. The foreshadowing of his death at the end is SO COOL! No sarcasm intended.
Maddy G
5/13/2012 07:46:53 am
Wow Shishir! That was really well written!! Awesome speech:)
Shishir Jessu
5/13/2012 07:57:39 am
I just want you - ALL 3 of you - to know I appreciate your comments. Haha, all jokes aside, I really do appreciate that people like it. But please, don't be afraid to be brutal.
Mukund Kuntimad
5/13/2012 08:04:02 am
Abe Lincoln's major milestones very nicely covered. I liked it very much...
Sriram Palepu
5/13/2012 09:21:33 am
I feel at a loss of words. Great lecture. You were able to completely engross your self as Abraham Lincoln. The lecture was arranged in way that it made pay attention and read on. You were able to highlight Lincoln's philosophies and beliefs brilliantly.
Taeeun Kim
5/13/2012 09:32:46 am
I just realized how well Lincoln's personality will match Shishir's..... You're going to be awesome... I like how it's very detailed!
Catherine Jackson
5/13/2012 09:39:42 am
Okay, you're winning. Not sure who else is in your class (no offense to those of you who are), but this is amazing.
Haris Rafiq
5/13/2012 11:28:02 am
Dude that was swag. Seriously. Now all you gotta do is get your speech memorized and you got this. I can't even compete.
Shishir Jessu
5/13/2012 01:32:09 pm
Also, I want to point out that Lincoln's mother actually died SIX years after his brother, rather than the two I had originally said she died after.
Chandru Sundarrajan
5/14/2012 06:33:49 am
That was amazing Shishir! I especially enjoyed your last papragraph because it had a very meaningful life lesson.
Helen Zhang
5/14/2012 12:14:46 pm
This is absolutely incomparable. Your lesson was constant throughout, and your spectacular writing style made it seem as if President Lincoln wrote this himself. As others have mentioned, the foreshadowing of his death at the end was an impressive touch. :)
Yacine Issioui
5/13/2012 06:38:16 am
Ladies and Gents, My name is Thomas Jefferson. I was the third president of the United States of America, a really good one if I say so myself, and one of the proud authors of the Declaration of Independence. I have been pretty sick lately and my days on this earth are very limited. Although many people dislike me for the Embargo of 1807, I was the man who bought the Louisiana Purchase and banned the slave trade. I am also proud of drafting the Virginia State Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom in 1777, and proud founder of the University of Virginia.
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Chandru Sundarrajan
5/13/2012 07:26:11 am
Are you sure Thomas Jefferson was born in 1843 ? ;) I think it was 1743! Good speech though!
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Yacine Issioui
5/13/2012 01:38:28 pm
Oh, Yeah thanks Chandru!
Mukund Kuntimad
5/13/2012 08:10:23 am
Nice speech. It will be even better if you add Louisiana purchase, Jefferson's major accomplishment as he more than doubled the size of the country and his passion for westward expansion:-)
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Yacine Issioui
5/13/2012 01:41:56 pm
Thanks for the Feedback!!
Yacine Issioui
5/13/2012 01:39:24 pm
Correction 1743 instead of 1843***
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Nicholas Castorina
5/13/2012 06:48:09 pm
By the way, he was the only author of the declaration of independence.
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Miika Jarvela
5/14/2012 08:40:37 am
Technically, the other people were "authors..." They were part of the committee that "wrote" the declaration...but it was mainly him and not anybody else. 5/13/2012 06:57:37 am
I am dying. I have been sick for a while;I am dying of typhoid fever, but I know I am ready to go. I have been surrounded by death these last few months, but in a way that has made me stronger. Now, here I am ready to tell all of you about my life and how self-sacrifice shaped my life. Starting with volunteering homeless shelter, to raising my 5 children alone for most of the time, and to finally aiding my husband, John Adams, in running the country. I have had my fair, share of self-sacrifice in my lifetime.
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Shishir Jessu
5/13/2012 07:06:05 am
It gets cut off, they all do. You need to post the rest of it. I believe you are Abigail Adams, right? From the little bit I know about her, it seems like you nailed the personality! I couldn't see your final message, but I would introduce myself at the start.
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Mukund Kuntimad
5/13/2012 08:14:08 am
Nice lecture. I am sure you reveal your identity in the latter part of the lecture which got cut off?
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Madiha Rehan
5/13/2012 07:00:14 am
Good morning everyone! I am here today to give out my last words to the people before I pass away. I did fight for women’s rights in this country and believe in the equality of both men and women. I will first give you a bit of my earlier years in life, and then I’ll go into detail about my succession in giving awareness in women’s rights.
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Madiha Rehan
5/13/2012 07:07:57 am
Don't know why it cut off my speech,but here's the rest!
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Mukund Kuntimad
5/13/2012 08:18:40 am
Nice details. Is it your intention to not reveal your identity and make the audience guess the same in the end?
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Melody Siebenmann
5/13/2012 07:35:32 am
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Melody Siebenmann
5/13/2012 07:38:41 am
(CONTINUED)
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Mukund Kuntimad
5/13/2012 08:21:01 am
Your understanding of Abigail Adams is very thorough and comes across very well:-)
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Jenna Song
5/13/2012 09:04:10 am
Wow Melody! I really feel like I'm in her time period listening to her speak before she dies. I like the feel of your last lecture! I also liked how you emphasized that "You were Abigail Adams: in the beginning and end.
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melody siebenmann
5/13/2012 09:10:24 am
now I just have to memorize it :)
Helen Zhang
5/13/2012 10:03:51 am
Wow, Melody, I am very impressed. I also have Abigail Adams. You speech made me reconsider the layout of mine. Your message was displayed very clearly. Great job! :)
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Selase Buatsi
5/14/2012 03:53:35 pm
That is a lot of content. It must have taken you a long time to do this. Well good job, it sounds really good.
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Sierra Latshaw
5/13/2012 07:58:41 am
Last Lecture:
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Mukund Kuntimad
5/13/2012 08:24:24 am
The lecture got cut off. You need to post the concluding part. I got a good picture of the personality Dolly Madison in the part that is posted.
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Sierra Latshaw
5/13/2012 12:18:44 pm
Continued:
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Melod Siebenmann
5/13/2012 08:30:32 pm
I love it Sierra! It was written very well! 5/13/2012 08:23:30 am
Introduction
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Mukund Kuntimad
5/13/2012 08:28:16 am
Your lecture is cut off. I liked the chronological order you followed when talking about your character.
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5/13/2012 08:28:19 am
This was when I learned the important factor of being prepared. Clark and I had packed an abundance of resources but we realized that we failed to ignore factors of so many scenarios. This is the importance of preparedness. When you are prepared, you are confident in what you do, and you can execute anything seamlessly. Take heed children; as this is advice that will follow you throughout your life; be prepared for anything.
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Sriram Palepu
5/13/2012 08:30:59 am
Wow. I spelled my name wrong on my second post...
Taeeun Kim
5/13/2012 09:06:06 am
This is really good Sriram! I especially like the message and the quote you have in the conclusion :)
Raghav Kotha
5/13/2012 11:31:14 am
It is very good, and I have the same person. I think I might need to go back and edit mine so it can compare to yours.
Jenna Song
5/13/2012 11:45:59 am
This is really good Sriram! You're whole speech is very organized and I like how you finished your ending. The conclusion was a great end to the story, so it left the readers a feeling of wanting more of your last lecture!
Joshua Chow
5/14/2012 11:46:27 am
Sorry about today at school.... Your speech is really awesome!
Kate Kaiser
5/13/2012 09:00:35 am
Last Lecture: George Washington
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Kate Kaiser
5/13/2012 09:02:32 am
(Continued)
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Melody Siebenmann
5/13/2012 09:11:49 am
Wow Kate! That was realy good. I can't wait to see you speak it!
Vishaal Sakthivelnathan
5/13/2012 09:14:46 am
Kate, that was just amazing. I liked your intro!
Mukund Kuntimad
5/13/2012 09:49:30 am
A very good portrait of President Washington. You have nailed his character down very well!
Sriram Palepu
5/13/2012 11:26:51 am
Your speech was great! You were able to go in-depth into Washington's character. The historical events in Washington's life were clearly mentioned and explained.
Nicholas Castorina
5/13/2012 12:39:04 pm
that was good. As being George Washington also, all I have to say is that tuberculosis was discovered in 1882. They believe Laurence had it though. But very good!
Vishaal Sakthivelnathan
5/13/2012 09:15:24 am
Information is the currency of democracy. I am honored to have my quote on the back of the classroom. Today, I have been called to spread that currency to you. This information is vital to the success for our country. But in order to fully comprehend what I am emphasizing to this generation today, we must go back to my childhood. When I was young, I would always do my best in school. Early on I learned French, Greek, and Latin. French would prove to be very useful in my later life. I was also enthusiastic about my studies. This is the first piece of wisdom that I would like you to understand. As the future generation of America, you must do whatever you can help you country. In order to do this, you will need to gain as much knowledge as you can, and be enthusiastic in your studies. I know that school work does not seem fun, but trust me and my experience. Whatever you do now is what will help you in the future. The more hard work you do currently, the more relaxed you can be later. Another tip during childhood, READ. Reading is one of the most crucial things that a child can do to expand his knowledge. Now a day, I take it that one needs to work hard in order to succeed in this economy. One way is by reading at a young age. Once my father died, I inherited many of his books from his vast collection. I cannot live without books. I enjoy learning about new things day by day. I would say that those were the main importance of my childhood. They helped me progress later in life and helped me become a lawyer. I handled many cases when I was a lawyer in Virginia. Some of the people were even elite families well. To take it up a notch, I was selected by Albemarle County to represent them in the Virginia House of Burgesses. What an honor it was to get the privilege to serve my part in the government. But when I was chosen to the Second Continental Congress to write the document which would affect everyone living here, I was even more honored. I could remember it as if it were yesterday. At the convention, we were downright furious at the king. How did he have the right to control our every action? We decided that we needed to UNITE as one and defeat this tyrant. When the committee selected me to write the parchment that would change us, I knew I had to do my best. I first wrote down what we were fighting. I would like you to take a second to ponder about this. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain Unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. What comes to mind when you think about this sentence, and why do you think I wrote this. In reality, I wrote this because our King was being a total menace who did not care about his colonies. How would you have felt if you were being taxed left and right? He took away all those things that we hold dear to us. I wrote this right away as a call to arms statement for many Americans. I wanted to wake them up and tell them “Hey we are in a crisis right now. The King is taking over all the things that we hold deep. Are you going to be lazy fellows, or are you going to fight for the better of the country?” By writing and signing it, I was fully aware of all the risks that I may face ahead. But for the liberty and freedom for this country, anything could be sacrificed. By my Declaration, many other people around the world were inspired. The French were inspired to rebel against their King. I supported their fight for freedom, and believed as allies we should help each other out. But unfortunately, Washington voted against it. Now I bring up my next point. I want all of you in the room to listen to this, because I believe this the important fact I am going to bring up. EXERCIZE YOUR ROLE IN GOVERNMENT!!! We fought so hard for you to have those rights, so do not waste it. It is not a privilege that should be taken granted for, it is a way of life. We fought so hard to get you these freedoms that a man would need. You, the future, must carry them out for us. You, have the power that we did not have back before all the bloodshed. I always emphasize that when the government fears the people there is liberty; when the people fear the government there is tyranny. You must not let tyranny escape. The easiest
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Giselle Peng
5/13/2012 09:24:23 am
Your lecture got cut off because of the word limit.
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Vishaal Sakthivelnathan
5/14/2012 09:57:02 am
Whoops i will add on to it thanks Giselle!
Mukund Kuntimad
5/13/2012 09:51:48 am
I love the opening quote! I am sure the ending is equally riveting. You have portrayed Jefferson thoroughly in your last lecture.
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Raghav Kotha
5/13/2012 11:29:29 am
It is very good though, I think that you should break up your essay so you dont lose your breath, and get time to put in natural pauses.
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Vishaal Sakthivelnathan
5/14/2012 09:58:51 am
(Continued)
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Sydney Stevens
5/13/2012 09:19:07 am
Hello. I am Dorothea Dix. *Cough, cough* As you can see, I have fallen ill. The year is 1887 and I fear that my death is approaching. *Cough, cough* But before I leave the world, I want to leave behind my legacy. First, I want to properly introduce myself my telling you my story. Let’s start back in the year 1802, the year of my birth. I was the first born into a family of three to my two parents, Joseph and Mary Dix. As I have often said, ‘I never knew childhood’, because I had to be the parents for my younger brothers. You see our father was an abusive, alcoholic and our mother was rumored to be mentally ill. But, my brothers and I were separated from our parents when my grandmother made us move to the Dix Mansion because she did not think that our parent’s could take care of us. However, I was not a fan of the wealthy life style and was eventually sent to live with my great aunt at the age of 14. While living with my aunt, I met my second cousin, Edward Bangs, who helped me establish my first “little dame school” when I was only fifteen. I held classes here for three years until I was frightened because Edward proposed. Although I accepted the ring, I returned it later on when my father passed and never did marry. For the next fourteen years of my life, I continued to hold classes for both the wealthy and the poor. However, I became ill and took some time off. *Cough, cough* I returned to take care of my sick grandmother but fell ill again and finally returned in 1841 in better health to begin my second career as a social reformer. This career began when I started teaching Sunday school at the East Cambridge Jail. I was appalled by what I saw. There were so many people crammed and chained to the walls of one cell that was unheated and unfurnished. Some people suffered from unfair punishment such as years in jail for being in debt. I saw so many people being treated unfairly. There were criminals, drunks, and even the mentally ill! I was so outraged with these conditions! I was even more furious when I asked why it was like this and they answered with, ‘the insane do not feel heat or cold’. This made me so mad! Just because someone is mentally ill does not mean that they are any less of a human then us. They have feelings too and deserve to be treated like human beings, not criminals. I wish people would learn to treat everyone as equals and not criticize based on their appearance. *Cough, cough*Anyways, after I witnessed such horrible things, I decided to see if there were other jails with the same conditions. So, I started to travel across Massachusetts and inspect jails. I took my findings to the Massachusetts Legislature and eventually won their support to set aside land for the Worcester State Hospital. After achieving this, I still wanted to make a difference so I went to inspect the jails in the states east of the Mississippi River. Although I did make a big difference and helped establish over 30 mental hospitals, I was still not fully satisfied. *Cough, cough* I decided that the mentally ill still needed better conditions, so I asked Congress if they would set aside 5 million acres to be used to help care for the mentally ill. They agreed and helped carry out my dream. I was extremely happy that I had made such an impact and left my legacy behind for the mentally ill. Now I just hope that everyone else can carry out this legacy.
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Beverly Lo
5/13/2012 10:53:57 am
Oh my gosh. I'm writing my speech right now and i have the cough cough in there too! So don't feel like i copied you, cause i swear i didn't(:
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Sydney Stevens
5/13/2012 11:06:35 am
Haha ok :) thanks for clearing that up!
Raghav Kotha
5/13/2012 11:21:47 am
I like the Coughing as it really adds to the speech. It really conveys that you are sick.
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Mukund Kuntimad
5/14/2012 09:11:24 am
You have brought out the passion of Dix and portrayed her relentless fight for the mentally ill very well!
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Giselle Peng
5/13/2012 09:25:19 am
Ladies and gentlemen who have gathered here today, thank you for giving your time to come listen to me. For those who do not know me, my name is Sojourner Truth.
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Giselle Peng
5/13/2012 09:26:02 am
somebody that you love. I pray that you will not be forced to choose. But if you do, remember the words of Alfred Tennyson: ‘Tis better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all.
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Mukund Kuntimad
5/13/2012 09:55:27 am
I love the way you flitted from the present day mode to flash back mode and conveyed the main idea with neat main idea phrases.
Taddie Cook
5/14/2012 08:25:29 am
I could really hear you reading this as I read it! But was she very well educated? Because it sounded like someone extremly educated wrote the speech. Also, if she was not educated, she would probably not be quoting poetry. But I really did like your use of a quote.
Rahi Patel
5/13/2012 10:02:43 am
Hello ladies and gents, I, Ulysses S. Grant, am here because I was called to give a last lecture. A lecture about my life, my legacy and what I hope the future will be like. There are two words that I know all too well, peace and war. Peace: What does peace mean to you? What do you think of when someone says the word peace? Now, war. War: Again, what do you think when you hear the word of war spoken out loud? To me: I think that war is a means of peace.
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Raghav Kotha
5/13/2012 11:25:02 am
It's pretty good, though you might want to break up the middle part so that you can speak naturally. If you make pauses in your speech it sounds more natural.
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John Wang
5/13/2012 10:19:12 am
Good day, ladies and ladies! Is my lovely wife in the audience? No? Good!
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John Wang
5/13/2012 10:22:33 am
(continued)
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Raghav Kotha
5/13/2012 11:17:55 am
It's very good, you added just the right amount of facts, so that it is interesting but it still teaches us a lot.
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Alexander Hamilton's Wife
5/14/2012 07:59:58 am
Are you cheating on me again???
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5/13/2012 11:07:26 am
Introduction:
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Raghav Kotha
5/13/2012 11:19:01 am
I like how you divided your lecture into parts. It really helps the listeners focus better.
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Dheeraj Nuthakki
5/14/2012 02:32:51 am
I liked the quote at the end. Organization makes it easier and better for you when you present so it's a good idea that you had.
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Zachary Pranske as Robert E. Lee
5/13/2012 11:18:09 am
I have been up here a hundred or more times, but today it seems so… different, for today is, I’m afraid, my last time up here. I have seen Washington and Lee University grow from a tiny farm house to the great school it is today. This school, as it was built, was a great opportunity for higher education, based on achievement and goals and not unmindful of the future. And this is why I am here today. I could tell my life story from superintendent to general to citizen, but this is not what I am here for. No, I am here to talk to you, in hopes that you may not make some of the mistakes I did.
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Raghav Kotha
5/13/2012 11:20:05 am
It is good, but I think some of it must have been cut off. :)
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Avery Pietrowiak
5/13/2012 11:18:17 am
Good day to all of you, for the some that don’t know me, my name is Elizabeth Cady Stanton. I am here today to talk to you, my friends, for I feel that there is something here for me to say. Please excuse my bad health, I haven’t been feeling by best these days, but I assure you, I am well capable of proceeding. You may be thinking that this is just going to be another speech about how the government is so unfair to women, but on the contrary it is why I believe so strongly about the topic of women’s rights.
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Zachary Pranske as Robert E. Lee
5/13/2012 11:19:03 am
ered by. Unfortunately, what I will be remembered by is not what I want it to be. Think about my name: Robert E. Lee. What do you think of first? Losing general in the Civil War…That’s what I thought. Is that what I want my legacy to be? No, I want to be remembered for my successes and not my failures. I want to leave a legacy of a hero and not a villain or a war general. In fact, I might even go so far as to say that even if I won that wouldn’t be my legacy of choice. I don’t want people to think of Robert E. Lee and remember the bloody, dreadful war. No, what I want to be remembered by is my dedication to my home, my beliefs, and the world’s future. That is my hope for my last legacy. No person’s legacy should be defined by a single action. Unfortunately, my failure was great, and the wrongs of a person’s life often define them.
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Joshua Chow
5/14/2012 01:37:08 pm
At the end, you said "If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down." You are quoting Mary Pickford and she was born in the year 1893. Robert E. Lee was born in the year 1807. Just trying to help...
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Taeeun Kim
5/13/2012 11:22:55 am
Introduction
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Taeeun Kim
5/13/2012 11:23:50 am
and many of them are slaves. They’re treated as property, not as humans. I hope that this changes over the years and that we’re treated equal just like any other race. Who knows? An African American could be elected president someday.
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Raghav Kotha
5/13/2012 11:28:16 am
I like the body of your essay. I think you might want to have a better conclusion.
Sriram Palepu
5/13/2012 11:33:00 am
I like how you divided your speech up into sections, it made it easier to comprehend. The part after the "*****" will really help you connect to your audience. I didn't really know a lot about James Armistead but this speech helped me understand his character and personality. You might want to mention his name in your speech.
Surabi Rao
5/13/2012 12:03:31 pm
Also, Tay, I don't really think you should point out your legacy like you did in your last paragraph. Maybe you should replace that sentence with, "That is all I have to say" or something.
Surabi Rao
5/13/2012 12:01:35 pm
Nice job Tay! But I have a question... was James A. a spy for the British or the Americans in the end? Also, when the Revolution started, did e orginially want to help the Americans or the British? Also, you know when you say "Do you remember earlier when I said that I didn’t know my life was going to change after meeting General Lafayette? Well, that part is almost coming." it sounds kinda.... tacky (I say tacky for the lack of a better word). Anyway, I think you should rephrase/change that part. But good job!! :)
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Taeeun Kim
5/13/2012 01:16:18 pm
He was on the American's side all throughout the revolution! He got information out of the British and told the Americans. So basically he gave valuable informaition to the Americans, but false information or useless information to the British! He was a double spy :)
Surabi Rao
5/14/2012 01:10:21 am
Wow, that's awesome!! :) hehe ninja power indeed.
Morgan Glover
5/14/2012 08:23:30 am
I like how you split each section up about his life. It makes the speech really easy to follow than jumbling up all of the sections and not being able to understand it. I really liked your legacy. It will be easy to relate to for people in the audience.
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Taeeun Kim
5/14/2012 11:00:35 am
Thanks Morgan! :)
Jamie Stivers
5/13/2012 11:31:04 am
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Helen Zhang
5/14/2012 11:47:17 am
You gave a great life lesson of President Lincoln, and the your message was clearly displayed during the last paragraph. Great job! :)
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Raghav Kotha
5/13/2012 11:42:33 am
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Raghav Kotha
5/13/2012 11:43:38 am
Continued..
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Raghav Kotha
5/13/2012 12:21:34 pm
I reposted my lecture because I made some final edits.
Helen Zhang
5/13/2012 12:06:36 pm
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I’m Abigail Adams. Most of you probably know me as the wife of the 2nd president of the United States, John Adams. Well, I’m going to tell you all a little about myself. My father was a Congregational minister, and my mother was descended from the Quincys, a family of great prestige in the colony of Massachusetts. However, even with the nice background I was born into, like many other women of my time, I lacked formal education. However, that did not keep me from learning in any way that I could. My mother taught my sisters and I how to read, write, and cipher. Also, with the availability of my family’s large libraries, I read eagerly the books at hand. I married John in 1764. In ten years, we bore three sons and two daughters. While John was away serving our beloved country, I looked after our children and ran the farm. Life was especially difficult during that time due to wartime shortages and inflation. The worst part was how much I missed my “dearest friend”. As I said, thinking about him “dwelt upon my mind and played about my heart...”. I filled the gap in my heart with frequent letters to him, which told the story of my difficulties. I also wrote letters that well-represented my usual bold and outspoken self. I remember in one, I told John to “...not put such unlimited power into the hands of husbands. Remember all men would be tyrants if they could.” I still remember John laughed at my remark, but my opinion needed to be stated. In 1784, I joined John at his diplomatic post in Paris and filled the role of wife of the first United States Minister to Great Britain. Later on, John became the first Vice President, and I befriended Martha Washington, the first lady at the time. When my husband was elected President, I moved to the White House in Washington D.C. The city was wilderness, and although I thought the White House was beautiful, it was far from completion. Also, I remember I complained that there was no one to chop and haul firewood for us. I entertained myself by being so politically active that some referred to me as “Mrs. President”, which I found quite humbling. After John was defeated in his presidential re-election campaign, the family retired to Quincy, Massachusetts. Currently, I am enjoying the family life that has been long overdue. Nevertheless, I mustn’t forget to mention my poor health, which I believe will end my term on Earth fairly soon. Therefore, I would like to leave you all with a message. All my life, I have lived in a male dominant world as you can see from the famous quotation from the Declaration of Independence “all men are created equal”. My husband has called me “saucy” for thinking women deserve more respect and opportunities. Nevertheless, that did not put me down. Instead, I still stood firm with my beliefs. I had enough of men disagreeing with my ideas just because they can’t think with an open mind. I believe that one day, men will realize the beneficial qualities of women, such as our intellectual capabilities and how we can influence others. Being my direct self, I never hesitated to state my opinions like I am doing now. Unfortunately, I believe I am far too old and unwell to start a movement. Nevertheless, I also believe that generations later, a woman or even man will take the words I said today to heart and accomplish all the things for women I wish I could’ve achieved. I hope my son, John Quincy Adams, will be the one to do so as he has great potential. I guess what I’m saying is don’t waste your time. During the last days of my long journey of life, I’d like to say that I have nothing to regret. If you believe some kind of change in the world is needed, fight for it. Don’t dwell on it during your last couple of years and regret not taking action earlier. It will be too late by then. I hope you all listened carefully to the words I said today as they are truly something I hope to pass down to future generations. Thank you for your time.
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Melody Siebenmann
5/15/2012 09:44:35 pm
as one abigail to another, It was a well written speech. You did a good job.
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Raghav Kotha
5/13/2012 12:22:20 pm
Meriwether Lewis Last Lecture
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Sriram Palepu
5/13/2012 12:32:57 pm
Your interpretation of Lewis's personality was great with the excerpt I had seen. You used a lot of historical reference and managed to keep the audience/reader hooked. With the part I've seen, it is obvious that you really delved into Lewis's personality.
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Raghav Kotha
5/13/2012 12:25:10 pm
Continued...
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Shishir Jessu
5/13/2012 01:11:14 pm
I thought you nailed the info and first person experiences that you won't see in the textbooks. Of course, after watching Sagar's, it's hard to compete with, but I think it's still great anyway.
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Chandru Sundarrajan
5/14/2012 08:03:26 am
I really liked your intro and ending :)
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Pratyusha Manthena
5/13/2012 01:14:11 pm
Hello? Can you hear me alright? Thank you all for being here. I am John Locke- political philosopher, father of empiricism, and writer. I apologize for such a small voice, but I cannot talk much louder. As you can see, my health has been giving me a hard time as usual. My asthma has weakened me, and I cannot go five minutes without coughing. But nonetheless, I shall continue. With the strength I have left, I wish to give you my knowledge that I have accumulated throughout my years. I wish to see you understand the role of the government and the importance of equality. And to do that we must start at the beginning- 1632, August 29, the day of my birth.
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Pratyusha Manthena
5/13/2012 01:16:06 pm
*continued*
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Shishir Jessu
5/13/2012 01:35:09 pm
In depth and informative, indeed. The only complaint I have is the chronology (things are jumbled up in the 1680s era).
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Miika Jarvela
5/14/2012 08:52:35 am
Very good job, Pratyusha! You really captured Locke's beliefs and life. The one complaint I have is what Shishir said.
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Helen Zhang
5/14/2012 11:55:09 am
You portrayed your person very nicely. Your speech has such a strong message. Great job! :)
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Selase Buatsi
5/13/2012 01:22:49 pm
My name is King George III. I was born into royalty and born to rule. If I may say so myself, I did an excellent job ruling England. I am fairly certain that all you have heard of me and my works, but for those of you who are ignorant, I am the son of Fredrick, Prince of Wales and grandson of King George II. I was invited here to give you some advice that I believe that you should live by. Before I can give you that advice I have to tell you a little about my life.
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Selase Buatsi
5/13/2012 01:23:54 pm
Everyone is watching what you do, hanging on your every word and action. You’re not only making decisions for yourself, your making decisions for the whole kingdom. It is hard enough to take care of kids, believe me I know, but taking care of everyone else can put quite a strain on you. Before I leave, I want you all to remember to hold yourself high. No one can pull you down, and as long as you’re up there, nobody can lead you astray. I wish that I had known that lesson before I learned it the hard way, but that is how life is. You live, and you learn. Now I am tired, and I longer feel like talking. Please listen to my advice. Now I must return to my home and to Charlotte.
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Helen Zhang
5/14/2012 11:43:31 am
Selase, your essays never fail to disappoint me. You have truly captured King George's personality. I can't wait to listen to you recite this. :)
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Selase Buatsi
5/14/2012 02:12:21 pm
Thanks Helen, but if you scroll down you will find my edited speech. I realized that there was one more lesson that I could fit into my essay.
Sanjuktha Pendyala
5/13/2012 01:36:46 pm
Good morning to my fellow people. As you all know, I am Mercy Otis Warren. I am a poet, playwright, and a Patriot writer. Right now, I am unfortunately ill. I can tell my end is nearing. Anyways, I am not here to talk about my death. Today, I am perfectly healthy and willing to talk to you kind people. I am not here to brag about myself, I just wanted to let everyone know of how I think of this world, what I have done for America and you could do too. Even though my childhood wasn’t that great, I still learned quite a lot of things about America. Throughout the young years of my life, I have experienced and learned a lot from my long journey. I have a very important message for you people, but I think I’ll save that in the end.
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Sanjuktha Pendyala
5/13/2012 01:38:46 pm
(Continued...)
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Ryan Kinder
5/13/2012 01:54:19 pm
Philip Bazaar Last Lecture
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Josh Fink
5/13/2012 11:42:05 pm
Robert E. Lee- Last Lecture
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Josh Fink
5/13/2012 11:43:37 pm
My Speech Continued
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5/14/2012 05:07:57 am
Theodore Roosevelt once said, "Believe you can and you're halfway there." Belief is what my race and I had to drive ourselves. Belief and faith are what led the colored troops to be the best troop in the Civil War, according to the Confederate Army. Belief and faith are the main factors why we had such tremendous drive to do what was best for our people, fight, and fight is what I would end up doing. A quote I said in the Liberator, and abolitionist newspaper, may give you a better understanding of what led me to sign up for the 54th Massachusetts, the first black regiment in the civil war. "Previous to the formation of colored troops, I had a strong inclination to prepare myself for the ministry; but when the country called for all persons, I could best serve my God serving my country and my oppressed brothers. The sequel in short—I enlisted for the war."
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Taddie Cook
5/14/2012 08:27:15 am
I really liked your use of quotes and how you talked about African American rights in your speech. But part of it got cut off. You may want to change that.
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Melody Siebenmann
5/14/2012 06:28:29 am
my REVISED and CHANGED Last Lecture:
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Melody Siebenmann
5/14/2012 06:36:10 am
please ignore this post, and the one i have made before. I keep noticing mistakes... The one below is my FINAL copy.
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Melody Siebenmann
5/14/2012 06:34:04 am
FINAL, REVISED, CHANGED LAST LECTURE:
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Melody Siebenmann
5/14/2012 06:34:55 am
(CONTINUED):
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Julia Stephenson
5/14/2012 08:03:49 am
"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." Throughout your life, you will come across things that will break you, it's your choice whether or not you let them tear you down. I was separated from my mother at birth, i don't exactly remember who my dad was, but I'm pretty sure it was our slave master. Being separated from people who actually care about you, and being thrown into a condition of hate and constant work, things start to decline quickly. Your hope. Your health. And definitely your faith. But we as people have the choice whether we're going to "fight" or give up. I chose fight. Sure I got off to a rough start, being beaten and over-worked by my first slave master, who wouldn't have gotten off to a rough start? Running away is rarely the answer, you're taught growing up that your problems will only get worse by avoiding them. But when you're being mistreated, it's a different story. Through our lives we will face things that cause us to second guess ourselves. Although you have every right to decide whether you want to give up or fight back, I hope you never go down without some sort of fight. "Where there is no struggle there is no progress." Being born into such harsh conditions at such a young age has taught me so much, it has taught me to make the best of every situation and don't waste time feeling sorry for yourself. Time spent feeling bad for the circumstances God has placed you in is time that you could have used to change something you don't like. They say everything in life happens for a reason, but the reason won't be right under your nose, you'll have to look for it. Maybe you don't know exactly what it's like to be beaten for not working hard enough, or not getting credit for the long hours you work, but you have faced something that has stood in your way before. But some people are willing to step out from the normal way you are being treated and change you for good. Sophia Auld, my second slave master's wife secretly taught me how to read and write, her husband quickly caught on and put an end to it, but it was too late I already knew how to fluently read and write. She spent countless hours with me teaching me. Soon enough I was reading columns in the newspapers about how many people thought the conditions me and many other people in the country were in. This gave me hope, hope that not all people were the same as the wicked slave masters that I'd had, hope that there were more people out there like Sophia Auld. My willingness to fight for what I believed in only grew since reading those articles. I started to have a private church service with my fellow slaves, we assembled together for about six months until Slave Master Covey stepped in and roughly put an abrupt end to it. After he put an end to our church services, I had honestly had enough. I should have the same rights as everyone, but I couldn't because I had a different skin color. On September 3rd, I escaped from Mr. Covey. I boarded a train using identification papers given to me by a free black sailor. My name was Washington Augustus Bailey, but people would be looking for a runaway slave with that name, I had to get a new name. Frederick Douglass. Within 24 hours, I was a free man. What was I supposed to do? There was so much that I had never seen because I've been shielded from the outside world for so long. I immediately took what Sophia had taught me and applied it to my bettering circumstances. If there's one thing I want you to get from this is that in order to be successful you have to pay attention to the ones who care and apply what they've taught you, for if they didn't care about you, they wouldn't have taught you. One year after I became free, I fell in love. Anna Murray, a free black woman, who blessed me with four kids. On August 10th 1863, things continued to get better, President Abraham Lincoln had heard about me and read my articles about unfair treatment of African Americans and he and I met that day to discuss it. I didn't hear back from him for awhile, but about a year later (August 19th 1864) I requested to meet with him again and we discussed how we would help the slaves escape to safety in the north. We hadn't come up with a solution before Lincoln was assassinated on April 19th 1865. Cherish the time spent with those whom listen to your opinion and care about your feelings, and try to work things out as quickly as possible because the ones who care might be gone before you know it. Lincoln was one of the few important white men that was willing to talk with me about what I felt was fair and unfair, and it kills me to know that things could have changed immensely had he not been assassinated. And on August 4th, 1882, I lost another very special person in my life, Anna passed away, I was sent into a time of depression and not knowing what to do, until finally one day I realized that I was done being sad, if I wanted to get better I was willing to make a change. I met a ve
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Taddie Cook
5/14/2012 08:07:44 am
Last Lecture
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Taddie Cook
5/14/2012 08:08:50 am
Initially, my husband James Warren, who still isn’t here yet, and my brother Jemmy joined the Continental Army. But I was seriously worried about my brother who had some mental problems after his beating being injured. Also, I couldn’t bear to have James away from home for so long. So I asked them to come home. My husband and brother did. But after the war was over, many of our “friends” thought of my husband as a quiter for not being willing to give up his family life for the war. I was shocked to see those “friends” putting on airs as if they were part of the British social class. Wasn’t our new country supposed to be a place where everyone would be equal? Where we didn’t have social standings?
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Morgan Glover
5/14/2012 08:18:30 am
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! Some of you may know me as ‘The Second President’s Wife’, ‘Mrs. John Adams’, or maybe even ‘The Mother of President John Quincy Adams’. The titles above are descriptions of me, not my name. My name is Abigail Adams, and you better remember that.
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Morgan Glover
5/14/2012 08:20:01 am
sorry for Tommy, I was very excited that MY HUSBAND won! I became the second First Lady. On the day of John’s inauguration, I could not attend. My mother-in-law was about to die, so I wanted to be there for her when the time came.
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Miika Jarvela
5/14/2012 08:43:55 am
I like how you start out identifying your OWN identity; you are not just the family member of two presidents, but you are your own person as well.
Camden Herald
5/14/2012 08:28:43 am
I was born on December 22, 1969, in Surrey. My mother and father were Theophilus and Eleanor Oglethorpe. I left Chorprus Christi College in Oxford in 1714 to join the army under the Prince Eugene of Savory, one of the most successful generals. I was an English army officer, and served in the army for about 10 years.
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Michelle Zhang
5/14/2012 09:18:20 am
When I was told to give a last lecture, I hadn't realized that it was such a big deal to Americans of this day and time.
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Anna Sneed
5/14/2012 09:45:01 am
My name is Dorothea Dix. I know that I am dying. Throughout my life, I have had many problems with my health, and now it has caught up with me for good. Before I leave this world, however, I’m here to talk to you about my life.
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Anna Sneed
5/14/2012 09:45:53 am
Continued
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Helen Zhang
5/14/2012 12:17:08 pm
Impressive, Anna! I knew a little about Ms. Dix, but your speech has helped me learn her life story. Great message at the end! :)
dhathri bobba
5/14/2012 10:04:13 am
Hello ladies and gentlemen. I am here today to talk to you about how to make your life infinitely better and I have 3 syllables to tell you. Be like me. When you are someone amazing like me, you can truly enjoy the fruits of life. You can truly enjoy what life truly is if you are just like me. And guess what, you can even become famous and powerful just like me. That is why i am here, to tell you how to be just like me, but to be just like me, you have to understand who I am and what I experienced in life.
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dhathri bobba
5/14/2012 10:05:51 am
It does not show my entire lecture for some strange reason. That is only up to my second and a half page. I have 4 and a half pages in total!
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dhathri bobba
5/14/2012 10:06:43 am
I will post the complete essay on Edmodo!
Joy Johnson
5/14/2012 10:12:15 am
Introduction:
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Aisha Espinosa
5/14/2012 10:36:11 am
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Aisha Espinosa
5/14/2012 10:38:07 am
(continued)
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Lea Balcerzak
5/14/2012 12:15:04 pm
I think you used your words in a splendid way. Amazing writing!
Helen Zhang
5/14/2012 04:55:38 pm
Aisha, get ready for a standing ovation. This is absolutely amazing!
Lauren Rudd
5/14/2012 10:40:00 am
Hello ladies and gents. I am George Washington, first president of the United States of America and Father of your Country. I was born on the 22 day of February in 1732 in Westmoreland County, Virginia. I was the oldest of six from a second marriage which meant I had a total of 8 brothers and sisters. My father was an ambitious man; he bought slaves, grew tobacco, and built mills. He died when I was 11 and my oldest half-brother Lawrence stepped in a practically became my parent.
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5/14/2012 11:26:36 am
Hello, do you know who I am? Can you tell by the way I dress, by the way I walk, by the way I talk, by how I look? How about now? Did you not have the knowledge necessary to figure it out? I come here today to give you knowledge, the most valuable gift. I want you all to learn and remember how I lived my life and what I did to make my life, well, successful.
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Shishir
5/14/2012 11:29:45 am
Your message is very relevant, especially in today's world.
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Neil Bhamoo
5/14/2012 11:59:47 am
I really liked that one line where you said you cannot imagine a world without knowledge.
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Lauren Kirkley
5/14/2012 11:30:22 am
“Self-development is a higher duty than self-sacrifice.” Throughout my years of sacrificing myself to helping people, I have come to realize that before you help others, you must help yourself first. It is necessary to take your own journeys and learn your own lessons before you try to tell others what they are doing wrong with their lives. I am Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and I have created this speech to provide some insightful suggestions about the future and living a successful life. I am growing very old and have recently discovered that my heart is beginning to fail. No one knows for sure how much longer I will be able to survive without a properly working heart. So as I present this speech, I hope you will follow my example, so that you may use me and my life as a tool to help shape the future of America.
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Haris Rafiq
5/14/2012 11:32:48 am
Greetings, my peers. Before I begin, I would like to thank all of you for attending my “Last Lecture” this fine morning. As unfortunate as it may seem, this is what it is. 72 years and still walking isn’t something you see very often. I can’t even recall how many people have “blessed me a wonderful afterlife” or “prayed for my well-being”. I’m going to be straightforward with you—I don’t believe in any such deity. I do not believe in anything but a happy afterlife, yet the Christian community does not let me rest. To me, belief in a cruel god makes a cruel man.
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Nithin Pingili
5/14/2012 11:33:44 am
Hello, Ladies and Gentlemen. I am known as The First American, The Newton of Electricity, and many other names. But the one and only name that I see is the one that my parents gave me, Benjamin Franklin. Yes you may have heard of me, I am very popular in the countries of United States of America and France. I am here to tell you of some tragic news that you might not want to hear. Well, it seems that my life has come to a near end because tuberculosis has struck me and I will have to say goodbye to earth and its inhabitants forever. Hopefully after death, I will be at a place where I can live there for eternity in peace. As my gratitude to getting life, let me give you pieces of advice about achieving your childhood dreams and lessons learned that I have accumulated over my 84 years in the living world.
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Lauren Kirkley
5/14/2012 11:33:44 am
“Self-development is a higher duty than self-sacrifice.” Throughout my years of sacrificing myself to helping people, I have come to realize that before you help others, you must help yourself first. It is necessary to take your own journeys and learn your own lessons before you try to tell others what they are doing wrong with their lives. I am Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and I have created this speech to provide some insightful suggestions about the future and living a successful life. I am growing very old and have recently discovered that my heart is beginning to fail. No one knows for sure how much longer I will be able to survive without a properly working heart. So as I present this speech, I hope you will follow my example, so that you may use me and my life as a tool to help shape the future of America.
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Haris Rafiq
5/14/2012 11:34:05 am
I was raised and nurtured by my father, Joseph Paine, and my mother, Frances Paine. My father was a Quaker, but when he married my mother, a member of the Anglican, he was expelled from the Quaker community. Both of them tried their best to provide for me, considering my home was a thatched cottage in Thetford, England. Every March, travelers from near and far would journey to witness the public executions in my town called Assizes. I remember I was only five when I witnessed five men being hanged in the town square.
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Haris Rafiq
5/14/2012 11:34:39 am
In 1722, my writing career was born. I wrote to the Board of Excise asking for better pay for London Excise workers, knowing their profit was the bare minimum. The twenty-one page document was called
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Haris Rafiq
5/14/2012 11:35:16 am
Now onto my greatest achievement; well, in my opinion my greatest achievement. After arriving in America, I began to realize how unfair King George’s rules and conditions were. I was astonished to discover that tea cost double the amount in Britain. To a Brit like me, tea was an important part of the daily life.
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Haris Rafiq
5/14/2012 11:35:37 am
My most controversial writing was definitely The Age of Reason. I was jailed for criticizing Christianity and comparing it to my own philosophy, but I persevered.
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Helen Zhang
5/14/2012 11:53:23 am
You went into great detail on his life story. I love how to-the-point your writing is! Great job! :)
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Nithin Pingili
5/14/2012 11:54:24 am
Great job on the last lecture
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Lauren Kirkley
5/14/2012 11:36:13 am
(CONTINUED)
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Helen Zhang
5/14/2012 11:51:17 am
I love how your lessons were woven throughout your speech. You went into great detail. You will do excellent reciting this! :)
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Beverly Lo
5/14/2012 12:07:32 pm
I agree. The detail in here is really good(:
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Vishaal Sakthivelnathan
5/14/2012 12:27:55 pm
Nice Ending!
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Nithin Pingili
5/14/2012 11:37:03 am
(Continued)
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Nithin Pingili
5/14/2012 11:38:53 am
(Continued)
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Helen Zhang
5/14/2012 11:48:49 am
Wow, great elaboration! You did a great job writing in someone else's perspective. Very impressive! :)
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Vishaal Sakthivelnathan
5/14/2012 12:31:21 pm
Wow, just wow. Your speech was long, but if you put emphasis on your words, you will do great. I enjoyed reading this. I loved the ending!
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Hello young citizens of America! Looks like I did my job well! Pneumonia acts quickly, and I fear the rest of my life may remain bedridden, but I nevertheless couldn’t miss this exceptional opportunity to inspire such young beings to work hard. To make
5/14/2012 11:51:16 am
Neil Bhamoo
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Neil Bhamoo
5/14/2012 11:52:17 am
Sorry, I put the stuff in the wrong places. I don't know what I was thinking. :P
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Neil Bhamoo
5/14/2012 11:53:48 am
Hello young citizens of America! Looks like America maintained itself very well! Pneumonia acts quickly, and I fear the rest of my life may remain bedridden, but I nevertheless couldn’t miss this exceptional opportunity to inspire such young beings to work hard. To make a good person, you must follow the thirteen virtues. I came up with them myself, and they are in many of my works including Poor Richard’s Almanac.
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Neil Bhamoo
5/14/2012 11:56:35 am
(Continued)
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Lauren Villanueva
5/14/2012 11:57:56 am
Ok to start off my name is Henry David Thoreau. I was born on July 12, 1817 named David Henry Thoreau. Now for those who are confused yes I did change my name. I was named after my uncle but I decided to change it after college. I had a pretty good childhood. As a child I had three other playmates, Helen, John Jr., and Sophia. My parents were pretty good too. My mother was Cynthia Dunbar and my father was John Thoreau. The only weird thing about growing up is I never was called attractive. I wonder why?* Look around* But, that is for you to decide. I got a pretty good education when I was young and all through high school. I attended Concord public schools as well as Concord Academy.
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Lauren Villanueva
5/14/2012 11:59:24 am
quite a lot of ideas because I wrote another book called Resistance to Civil Government. It is now called Civil Obedience, and it was originally just an essay.
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Joseph Overman
5/14/2012 12:00:37 pm
Good morning ladies and gentlemen, I am Marquis de Lafayette. Although that’s who I am now, long ago I was simply Gilbert du Motier: The rich, and rather dashing, young boy with no parents. I was born in 1757 at the chateau de Chavaniac in the great country of France. Although my father was alive at the time of my birth, he was off fighting the Seven Years war. My father died two years after my birth, without even a chance to see me, much less get to know me. I was the eldest child along with being an only child. Without a father or siblings, I wasn’t particularly social as a child. Luckily for my mother and me, our family was paid a handsome income due to the fact that my father had died fighting for his, and now my, country. My schooling as a child was rather top-notch and proved to be very helpful for me. Coincidentally, the same priest who baptized me at birth also taught me how to read and write.
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Joseph Overman
5/14/2012 12:01:25 pm
Everybody in life needs a role model, and I’m proud to say that George Washington was mine.
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Beverly Lo
5/14/2012 12:04:47 pm
(Cough) Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. For (Cough) for those of you that may not know, my name is Dorothea Dix. I apologize for my coughing. You see, I have been sick for quite some time now and I believe my time has almost come. I’ve come today to give my final speech so I can pass what I’ve learned to you.
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Beverly Lo
5/14/2012 12:05:47 pm
women and children – CHILDREN – were chained naked. Oh! I can picture them right now; their each individual bone popping out of their bloody skin… I still have nightmares about how much pain they must have been through. All the other cells were the same, too. Unheated and unfurnished and unsanitary.
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Kyle Towe
5/14/2012 12:07:17 pm
As tuberculosis slowly eats away at my strength I will do my best to get through this without falling from exhaustion. I think it best to start in chronological order so as not to confuse anyone. I was born July 12, 1817-Concord, Massachusetts to John Thoreau and Cynthia Dunbar. My father was a simple pencil maker and my mother had to stay at home and watch after me and my siblings, Helen, John and Sophia. At the age of sixteen I attended Harvard College and studied a wide collection of subjects. After graduation I got my first job. It did not turn out well. I refused to beat my students and thus I was promptly fired. After that I became great friends with Ralph Waldo Emerson who greatly impacted my life and was supportive of my dreams. With him I became more acquainted with Transcendentalism that would later be part of who I am. I went to Maine scavenging for a teaching job but found nothing so I came back to Concord. Once here I started up a school with my brother John and we prospered for 3 long and happy years. My brother became ill and we had to shut it down. After that I worked for my father then I moved in with the Emersons. In 1842 my brother died and still from this day I am haunted by his tragic death. After that I did odd jobs for the Emersons. Tutoring his brother’s children or working around the house. I had started writing a book about which I told of the adventures me and my brother had had on a canoe trip. I realized I needed much more peace to write it so I constructed a log cabin on Walden Pond. There I spent two years of my life, writing my book and starting a new one named Walden and Civil Disobedience and I shall describe both. After my time spent at Walden I took up finishing my books and trying to get them published. I also took over my father’s pencil factory and became a land surveyor to pay the bills.
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Kyle Towe- Henry David Thoreau
5/14/2012 12:08:44 pm
Meant to introduce myself at the beginning. My bad.
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Lea Balcerzak
5/14/2012 12:11:42 pm
Society has come to call me many names. Brilliant, rapid, superficial, only my closest companions have come to see how much I apply myself. My eyesight has been failing me, yet I am determined to live life properly until my last given day on this Earth. I have 6 secretaries for reading me different works of law, history, economics, geography, and political theory. I will not sit around and wait death to arrive at my door. It shall encounter me with feather in hand.
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Sakina Daresalamwala
5/14/2012 03:49:15 pm
Nice job, Lea! I liked your diction! Also, I can't wait for you to say those French words. It's going to sound so legit. But anyways, I really liked how you incorporated life lessons into your story instead of just giving us a biography. Good job!
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Lea Balcerzak
5/14/2012 12:12:33 pm
When I came to mention the different forms of government, I talked specifically about each one. Looking deeper into the democratic government system, I saw that it can be corrupted by either “the spirit of inequality” or “the spirit of extreme equality.” This is only one example where a particular society must find balance to survive and thrive.
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Kassidy Cragg
5/14/2012 12:24:39 pm
Hello. I am Abigail Adams. We are all here on this day for the same reason. We were all sent here to do the same thing. I’m not here to whine and tell you it’s not fair that my life will soon be over but to share the good things in my life that have happened and the legacy I will leave behind.
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Isabelle Garza
5/14/2012 12:31:07 pm
Elizabeth Cady Stanton Last Lecture
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Katy Hensel
5/14/2012 12:33:22 pm
Thomas Jefferson Last Lecture Speech
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Lauren Kirkley
5/15/2012 08:26:55 am
Oh my goodness Katy, haha I loved your speech. I really liked the beginning, I thought it was quite humorous. Very entertaining and had good information as well! Good job!
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Katy Hensel
5/14/2012 12:35:10 pm
(it cut off. here's the rest)
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Kassidy cragg
5/15/2012 10:11:10 am
Great speech! Way to keep me entertained!
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Jackson Stone
5/14/2012 12:43:57 pm
The Last Lecture
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Jennifer Chavarro
5/14/2012 12:54:01 pm
Hello, I am Sacagawea. I am most known for helping Lewis and Clark on their expedition to explore the west. I have discovered a lot in my life, and I now want to pass on my knowledge to you.
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Rinith Prasad
5/14/2012 12:54:23 pm
Lecture:
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Rinith Prasad
5/14/2012 12:55:46 pm
Sorry its one big chunk! didn't have time to edit it on this post! its three pages long 12 pt font times new roman single spaced
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Yuna Oh
5/14/2012 01:06:27 pm
My friends and fellow students: I stand before you today to give you a short talk. I am retiring soon and I want to take this chance give you guys my last speech or last lecture. This lecture's main topic is being proactive. If you want to know about the side title, it's 'Failure is impossble.'
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Daxton Davidson
5/14/2012 01:15:58 pm
Bonjour Americans! Thank you all for coming. I am Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette, or just Lafayette. I have so much to tell you all, but there is so little time. Since most of you don’t know very much about me I will fill you in. I was born in France as you can tell from my name, in 1757, and given the name Gilbert du Motier, I was given Marquis de Lafayette later in life. I was raised in a wealthy house hold, but my heart was in the military. My parents died when I was young, but all of my ancestors were military generals and I going to follow in their footsteps. I joined the French army at the age of 14, and I had become a general in the army by the age of 16, getting a yearly income of 120,000 livers. During this time America was off fighting the British in your revolution. We would have meetings about your revolution and the French could not make up their mind on whether or not we should get involved. After the King banished Raynal from speaking we would have to go to secret meetings so the King would not know. I would be amazed by friend Raynal who told me of the struggle of America and their fight for the “rights of men”. That was when I had decided to join you and your other brave patriots in the battle for freedom.
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Daxton Davidson
5/14/2012 01:17:52 pm
got the Oneida Tribe to join the Americans. When I got back Congress had removed Gates from the war board. Meanwhile with my help treaties between France and America were made and France forgot about me leaving and all that.
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5/14/2012 01:28:35 pm
My Life Lessons
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Zane Erickson
5/14/2012 01:43:08 pm
Greatness from Small Beginnings
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Joshua Chow
5/14/2012 01:47:12 pm
Hello, my name is Robert E. Lee and it is my pleasure and honor to speak today. This will be my last lecture, so to speak, for I have an unknown disease, and my energy is leaving me. My disease will not be the subject matter for how can you speak of something you know nothing of? When you hear the name Robert E. Lee, you must think me as an evil man who a few years back decided to aid the Confederate States of America. But that is not the subject I will be speaking on. I will let the world think what it wants. I just know that I love my state Virginia and I would never do anything to harm it or put it in danger.
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Joshua Chow
5/15/2012 11:19:54 am
I have made small changes I noticed after I posted my Last Lecture here. To view the edited version, go to www.hc-robertelee.weebly.com, then click on "Last Lecture at the top of the page.
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Ashleigh Little
5/14/2012 02:04:38 pm
*Writing a letter to Washington*
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Sujay Adhikari
5/14/2012 02:06:07 pm
Hello, My name is James Armistead Lafayette. Many of you probably don't know very much about me. I am what you call an unsung hero of the American cause for freedom and liberty. But whether you know me or not I’m here and unfortunately I’m dying. But i am not here to talk about death, I’m here to talk about freedom. Throughout my life I have learned many things. Being born into slavery in December 10, 1748, I know what it's like to get the short end of the stick and to get treated poorly. Even though I was at the bottom of the pyramid, I have been able to rise from the trenches of slavery and earn my freedom.
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Ali Ozymy
5/14/2012 02:06:14 pm
9:30 minutes when I talk fast...hope I don't mess up :)
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Ali Ozymy
5/18/2012 02:05:49 pm
Okay well that got cut off...
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Adreesh Roy
5/14/2012 02:08:30 pm
“Agh!” (holds pelvic area.) Hello ladies and gentlemen, the name is John Paul Jones, and I have remained in retirement in my Paris apartment suffering from interstitial nephritis. Many of you know me as the Father of the Navy, King of the Seas, or even Poseidon’s son. I may be sailor, but don’t worry, I don’t have the mouth of one! As you can sense, my body is frail and the end seems near. Ignore that, for we are here today to celebrate the lessons learned from my extraordinary life as a Hero and visionary.
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Adreesh Roy
5/14/2012 02:09:35 pm
This ladies and gentlemen was the Bonhomme Richard. It was the evening of September 23, 1779 and the British were aboard the ferocious battleship, the Serapis. It was armed with about 8 more guns than us. Our lofty goals were called quixotic by many Loyalists. It was a chance worth taking. The cries of soldiers filled the ominous night. Imagine the sails of the two ships intertwining, as the Brits trying to board the American ship. We would not be overcome under my watch. We decided to raid the enemy ship instead. In an act of unmatched dare our sailors jumped ships in the cold, dark night surrounded by blinding gunfire. We met with stiff resistance. I realized we needed more sailors! I whistled as loud as my voice would permit, and the Serapis was immediately swarmed by blanket of the Continental Navy soldiers. We had captured this monster ship! The fierce fighting had taken its toll – the Richard had sunk. The Brits surrendered, and I sailed the Serapis back to the land as a symbol of our heroic victory.
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Haven Chung
5/14/2012 02:09:16 pm
*reading book*
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J.C. Humen
5/14/2012 02:11:43 pm
Greetings everyone! My name is John James Audubon. As you may or may not know I’m a famous painter, known for being the first man ever to document and illustrate all the known and even over 25 of the unknown species of birds in North America. However, that hardly ties into the real reason for me being present today. The reason that I’m here is that I’m dying, and before I withdraw from this world, I’d like to take advantage of the mental wellness I still have within me. With it I wish to disclose my story, my wisdom, and my legacy to you all. I think I’ve known for a while that death has been worming its way upon me with the way my recent work and thought process in general have been, and the doctors have confirmed me to be in a state of senility. So, I wish to speak to you all in hopes that my words may become my greatest art of all, presented with a rather different approach than what I would usually take, and that when I depart, the world might learn from my final masterpiece, and become a little bit better of a place to live than it is now.
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Selase Buatsi
5/14/2012 02:13:30 pm
My name is King George III. I was born into royalty and born to rule. If I may say so myself, I did an excellent job ruling England. I am fairly certain that all you have heard of me and my works, but for those of you who are ignorant, I am the son of Fredrick, Prince of Wales and grandson of King George II. I was invited here to give you some advice that I believe that you should live by. Before I can give you that advice I have to tell you a little about my life.
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Selase Buatsi
5/14/2012 02:14:33 pm
It is not easy being King. Everyone is watching what you do, hanging on your every word and action. You’re not only making decisions for yourself, your making decisions for the whole kingdom. It is hard enough to take care of kids, believe me I know, but taking care of everyone else can put quite a strain on you. Before I leave, I want you all to remember to hold yourself high. No one can pull you down, and as long as you’re up there, nobody can lead you astray. I wish that I had known that lesson before I learned it the hard way, but that is how life is. You live, and you learn. Now I am tired, and I longer feel like talking. Please listen to my advice. Now I must return to my home and to Charlotte.
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Coleman Wylie
5/14/2012 02:17:36 pm
Greetings ladies and gents, wonderful evening today. I am King George III, or George William Frederick, and I must say, I am about to die. My age and mental disease are tearing my body and mind apart; I am going blind and deaf and I will often talk for hours without stopping. So, since I know my time approaches, I will leave any lasting advice I can in my Last Lecture.
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Sakina Daresalamwala
5/14/2012 02:19:53 pm
Opening to General Washington
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Sakina Daresalamwala
5/14/2012 02:22:20 pm
REST OF IT
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Alex Berend
5/14/2012 02:19:54 pm
Greetings, comrades. As many of you know, I am Andrew Jackson. As I share with you my life story, I hope you retain my most significant morals and aphorisms and remember them as I pass on, for I am not here to recite to you endless facts about my story but rather to present to you a series of sermons learned from experience in life.
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Alex Berend
5/14/2012 02:22:20 pm
Greetings, comrades. As many of you know, I am Andrew Jackson. As I share with you my life story, I hope you retain my most significant morals and aphorisms and remember them as I pass on, for I am not here to recite to you endless facts about my story but rather to present to you a series of sermons learned from experience in life.
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Caden Fernando
5/14/2012 02:24:33 pm
My life has been shown before me... It has presented me with the best of times and the worst of times. Yet, I do not regret one single thing about it. I am known as President Abraham Lincoln, although I prefer “Honest Abe.” For I spent my life in the quest of knowledge and honesty. Let me start with my childhood...
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Miika Jarvela
5/14/2012 02:25:40 pm
Hello all, and welcome to my final speech. If you do not know me, I am Benjamin Franklin, inventor, scientist, writer, and much more. It’s transpired that I am growing older and older. Not many people live to be that old. Currently, I am 78 years old, and I suspect that I will not live to be much older than that. No, I do not have any life-threatening conditions, but my health is not getting any better. I can sense that I probably will not be able to do much during my last few years, so I have decided to give this Last Lecture, now, before it’s too late to impart my wisdom off to the world.
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Miika Jarvela
5/14/2012 02:27:12 pm
Even though we may not like it, we may actually get more out of an unpleasant experience because we do actually tend to learn from our mistakes more than from what we are doing well. Especially if you like to be near perfect, when you mess up, it stays in your brain forever.
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Helen Zhang
5/14/2012 05:12:39 pm
Haha, I love how you Incorporated many of our vocabulary words in your speech. You wrote in great detail Mr. Franklin's story and gave a nice message. However, I found some of the phrases in your speech quite repetitive, especially the introduction. During your speech, I suggest you slightly change the wording, so it doesn't seem like you're repeating words. Great job! :)
Miika Jarvela
5/15/2012 11:42:46 am
Thank you Helen for your feedback. Thanks for the positive things, but then also for the negative things. I agree with the repetitiveness...when I read it outloud, that's what I thought..but I didn't have much time to change it.
Alex Berend
5/14/2012 02:26:14 pm
Even though it was my second choice, I didn’t have much of an option. I came back into politics. I did, however, have an idea in mind. I wanted to represent the common man at a higher power. James Monroe’s term was ending. I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to run for president.
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Dheeraj Nuthakki
5/14/2012 02:32:51 pm
Hello ladies and gentlemen. I am very impressed with the hospitality shown to me by you today. I do believe I have a great audience in front of me. If you do not already know, my name is Frederick Douglass. I was born with the name, Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey. I was born in Tuckahoe, Talbot County, Maryland. I have no accurate knowledge of my age, for I have never seen any authentic record containing it. I don’t remember any slave that I have met that knew his birthday. Wanting to know information concerning me was a source of unhappiness during my childhood. The white children could tell their ages but I couldn’t. Well, by what my master tells me, I was born in February of 1818. My mother was named Harriet Bailey. My father, as rumor has it, was a white man. It was also said that my master may have been my father. I know nothing about this opinion being correct. My mother and I were separated before I knew her as my mother. I never really saw my mother, maybe about four or five times for a short duration at night. She died when I was about seven years old. I have had many masters. My first master’s name was Anthony. I didn’t know I was a slave until I found out I couldn’t do the things I wanted. I suffered a lot under Anthony’s control. Sleeping on the ground, walking barefoot, constant hunger, and I dressed only in a long shirt. I soon learned that I was to go to Baltimore, Maryland and live with Hugh Auld and his wife Sophia. I was overjoyed. I departed to Baltimore and met Hugh and Sophia and their son Thomas whom I was to take care of. Mrs. Auld taught me the alphabet and slowly taught me some words which I was very grateful for. But alas, this joy was ended by Mr. Auld who believed that learning would spoil even the best Negro in the world. He didn’t let Sophia teach me anymore. I understood my biggest difficulty: the white man’s power to enslave the black man. I understood that I must lead my life into freedom from that day forth. I made it my goal to learn to read. After Anthony’s death, I was inherited by his brother Thomas Auld and I left Baltimore to go live with him. I was pushed back into the harsh life of a slave. I was then sent to Edward Covey because I didn’t suit Thomas’s purpose. I worked in Covey’s fields for a year and I was beaten and whipped severely many times. I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. Around the age of sixteen, I tried to escape when working for my next master, Mr. Freeman. I have taught my fellow slaves to read and formed close friendships. I planned my escape with a few others but before we could even attempt it, we were arrested and sent to jail. Hugh Auld released me and made me work in the shipyards. They took me to live with them for now. Hugh and Sophia bestowed kindness on me that many other slaves didn’t even know could have been done by white people. But, I tried to escape again. I obtained forged free man’s papers of a black sailor. With that, I had traveled to New York. I entered a new world. I met a man by the name of David Ruggles. He brought me to a boarding house and he has aided many fugitive slaves in his life. He was also the one that arranged the marriage ceremony for me and my beloved wife, Anna Murray. Anna and I moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts for our honeymoon and because New York wasn’t that safe for us to stay. We met the Johnson’s family and we were able to settle in fine. I already dropped my two middle names and I wanted to change my last name. I asked Mr. Johnson to give me a suggestion in changing my name but I told him not to change my first name Frederick. Let me be clear. You may be wondering why I would not change the name Frederick and change everything else but I wanted to hold onto Frederick to preserve a sense of my identity. With Mr. Johnson’s suggestion, I adopted the last name “Douglass”. I found that the people of New Bedford were different than anywhere else. They were happier, stronger, and healthier. I wasn’t saddened anymore by seeing extreme poverty but glad by a view of extreme wealth. I was astonished by the condition of colored people. They seem to be enjoying their life. I can say this about my friend Mr. Johnson whom I am very grateful for: “I was hungry, and he gave me meat; I was thirsty, and he gave me drink; I was a stranger, and he took me in”. I worked hard the following years earning money. I then became known to the anti-slavery world. My quest for answers began and it began with William Lloyd Garrison’s abolitionist newspaper called the Liberator. The paper became my meat and my drink. My soul was on fire. The sympathy for my kind increased immensely. I now truly knew of the cruelty of slavery and how it is not fair. I attended an Anti-Slavery Convention in Nantucket where I heard Garrison speak. Later, my career as a lecturer started. I sailed from Boston t
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Dheeraj Nuthakki
5/14/2012 02:35:06 pm
CONTINUED:
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Vishnu Kunadharaju
5/14/2012 03:08:39 pm
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Neil Bhamoo
5/15/2012 11:59:11 am
I laughed at the section where you wrote in all caps. It was very funny, according to me. Also, your entire speech isn't on here. You will have to reply with the rest of it.
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Siddharth Marella
5/16/2012 10:41:46 am
I agree it cracked me up also.
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Siddharth Marella
5/14/2012 03:12:12 pm
The Last Lecture
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Siddharth Marela
5/16/2012 10:38:05 am
Changes Made one
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Sakina Daresalamwala
5/15/2012 09:52:26 am
I have already posted my last lecture. This is my revised one, though, after making a few minor edits.
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Sakina Daresalamwala
5/15/2012 09:53:24 am
my father, because people might turn their noses up at me for giving my opinion. To them, I was just another woman. But I found that instead of people hating my true self, they embraced it! After all, one of the most important things that one must do is to be themselves, otherwise they wouldn’t be individual. They wouldn’t be unique, and difference is what makes the world go round.
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Caden Fernando
5/16/2012 12:53:48 pm
I, like Sakina and Siddharth have made few minor edits to my Last Lecture.
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Eugene Han
5/17/2012 07:43:21 pm
Repost:
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Eugene Han
5/17/2012 07:44:18 pm
2nd Part Repost:
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7/17/2012 06:19:19 am
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