Among the greatest speeches of the 20th century picked by Time magazine in 1998 were Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1933 inauguration speech, Winston Churchill's 1940 inauguration address, Martin Luther King's 1963 speech during the Civil Rights March in Washington and John Kennedy's 1961 inauguration speech.
All great speeches must contain memorable words. Roosevelt said "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself..." Churchillspoke with steadfast determination: "We shall fight on the beaches ... we shall fight in the fields and in the streets ... we shall never surrender," and his words inspired his countrymen. King's great words were "I have a dream ..." Kennedy's "Don't ask what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country" is even more well-known.
Kennedy left behind many famous quotes from his short presidency. "Ich bin ein Berliner" (I am a Berliner), uttered in front of the Berlin Wall, is still paraphrased by politicians all over the world, including former ROC foreign minister Jason Hu (
Kennedy's speeches are permeated with memorable lines not only because he had many excellent speechwriters working for him, but also because he was an exceptional penman himself and the author of several books.
Very few people know that Kennedy's inauguration speech did not go through a long drafting process. He finalized the speech on the eve of the inauguration, while lying in the bathtub leisurely smoking cigars.
In contrast, the pressure mounting on President-elect Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) over his inauguration cannot even begin to compare with that of Kennedy.
However, the Beijing leadership has placed overwhelming expectations on the speech by treating it as a key to peace or war between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. No wonder Chen has recently been trying to downplay the importance of the address.
However, many inauguration addresses were made during times of national crisis. Facing an impending civil war, Lincoln wrote "A house divided against itself cannot stand."
Roosevelt's famous "we have nothing to fear" in 1933 was uttered against the backdrop of the Great Depression. The lines quoted from Churchill, King and Kennedy come from speeches made against the backdrop of an imminent German invasion of England, the US civil right movement and US-Soviet cold war, respectively.
Chen also faces a critical moment in history. First of all, his election will lead to the first rotation of ruling parties in Taiwan in over 50 years. Secondly, Beijing and Washington are closely watching his every word and move.
Neither his supporters nor his opposers will treat Chen's inauguration with indifference. Everyone is hoping to detect a hint and hear a message in the address. It is impossible for Chen to not feel the heat from this kind of hype.
In addition, a good inauguration address typically must take on the appearance of a joint production by William Shakespeare and Nicolo Machiavelli. On the one hand, it must have sufficient artistic and literary merit. On the other hand, it cannot be too literary and lacking in substance.
It must consist of a substantive declaration of policies. The "New Deal" talked about by Roosevelt and the "Peace Corps" started by Kennedy are all lessons Chen may learn from.
Many politicians will tell his or her writers working on a major speech to make the address sound like Lincoln's Gettysburg address or a certain speech by Churchill or Kennedy.
Bill Clinton's first inauguration speech echoed Kennedy in many details. Of course, I imagine the writers working for Chen must be busy looking for models and samples too.
A poet asked in a poem, "How much truth can a stalk of grass carry?" Surely, Chen and his staff must be feeling bewildered about "how many expectations should rest on this one single speech?"
Wang Chien-chuang is the president of The Journalist magazine.
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