#4 Sophs--Jim Valvano--Laugh, Think, and Cry
Jim Valvano coached the North Carolina State Wolfpack to an upset victory in the 1983 NCAA men's basketball championship game. Valvano parlayed this victory with his gift of public speaking to become one of the most likable and recognizable coaches in the land. I had the pleasure of listening to Valvano speak to a group of Delaware high school basketball coaches and All Stars. Leaving the Dover banquet hall that night, I thought to myself, "This guy is going to be a world shaker." Or something like that.His North Carolina State teams would never come close to matching the success of the 1983 season. Then came the news that Valvano had developed cancer.
Only ten years after his national championship, his body ravaged with cancerous tumors, Valvano was awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPY's (ESPN's annual BESTS). Valvano, an inspirational coach, was probably even a better public speaker. This speech will make you laugh, think, and cry, three things, that according to Valvano, you should do every day.
The Jimmy V Foundation was founded in his honor. It's still active and important today, raising millions of dollars to fight cancer. Dick Vitale, a well-known television basketball broadcaster and once a close friend of Valvano, is a main P.T. (Prime Time) Player in the battle against the insidious disease.
Your assignment: listen to the speech again (click on this link) and read the words to the speech at this link. Write your journal by responding to one of the following prompts:
1. What are the best parts (lines) of the speech? Why?
2. Tell me about the best 'pep talk' that you've ever received. Make sure to discuss the speaker, the situation, the audience, and the speaker's technique. Cite lines from the speech if you can.
3. How do you laugh, think, and cry each day?
4. Relate a personal story to any topic discussed in the speech.
5. Analyze the speech according to pathos, ethos, and logos.
Extra credit if posted by Tuesday, October 21.
posted by JTF @ 12:05 PM
42 comments
42 Comments:
I thought Jim Valvono’s entire speech was amazing. But I especially liked two parts of the speech. The first was this, “’Nothing great could be accomplished without enthusiasm’ to keep your dreams alive in spite of problems whatever you have. The ability to be able to work hard for your dreams to come true, to become a reality.” Valvano is saying that if you have a passion to make your dreams come true, they will. It is something that everyone should remember, and live by. The other great line that I really loved was at the very end of the speech when he said, “I know, I gotta go, I gotta go, and I got one last thing and I said it before, and I'm gonna say it again: Cancer can take away all my physical ability. It cannot touch my mind; it cannot touch my heart; and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever.” These words have to be the most powerful words in the entire speech. It is the epitome of what this man was about in his final months. I am truly astounded though, by this man because all he wanted was to make this speech so someone could take something important away from it. After being “introduced” to this man and listening to this emotional speech, Jim Valvano has become one of my heroes.
Every day in my life is different. Some days I can't find a moment to myself or a moment to just sit back and relax. Other days, I don't have much to do. Those days are seldom, but great. No matter what kind of day it is, I always find time to do the three things recommended by Jim Valvano. Laughing, thinking, and crying are big parts of my life. My personal favorite, laughing, is what gets me through the day. It's what keeps a smile on my face. I laugh at almost everything from funny words, to strange outfits, to awkward situations, and even just regular jokes. All of these things keep me laughing. Laughing is a part of who I am.
Thinking is one of the most powerful actions anyone can do. If you just take time to look at your surroundings and absorb all the interactions going on, you learn a lot. I believe that most of my in-depth thinking takes place while I'm listening to music. As I read the lyrics, each line brings me back to a certain time or place in my life. Thinking calms me down and brings me an inner peace.
As strange as it may sound, crying is a good thing. The situations that bring you to cry may be bad, but the action of crying is somewhat relieving. If I've had a horrible day, sometimes it just feels better to cry a little to let my feelings out. On the other hand, most of the time that I cry is because I'm laughing so hard. That is truly one of the best feelings anyone can ever have. Such bliss is hard to come by. But when you do encounter it, enjoy it.
The best part of the speech is the way Jim Valvano kept it interesting and humorous along with talking about the seriousness of his condition. " This is something I certainly will treasure forever. But, as it was said on the tape, and I also don't have one of those things going with the cue cards, so I'm going to speak longer than anybody else has spoken tonight. Time is very precious to me. I don't know how much I have left, and I have some things that I would like to say. Hopefully, at the end, I'll have something that will be important to other people too." This is one of the most important quotes in the speech because it makes you really think about living for the day like he does. I think this speech is very good because it actually has more meaning to everyone than just to the reciter. It is a speech that everyone can connect to because lots of people are experienceing or know someone who are going through the troubles of diseases like cancer.
The best parts of the speech are when he says "Gentlemen, all eyes on me." These kids wanted to play, they're nineteen. "Let's go," I said. "Gentlemen, we'll be successful this year if you can focus on three things, and three things only: Your family, your religion, and the Green Bay Packers,", and when he says “I told them. I did that. I remember that. I remember...where I came from”. These are the best parts of the speech to me because his team is called the Rutgers basketball team but he said Green Bay Packers, and usually I know people keep memories but they always try to forget the embarrassing ones, but he kept this memory for a long time and usually it's not funny but the way he explains it, he explains it with such seriousness that you can tell that he focused on nothing else other than trying to give his players hope, and it sounds like a simple person being nervous on their first day of the job, it’s good.
In Jim Valvano's speech he talks about his first pep talk with his Rutgers Freshman basketball team. He tried to use Vince Lambardi's first speech to the Green Bay Packers. I can relate to this part of Jim's speech because I wrestle and I am constantly getting pep talks from my coaches before every match. Some times they may be short and sweet talks as was Jim's, but other times they may be up to ten minutes long. The short pep talks I receive may be my coach just telling me to have fun and wrestle hard, but the long speeches may be about what I should do in the match and how I should focus. Most of the times the pep talks I receive pump me up and get me amped to go on the mat. I think that the pep talks that are like the one Jim talked about are the most effective, because I would rather my coach just give me something short and sweet. I like them shorter so that I have more time to get ready for my match, and I can get ready on my own.
3. How do you laugh, think, and cry each day?
There are many ways that I laugh, think, and cry everyday. For starters, I have the greatest friends ever who always keep me laughing. Whether it's on the bus coming to school in the morning, during classes, or at afterschool activities, they never cease to put a smile on my face. I also think everyday. My day is full of classes and my afternoons and nights are full of homework. School always keeps me thinking and on my feet. As far as crying everyday, I can honestly say that I don't do that. Even though I may not cry everyday, I always show my emotion. I feel that if you're going to do something, you might as well put your heart and soul into it. Therefore, I try to show my emotion in every single thing that I do.
I thought that in Jim Valvano's speech one of the best parts was when he said we should all laugh, think, and cry each day. I think this is something we all do even when we don't think we are doing it. Everyday I have to think. It's part of each day of my life. The first think when i do in the morning is probably think. I have to think about what I'm going to wear or what i want to accomplish that day. I also have to think a lot since im in school. Every class i have to think about what im doing. Even when I come home i have to think, because i have to do homework. I also have to think about other things that i have to do each night. Thinking is something everyone has to do, and sometimes you might not even realize it, but you always make decisions. Everyday i also laugh. I laugh at things that happen during the day, or things that people say. I think laughing is also a part of our daily routine. I think it's impossible to go a day without at least giving a smile. The ability to laugh is one of the greatest things God has given us, and we always use it. Laughing is not just something we do from instinct, but it also makes us feel good and happy each day. I might not cry everyday from something sad that has happened, but i might cry from being overjoyed. Crying is a way to express our feelings. We don't always cry because we are sad or mad. We also cry because we are happy. That is why crying can be a good thing. We might laugh so hard that we cry. This is how i laugh, think, and cry each day.
The best parts of this speech in my mind are the parts that I can closely relate to, and the parts that use a lot of pathos. They really grab your attention and say “hey, you should pay attention to me because this could be you or your situation someday”. They kind of warn you of the unjust truth that life holds in store for all of us. The first part of the speech that I can remember is the part where Jim Valvano talks about his first job as a coach, when he was about 21. I think that this part of the speech is so easy to remember because it is something in life that I, or just about anybody can relate to. We all make mistakes, and goof up from time to time, but just as Jim did, you need to push through and find the green grass on the other side of the fence so to speak. The other part of Jim’s speech that I remember most is the part where he talks about going from where you are to where you want to be. I think that I remember this part of the speech the most because they are words that I now take into consideration and that I think about whenever I am in a tough situation. What jim says about enthusiasum is true, and because it is so true and to the point, that is why it is so easily remebered.
5. Jim Valvano is a wonderful speaker because of three ideas he put into his speech. These are the ideas of Logos, Ethos, and Pathos. First, Logos refers to any attempt to appeal to the intellect, the general meaning of a logical arguement. Jim Valvano uses Logos when he refers to the idea of working hard to make your dreams become a reality. This is a logical arguement because if you have a dream than its probably something that isn't easy to achieve just like that. To achieve your goals and dreams, no matter what they are, if you work hard and truely believe it can become true than you have a hundred percent greater chance than if you just hoped that it would come and not even put any effort towards it. He is a great example of that because he became a winning coach like Vince Lombardi, his idol.
Second is Ethos, or relying on the trustworthiness of the reader. He uses Ethos when he refers to the story of Vince Lombardi. This uses Ethos because he tells a story about Lombardi's speech and we expect and trust, Vince's speech to be emotional and deep, but Jim talks about the one speech when it is emotional, but he trusts us to believe that it was only a few seconds.
The third is Pathos, which refers to using words to attract emotions. Jimmy V. uses this when he refers to the three things that he said people should do in their life; laugh, think, and cry. This uses Pathos because he trys to appeal to the emotions of the crowd by talking about what maybe his final hours and tells everyone to keep emotions as a part of their lives no matter what may come up to try and stop it. "If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special."
2. Tell me about the best 'pep talk' that you've ever received. Make sure to discuss the speaker, the situation, the audience, and the speaker's technique. Cite lines from the speech if you can.
The best pep talk I ever received was at the championship lacrosse game in the eighth grade. The speaker was the head coach, and also the dad of one of the girls on the team. We worked our way up to the top of the list to play our rivals, the only Pennsylvania team we could never beat, the Panthers. All of the girls were so pumped and ready to play the game. We were all so excited. The coach made us calm down and breathe in and out. He started out with, “We all, as a team, have worked so hard to get here.” He went on to say how much he has been so proud to coach us, and how we should finish with a bang. He told us all that we were great lacrosse players. The girls were silent; we all heard the wind and the cars driving by the field. But, none of us said a word. When I look back on it now, I laugh, because we didn’t make a sound and were so interested in what our coach had to say. He even used one of the lines Jim Valvano said in his speech. “Don’t give up.” I don’t remember what the coach said after that, but I do remember the intensity of his words. All the girls were so excited now. We got out on the field, played as a team, and won the championship as a team.
number 3. If you laugh, think and cry everyday, that is a complete day. The easiest to do is think. Especially when were in school. You have to think about everything that you do. No matter if its an impossible geometry problem, deciding what to eat for breakfast or choosing which accessories to wear on accessory day. You have to constantly be thinking during the day or else something could go wrong. Now laughing can also occur often during the course of the day. Even if you are in a bad mood someone will crack a joke or one of your friends will fall or something will make you laugh. I dont think i have gone a day in my life without laughing. Just being with your friends will make you laugh because you are around a group of people that you like and put you in a good mood. Now crying I believe is the hardest one to do everyday. Being sad usually happens everyday but maybe not to the point of crying. So many things can make you cry. You can fail a big test or someone close to you can pass. Crying, laughing and thinking happen all of the time you just do think of them as really important.
The best pep talk I have received is when my swim coach inspired my teammates and myself to win the State Championships. Three years ago the Dolphins were in the state champions. This was my second year competing for this team. We were swimming at the U of D pool and so far we had won all the relays and had come in first, second, and third in all the other races. It came down to the last race which determined who won since were in a close tie with the Aqua Eagles our arch rivals. Our coach Diana set us aside and told us “give it all that we have. Don’t give up and finish the race.” These words were spoken so well that I still remember that day like it occurred yesterday. After Diana give us a pep talk the final rival was about to start. My teammates and I went to the deck and were ready. The race began and it was a close race till the last lap. Samantha, the last swimmer hit the board the same time as Aqua Eagle swimmer. We anticipated who won and they had said by one second the Dolphins had won! In conclusion, I believe it was Diana’s words that helped us win that day!
3. How do you laugh, think, and cry each day?
The actions laugh, think, and cry are all very powerful actions to create. For some people laughing is a very easy thing to do but for others, they don’t laugh as easily. To think for some people takes time, but for other takes hardly a second. For some people, they cry very easily and let their emotions get the best of them while others are very hard to show their emotions. For me, each day and as I grow older I find myself doing these actions more and more. As a kid you laugh at almost anything and probably don’t understand what is happening but as you grow older you find a much broader understanding of your laughter and the meaning behide your giggles. My mom once told me that “Laughter is good for the soul.” That advice has always stuck to me. Everytime I laugh I feel as though anything couldn’t be better than this moment. Laughing creates memories along with happiness. Laughter can always make you happy and think of good times. Laughter always helps you to realize not to sweat the small things in live and enjoy every minute of every day. When I talk to my friends or family they are constantly making me laugh with funny sayings or jokes that can get me through even the most worst days. I think about my decisions I make in life and how they will effect me. Will this decision be a positive to me or a negative? Will this decision benefit me or hurt me? Thinking is a create way to expand your knowledge and create new ways of doing something. I think everyday in school as well as everyday of my life deciding what is right for me. I cry very easily when I get my feelings hurt. I am a very sensitive person. I cry and let my emotions out when something is truly bothering me. I also cry when watching very sad movies that are emtional. Everyday I laugh, think, and cry. Everytime I cry, it follows with a thought of why I was crying in the first place and usually follows with my peers or family making me laugh.
In Jim Valvano’s speech he stated, “To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week; you're going to have something special”. I laugh, think, and cry everyday. Each day when I spend time with my friends or family, I laugh and have a good time with them. Even when I am not in a good mood, they are able to make me laugh. I am fortunate; I can not remember one day that I did not laugh at least once. Each day, I think about numerous things. In a field hockey game, I think about what move I should make against my opponent. When I am in class learning, I think about what the teacher is saying and how it can relate to my life. Anytime I do an action, I always think. I might not cry each day, but I do experience happiness and joy. When my team wins a field hockey game, when I score a goal, or when one of my friend’s scores a goal are examples of times I feel happiness and joy. Other times are when I earn a good grade on a test, quiz, or a homework assignment. I agree with Jim Valvano, if you laugh, think, and cry everyday you are going to have one full and great life.
3. How do you laugh, think, and cry everyday?
Laughter is the best feeling to me. Not just a few "haha's", but the whole deal, eyes watering, and stomach aching laughter. Because in those few seconds, everything in my own little world in somewhat perfect. Im not worrying, just laughing. I think that Jim wanted everyone to have at least one of these moments everyday. I laugh everyday when i am with my best of friends, and when i am with my family. My best friends make me laugh without even trying, its just a talent some people have when they know most things about you. My family always makes me laugh. When we're all together, we can always find someting to laugh about, whether it be old stories or when we're eating dinner and my grandmothers tooth falls out.
Thinking is something we most do unconcsiously, but i think the kind of thinking that jim valvano is talking about, is just being still and going into deep thought. I usualy think right before i go to sleep. When my body is at rest, but my mind is still going a mile a minute.
I cry just about everyday. I can honestly say that i have cried for joy, cried for sorrow, and cried for anger. It doesnt take much for me to tear up, im just an emotional person. I cry everyday whenever i get a burst of emotion thrust upon me. Its hard to explain, but whenever my mode changes rapidly, the tears come flying.
The best pep talk I have ever received was over this past summer. During the summer I swim for Sho’men Aquatics, a swim team at the local college. This year we had the smallest team in our history, and knew we would be the underdogs to our rival MDY going to championships in July. Thus knowing that we were planning on going in and just doing our best as a team and hoping for second. As our team was preparing for warm-ups, a fellow swimmer stood up on a chair and hushed everyone in the room. She stood their for a moment just staring at us, then said “look to your right, and then to your left, see who is standing next to you, we made it here, they made it here.” She continued talking about how even though no one expects anything from us, we need to go in there and show them up. We had nothing to lose only greatness to gain. That pep talk made us cry, laugh and smile, and even think. She used real emotion and rhetoric to get into our heads and hearts. After that talk we were pumped and super excited. The whole meet was long, exciting and very close. We ended up winning championships by 4 points. Everyone knew that without Grace’s pep talk earlier that day, we would not have won. And everyone without a doubt had that speech repeating in his or her head while they raced.
The best pep talk I have ever received was over this past summer. During the summer I swim for Sho’men Aquatics, a swim team at the local college. This year we had the smallest team in our history, and knew we would be the underdogs to our rival MDY going to championships in July. Thus knowing that we were planning on going in and just doing our best as a team and hoping for second. As our team was preparing for warm-ups, a fellow swimmer stood up on a chair and hushed everyone in the room. She stood their for a moment just staring at us, then said “look to your right, and then to your left, see who is standing next to you, we made it here, they made it here.” She continued talking about how even though no one expects anything from us, we need to go in there and show them up. We had nothing to lose only greatness to gain. That pep talk made us cry, laugh and smile, and even think. She used real emotion and rhetoric to get into our heads and hearts. After that talk we were pumped and super excited. The whole meet was long, exciting and very close. We ended up winning championships by 4 points. Everyone knew that without Grace’s pep talk earlier that day, we would not have won. And everyone without a doubt had that speech repeating in his or her head while they raced.
This speech has clear examples of the three of Aristotle's appeals, ethos, pathos, and logos. Jim uses Ethos, showing the creditability of the speaker, when he is offering his ideas on how you should live every day of your life. We can respect his advice in his speech because he is dying of cancer, a terminal disease. Because he is in this condition he sees every day as a gift and understands how every day of life is precious. We see pathos throughout the whole speech and because of the entire situation. Obviously every time someone is dying it is going to raise a lot of emotion in people. Jim even admits that he is an emotional man himself: “As Dick said, I'm a very emotional, passionate man. I can't help it.” It’s also very emotional because a lot of us can relate to the feeling of knowing someone with cancer. One of the most emotional parts of this speech is when he talks about how cancer cannot touch his mind, his soul, or his heart. This uses many sensory ideas so that we can understand how he feels about his condition. Finally, Jim uses logos when he is near the end of his speech. When he is explaining the numbers of cancer patients that will die and also that cancer research is one tenth of AIDS. This is giving exact numbers to help reinforce his cause. He is trying to persuade his listeners to help same people with what he is feeling. His cause is the new foundation for cancer research that he is starting up with ESPN’s support.
Aristotle said that a good speaker should pay attention to three main areas, Logos, Ethos, and Pathos. I will analyze Jim Valvano’s speech, which he recited at the Espy Awards, in terms of Logos, Ethos, and Pathos. An example of logos, which refers to any attempt to appeal to the intellect, in Valvano’s speech would be when he refers to the three things you should do everyday, which were, laugh, think, and cry. His response to this was, "But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special." An example of Ethos, which refers to the trustworthiness of a speaker, in his speech is when he refers to his idol coach, Vince Lombardi, coach of the Green Bay Packers and how he mimicked Lombardi’s pep talk for use in one of his own. Valvano really looked up to Lombardi and even said jokingly that he was going to be the next Lombardi. An example of Pathos, or the appeal to sympathy or emotion, is when Valvano relates the saddening statistics that five hundred thousand people will die this year of cancer and that one in four people will be afflicted with this terrible disease. Valvano tells the audience that he needs their help and that they need money for cancer research. He ends by saying, “It might not save my life. It may save my children’s life. It may save someone you love. And it’s very important.” These are examples of Logos, Ethos, and Pathos in Jim Valvano’s speech.
To me the best part of Jim Valvano’s speech stems from the factand presence of mind that he knows he is dying. Knowing the perspective he is speaking from makes all of his words more powerful, because behind all the words lies amazing courage and no regrets that he may die soon. He uses humor to mask his bravery when he says, “ And… that screen is flashing up there thirty seconds like I care about that screen right now, huh? I got tumors all over my body”. This joke about time is another way of him showing people his life has thirty seconds on the clock, and how he’s close to dying. Also he speaks of courage in is family and how important they are to him. It reminds us all that in the end it is not about the things you have accumulated or how much money you have, life is really about family and the strong bonds you form. He also says, “The courage in my family are my wife Pam, my three daughters, here, Nicole, Jamie, LeeAnn, and my mom” this quote means that we gain strength and courage from our family over the years.
I strongly agree with Jimmy Valvano on the premise that you should laugh, think and cry every day. Two out of three of these are very easy for me too do but one is quite the opposite. Thinking is something I do a lot of and is probably the most prevalent of the three. At night before I go to bed I will think about the day, what I liked what I didn’t and about what the future holds. Laughing is also very easy to do every day for two reasons; one is that the people I hang out with are funny in every sense of the word and two is that when I think something is funny I just can’t help but laugh. Now that you know that thinking and laughing are easy to me then crying must be what I have trouble with. This is entirely true and I don’t think I cried for quite a while. Though a few weeks ago my grandmother died and after this happened I did cry. Before this happened I would never have known why crying would be included with laughing and thinking but now it makes so much more sense to me.
This speech very much includes the three forms of persuasion, ethos, logos, and pathos. Because the speaker uses these three forms of pursuasion, Jim Valvano has very good rhetoric in his speeches. Ethos is how he involves the audience in his speech. By the end of this speech, the audience was very much involved. He had a very emotional story, and therefore, the audience was very eager to hear what he had to say. He also involved the audience by stating that everyone should laugh, think, and cry every day. Valvano also asked the audience to ask themselves some questions relating to laughing, thinking, and crying every day. Logos in the logical appear in the speech. Valvano used logic in his speech a few times. He used stories from his life to make his point. For example he told the audience about his first teaching job and how much he enjoyed it. Therefore, he was relating to the people in the audience and their first times doing what they love to do. Pathos is the emotion in the speech. Even without pathos, Valvano's story was emotional, but he used pathos to emphasize the emotion in his speech. The fact that he is very carefree and friendly makes the audience love him from the beginning of his speech. He then talks about how he is ready to fight his cancer up until the end, and he wants to make it to the ceremony the following year. Finally, he discusses the odds of people who will get cancer and people who will die from cancer. From the reaction of the audience, they truly got his message and felt his emotion about the subject. Valvano's speech was a very inspirational speech because it included ethos, logos, and pathos, and the audience's reactions proved how effective a great speech can be.
When I saw this speech a couple of key points stood out to me. The part when he talked about time was especially one of them. The fact that he realizes how valuable time is in his situation is extraordinary. He knows that his time left on Earth is uncertain, and to understand or accept that fact is great. Another great part of his speech is when he talks about how everyday you should laugh, think, and cry. I think that he explained a great way live your life. Laughing has always been a good thing to do, but also you can remember the good times in your life by how hard you were laughing then. You should always think about things, good or bad. You should thin things through in life not just make rash decisions. Thinking is also kind of like reflecting on certain things in a way. Finally you should cry just to let your emotions out, whether there tears of joy, or tears of sorrow. Crying is good because it lets you express emotion without exactly saying things, which comes in handy when finding the right words is kind of hard to do. Overall Jim Valvano’s speech was great, and I can tell he was excellent at the art of rhetoric.
The best pep talks I have ever received are from my Uncle Bernie. My Uncle is one of the most important people in my life. Everytime I am with my Uncle he always finds a way to get me pumped of excited about football or anything we are talking about. My Uncle always preaches about resiliency, and how important it is to use in our lives. He always resiliency is the way to get through life. If you ever make a mistake in football or school don’t get down on yourself, get excited about it and learn from it. My Uncle said that the most important works in the English language is the phrase "If it's meant to be then it's up to me." Those powerful words carry people through there whole lives. They meant that if you put the work into something and you did everything to achieve it then it will happen in one form of another. While I was training with my Uncle over the summer he always said before we started "If you want more than you have to become more." There are too many people in our world that have an attitude of more reward with less work. Many people have the mind set that they want to make more money, but they want to work less. If you want to make more money than you better be working your butt off to make sure that happens. My Uncle always seems to get me excited in everything I do. That is why we try to do everything with enthusiasm and be excited.
My grandfather use to always say you never know where your next meal will come from. My grandfather loved food and loved to eat especially ice cream. He would use this saying as an excuse to eat a lot. But there was also more meaning behind it. He would say you never know where you will be tomorrow or what will happen. This meant that you should eat enough today so you don’t have to worry about tomorrow and that you should take advantage of what’s happening today. Live each day to its fullest is a more common saying that captures the same idea. The reason I think his pertain to Jim Valvano is because he talked about how he want to spend as much time with his family. The reason spending time with his family was so important was because his tomorrow really was uncertain. With his cancer he could get really sick or even die tomorrow. Both Jim and my grandfather felt that the uncertainty of tomorrow should make you strive to do better today.
I once had a very meaningful and strong pep talk told to my team and I by my softball coach. So stong, that some of the words still remain with me today. It was our last softball game of the season in eigth grade and we were tied with the upcoming team that we would be playing against. My entire team, including the coaches, had been anticipating this game for a while. We worked for hours everyday and tried to perfect everything the best that we could. The day of the game my team was extremely nervous. Tons of fans had come to watch us play ball and everybody knew that it was going to be a great game. Before we went out to play my coach gave the team one of the best pep talks that I had ever heard before. I was so moved by it that you could say I thought of life diferently after that. It was the way my coach told us that "everything in our lives happens for a reason and God will let everything fall into place as it's suppose to" and "no matter what happens we are going to show everyone what the best is and play our best" that seemed to give us so much power. I was not the only one who felt this way, my teammates were also very inspired. During that game we tried our best and played our hardest. But even though we lost by five points it didn't seem as bad after hearing the pep talk. My teammates and I were humble and took the loss with honor. And the pep talk that we had heard that day still remains in our hearts.
Valvano said ”We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears.” We laugh by having a good time and enjoying ever moment. It could be hanging out with friends and watching them do silly things or talking to them an listening to their funny stories or even having Mr. Freund come up behind you and start jumping up and down chanting. Oh My God, over and over. You think every day because you think about what you are going to do next. The things you learn about at school or something that has happened to you even the small things that have happened or will happen. You are still thinking about them. The last of the three things is to cry everyday. You cry by expressing your emotion it could be a happy thing that has occurred or even some sad event, but none the less when you cry you are show these emotions.
After watching Jim Valvono's speech, I was truly amazed. Every word had a meaning. I think the speech was just absolutely powerful overall. When he mentions the three things everyone should do everyday, I realized that that is a very good motto to live by. I also realized that people should do that everyday. Everyday is different, and everyday is a gift. Many people do not realize this and take life for granted. I think I try my best to laugh, cry and think everyday, just as Valvono said people should. Laughter is a part of my personality. It is who I am. I wake up laughing, and usually go to bed laughing. I also think everyday. Thinking is something people, as a free human being, can do without being made fun of or prosecuted. It is something powerful that no one can ever take away. I do not cry EVERY day, but there are times when I cry out of laughter or out of sadness. Either way, it is a form of crying and should be done everyday. The act of crying is important. It is a form of relief and allows a person to forget about the bad and think, which, as I said, is very important. When anyone has the ability to do all three things in one day, they truly have a gift, and should treasure that forever.
The speech given by Jim Valvano was filled with many lines of humor and sadness. One of the best lines in his whole speech was when he said we need to laugh, think, and cry every day. If we do this then we will have had a filling day mentally, emotionally, and physically. But this part of the speech is not the best in my opinion. There’s another line in this speech that I believe takes a backseat to the one I stated earlier. The first line is when he said “to keep your dreams alive in spite of whatever problems you have”. I believe this to be one of the greatest pieces of advice you can give to anyone. Because once you give up on your dreams, that’s when they truly become impossible to accomplish. A dream is something so precious that it can give inspiration, hope, determination, it gives people a reason to fight for what they want. Big things are made by big dreams from big people. Things made by people’s dream are all around us. Martin Luther King had a dream and so did the Wright Brothers. Look what their dreams did for people everywhere. When everyone tells you your not good enough or you can’t do it, your dream is what keeps you going, and that dream makes your victory all the more sweeter.
To laugh, think, and cry everyday was very important to Jim Valvano. This statement is also very important to me as well. I believe that people that laugh a lot tend to live longer and also tend to be a lot happier than someone that doesn't laugh very often. That is why I love to have at least one good laugh with some of my friends everyday. Spending some time in thought everyday to me is vital. I say this because, having a little time in thought helps me to figure things out and helps put my life in order. This way I can make sure I can make the right decision in a difficult situation. To cry or get your emotions going is also very important to me because, it lets me know that I am truly living each day to it's full potential and also to know that I'm alive. So basically to do these three things a least once a day is making every last minute you have left in your life count. In other words you don't want to have anything to regret or wish you had done something or taken that risk in life.
1. What are the best parts (lines) of the speech? Why?
There are many parts of Jim Valvono's speech that were significant to me so i decided to not just limit myself to talking about one. Firstly, even when he has to deal with a great struggle such as having cancer he manages to make his speech humorous. In his situation someone would probably be somber but Jim follows the idea of "living every day as if it's your last". Jim starts his speech with saying that he will speak longer then anyone else and will not listen to the 30 second warning. He goes on to talk about how he believes everyone should do three things each day: laugh, think, and cry. He explains that if you do those three things each day that you will have a special day. Later in the speech he tells a story of how he quotes Vince Lombardi to his first team but messes the words up. He also makes it really emotional by talking about his cancer and how people can contribute to helping cure cancer. Valvono talks about his a foundation he founded to help cure cancer called the Jimmy V foundation.The foundations motto is don't give up, never give up. Jim's enthusiastic nature allows him to go on. He says "Cancer can take away all my physical ability. It cannot touch my mind; it cannot touch my heart; and it cannot touch my soul." Jim is saying that even though cancer can kill him, it can never kill his spirit and will to go on. This speech is a very powerful one because of Jim's use of emotions. He provides humor and hope all in the sadness knowing that he will not live for much longer. Jim states "It's so important to know where you are. And I know where I am right now. How do you go from where you are to where you wanna be? And I think you have to have an enthusiasm for life. You have to have a dream, a goal. And you have to be willing to work for it." Jim's enthusiasm and hard work helped him accomplish his goal. But as he says to achieve your goal you have to know where you are at that moment and where you wanna be. I think everyone should follow Jim Valvono's mindset not only to seize the day but as he says to laugh, think, and cry each day.
Jim Valvano is a great speaker and is a courageous man when he is sick of cancer and is willing to speak out to everyone for the last time. There are two lines he says that I believe are the best lines of his speech. The one that spoke to me first was when he was talking about “How do you go from where you are to where you want to be? And I think you have to have an enthusiasm for life. You have to have a dream, a goal. And you have to be willing to work for it.” It is one of the best lines in his speech because it relates to everyone, not just himself. I also believe that everyone should have enthusiasm for life and to have a dream or goal. There would not be any reason to wake up every morning if they do not have goals they want to reach. The second part of his speech that I like is when he says “Cancer can take away all my physical ability. It cannot touch my mind; it cannot touch my heart; and it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever.” He shows how strong he is by telling his audience that he knows he is dying. This line is important because death, or a sickness, cannot take away someone’s mind, heart, or soul. These three things are carried through the people we know and love. Jim Valvano was an inspirational man who touched the hearts and lives of many people throughout his speech.
1. There are so many amazing things that Valvano said in his speech, and I have to say that his speech really moved me. Some of the lines in his speech were incredible, and his enthusiasm was amazing. I think the one of the best parts in Valvano’s speech, is when he describes the three things you should do everyday. What he says is that you should laugh, think, and cry everyday. To me this is very true because I think that the best things in life are your emotions. He’s saying even though he has cancer, he still can laugh, think and cry everyday, which is something very special. Another one of the best parts in his speech is when he describes the pep talk he gave for the first team he ever coached. This actually made me laugh, but it also showed how passionate Valvano really was about his dreams. After he describes the story of his first coaching job, he begins another one of the best parts of his speech. He describes how you have to know where you are, have enthusiasm, and how you have to have a dream and goal, and be willing to work for it. I feel that this is one of the best lines I have ever heard because of how true it is. You have to have dreams and goals in order to feel rewarded. You have to have enthusiasm like Valvano, in order to achieve them. And like he said, you have to be willing to work for it. Lastly, I think that the last lines of his speech are the most moving and tear jerking. He says that cancer can take away his physical abilities but it can’t touch his heart, mind, and soul. These three things are really the most important things in your life, and most people take them for granted. Valvano’s speech really inspired me to be more enthusiastic and not get caught up in the unimportant things in life, and enjoy it, because you never know when it could all end. Valvano urges people to enjoy and live their lives to the fullest. I completely agree with everything he said.
2. Tell me about the best 'pep talk' that you've ever received. Make sure to discuss the speaker, the situation, the audience, and the speaker's technique. Cite lines from the speech if you can.
The best pep talk I've ever recieved was really effective. It fired up all the players, and changed the outcome of the game. It was in November 2006, and my football team (Jaguars) had fought through the playoffs. We finished at .500 in the regular season and were meek underdogs and seen as an easy game. Through speeches and hard teamwork, our motivated football team scorched our opponents. In the game before the chamipionship game, we were losing to the best team in the league 10-0. At half time i remember my coach delivered a speech and it was very brief. He said," We were underdogs the whole playoffs. In fact, we still are underdogs. This next half will prove something team. We will either walk out as men, or walk out as boys. This next half, if we play as a team, it will seperate us. We will be the men, and if we are victorious, we will leave with our heads high. So are you gonna be men this next half, or boys?" And i just remember my team went nuts, and we actually won the game 10-14 and advanced on. It is amazing what words can do.
Two parts of Jim Valvano’s speech really inspire me. The first is when he speaks about enthusiasm. “It's so important to know where you are. And I know where I am right now. How do you go from where you are to where you wanna be? And I think you have to have an enthusiasm for life. You have to have a dream, a goal. And you have to be willing to work for it.” When I read the speech, this part stood out to me because it made me think about my life and my goals. As a sophomore in high school, I have to start thinking about what I want to do and where I want to end up in life. But more importantly, I have to start chasing my dreams and going after what I want. Listening to a man whose life is limited to a matter of months really made me think about how lucky I am to have the time to work hard and achieve my dreams. The second part of the speech that I really liked was when he mentioned himself wanting to fight cancer and be able to present at the next year’s ESPY awards. “I'd like to think I'm going to fight my brains out to be back here again next year for the Arthur Ashe recipient. I want to give it next year!” I was inspired by his bravery and strength to face cancer, and to have to the courage to fight it.
During my football career, I have recieved countless pep talks to get me ready to play the game. I believe that a speech shouldn't be too long and be very unique to the team. It should get the team fired up and ready to do whatever they have to do in orer for them to accomplish their goals. Personally, there is one man who I think gives the best "pump-up" speeches. That man, the best coach I have ever played for, is good old Ronnie Smith. A very humorous man, loves the game and is good at giving great speeches. I remember one speech that was during this football season, it was right before our season opener. We were playing Glasgow this game, and we just finished our warm-ups and pregame drills. We were in a hallway of the school building waiting for the referees to arrive. I remember I was so nervous my legs were shaking. It was the entire team in this hallway, silent as anything. Coach Ron came in and started to pace back and forth between the the space in the middle of the hallway. We were all watching him, waiting for him to speak. You could see he was thinking. I can't remember the entire speech, but it got me ready. Ron started talking about the seniors who played with each other for a long time and that this was their last year together. He went on about our team and how it was a family and that no one could stop us. He said to play for each other, to give them everything you got and to not let them down. He said if we played with heart, and with our teammates as motivation, we will be victorious. I remember his speech kind of choked me up, but I was pumped out of my mind. We ended up winning the game, openeing our season with a win. Evry game this season, our team relies on Ron to give us sppeches and to get us excited for the emotional game of football.
Jim Valvano's speech was incredible. It was inspirational and enthusiastic. My favorite lives from the speech have to be, "Gentlemen, all eyes on me." These kids wanted to play, they're nineteen. "Let's go," I said. "Gentlemen, we'll be successful this year if you can focus on three things, and three things only: Your family, your religion, and the Green Bay Packers,", and he says “I told them. I did that. I remember that. I remember......where I came from” He perfectly explains that you should keep memories from the past. After all, who are you without your experiences? He explained that everyone starts off the same basic person, and your experiences mold and shape you. Your mind can be described as an empty canvas and your experiences as your paintbrush.( There's a conceit) He let those words slip out of his mouth because he was nervous for his first game. It is humorous because the speech was supposed to give his players hope, but letting out the wrong team name questioned his commitment to the basketball team. I wondered if the players drew any hope from this speech, or if the slip-up just ruined the value of it.
I wish I could honestly say that I laugh, think, and cry everyday, but I cannot. I can remember days where I did not even chuckle once, I floated around in a thoughtless daze. Days when, even if I was upset set, I could not squeeze out a single tear. On most days I will laugh, mostly because my friends and they're ridiculous antics. When Jim says that we should think everyday, I do not believe he means the little thoughts like "I'm hungry." or "I hope my hair looks nice today.". He means everyday we should have deep, important thoughts that will help us figure out life. Lately, I have been thinking deeply everyday. It is so easy to drift through the days with only superficial thoughts. I try to take time out in the day to probe my mind or meditate. I do not cry everyday but I do try to let myself feel as much as I can. Let my emotions show through my everyday actions. Jim Valvano was a wise man. I'm glad he could share his wisdom with the world before he passed away
Jim Valvono's speech was very touching and inspiring. Many of the lines in it were funny and heartfelt but I would have to say one of my favorites was when Jim said “that screen is flashing up there thirty seconds like I care about that screen right now, huh? I got tumors all over my body. I'm worried about some guy in the back going thirty seconds, huh?” It may not have been a planned part of the speech, but it was a wonderful line because it shows that Jim Valvono was able to laugh and make jokes, even though he had a terrible disease. That line shows you how strong of a person he was, and how much he cared about making others laugh and feel comfortable. Another line that I really enjoyed was, “Now, I look at where I am now and I know what I wanna do. What I would like to be able to do is to spend whatever time I have left and to give, some hope to others.” That line shows you that he was a very determined man who just wanted to help others. The last line in the speech that I really enjoyed would have to be when he said, “I just got one last thing, I urge all of you, all of you, to enjoy your life, the precious moments you have. To spend each day with some laughter and some thought, to get you're emotions going.” That line shows you that he cared about the lives of others, and that he knows from experience how to make your life an enjoyable, worth while one.
1. “To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. And number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special.”
-I like these lines because they really made you think about how you live your day each day. Most people don’t do all three of these things each day. However, if u ever did you know that like Valvano said, “...that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day.”
2. One of the best pep talks I’ve ever heard was actually a rap song by K’naan called “Smile.” K’naan is a “conscious rapper” who is aware of what is really going on in the world and knows how to overcome it. In the song he reminds the audience, me, to remember to “never let them see you down, smile while you’re bleeding.” This reminds me that no matter what happens in life that you’re never down and out. You’re only out as soon as you call yourself out. The rhythm in this song is very good and his technique in rapping will get your attention and stick to you.
3. Every day I should laugh, think, and cry. I never actually do, though. Everyday I laugh with my friends. Everyday I think about life and my love for my friends and family. I am not brought to tears by happiness or joy everyday. When I think about it, I should. But I cannot.
4. One experience that gives me a personal tie with the song is when not too long ago, I thought I had lost my life long best friend. This was a life changing experience and I’m happy to say that we’ve resolved our sides of the argument and are still best friends. This song reminded me that even though this was a low point for me, that there will be better times.
5. pathos- the words shows emotion throughout the entire song.
“Smile
When your struggilin
Smile
When Your in jail
Smile
When your dead broke
Smile
And the rents due
Smile
You aint got friends now
Smile
And no one knows you
Never let them see you down smile while you bleeding” -this quote shows the emotion he feals and shares with the audience.
Ethos- In the first two lines K’naan gains trustworthiness by saying, “My tragedy’s different; My life’s deep, listen.”
Logos-“war is no place for a child, especially if hes rollin’ with an AK and a smile” this is an example of the logic he represents about fighting and how bad things have gotten. Although, he still goes back to remind the audience of how things will get better.
Every day of my life is different. Some things make you laugh, others make you cry, and then there are those things that you just can’t stop thinking and wondering about. No matter what each day brings I can always be sure that I will complete at least two of the three things Valvano says you must do every day. I pretty much laugh at anything and everything even if it’s not funny at all so I definitely accomplish that one. Then I am always, always thinking. No matter if it’s about school work, something that happened days ago, something someone said to me, what to have for lunch or anything else going on in my life. People don’t realize how many things you have to think about every day. The final thing Valvano says you should do everyday is to cry. There are many days that I do not cry, but occasionally I do. Sometimes it’s because I was laughing too hard or someone close to me died, other times it’s due to injury or time passing too fast, and then there are the times that I cry for no reason at all or because I am simply way over stressed. I agree with Valvano when he says that these three things make a heck of a day, because I know that on the days I do all three I’m completely exhausted.
It is made clear in this speech that Jim Valvano is an extraordinary person. Without ever meeting this man, I am able to tell his personality and his great love for everything in life. Here he is, a man fighting a deadly disease, and he is able to perfectly deliver a speech about life and love. He does not ask people to feel sorry for him, but to rejoice with him. It is obvious that Jim Valvano is a fantastic speaker. He is able to educate and inform his audience while at the same time entertaining them. He has such eagerness and passion in his voice, I am able to tell that his audience is hanging on to every word, just as I am when I listen to it. One of the best parts of Jim Valvano’s speech is when he is retelling his expierence as the Rutgers basketball coach before their very first game. He explains about the pep talk he was going to use. As he went into the locker room, Jim Valvano used the wrong team name in his pep talk. This part of the speech was funny and entertained the crowd, but it also proved a point that Jim never forgot his past. Everyone makes mistakes, but life goes on. There is a beginning and an end to everything in life, it is important to never, ever forget where you’ve come from. Jim then goes on to talk about his family, and how he got to be the person he is now. He talks about the three most important things that people should do each and every day: laugh, think, and cry. Jim says that if you do these three things each day, you will have a lifetime of special moments. He emphasizes courage, and how important it is to work hard to get where you want to be in life. I admire Jim for this. It takes a whole lot of courage to get up and talk on national TV, but to be open and free about private aspects of your life, and to deliver such an amazing speech while you know you are dying of cancer is absolutely bewildering to me. The last part Jim’s speech is his encouragement for everyone in the audience to enjoy their life. He asks them not to take life for granted, and to keep their dreams and emotions on the top of their priority list. He tells them that anything can be accomplished as long as they never lose sight of their dreams.
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