Martin Sheen’s Speech

Martin Sheen was a great actor, a great activist and was a naturally  great speaker. At the We Day 2010, Martin Sheen gave a speech about activism. He told everybody that lost causes in their lives were worth fighting for. You could see how he empowered and inspired the audience by his motivating words and by connecting with his audience. 

 Everyone could have a good cause to fight for during their lifetime. Martin Sheen used a few examples to support his point. For his examples, he used two historically significant men: Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy. Martin Luther King Jr. fought for the cause of equal rights for the African Americans. The African Americans had thought that equal civil rights could never be achieved, but Martin Luther King Jr. proved that anything was possible. Bobby Kennedy fought for everybody in a time of need to support the American civil rights movement. These two examples illustrated that any cause could be won, and that there was no such thing as a lost cause if there were people willing to fight for what they believed in. Martin Sheen was trying to put a stop to world apathy and poverty; he wanted freedom. Martin Sheen is someone who stands for civil rights and encourages young people to help their communities whenever possible. He said even the littlest acts will help change the community.

 

Martin Sheen's technique to grasp the attention of the audience was establishing a connection with his audiences. Since Sheen’s parents were immigrants, he connected with the audience when talking about immigrants since many of the children in the audience had parents who immigrated. Equal rights and freedom were the reasons most immigrants moved to another country. Martin Sheen said, “Acting is what I do for a living but activism is what I do to stay alive.” – He connected with film audiences through his acting but connected with wider audiences through his powerful speeches due to his passion for activism.

 

Sheen said the most important needs human beings have are freedom, justice and healing. He encouraged everyone to find something worth fighting for. He said, “Only then the will of the spirit will unite with the work of the flesh”. One very good point Sheen made in his speech was “We’re not asked to do great things, we’re asked to do all things with great care”. Martin also exclaimed, "One heart with courage is the majority!" By this, he meant that if one person had the courage to stand up and fight for their beliefs, many would follow; then and only then, would humanity truly have freedom.

 

To conclude, the activist and award-winning actor Martin Sheen balanced both his communication skills and acting skills perfectly, powerfully and passionately during his speech. Sheen’s enthusiastic exclamations sent his earnest message to the young audience members to encourage them to find a good cause worth fighting for in their lives. Sheen’s strong voice, gestures and facial expressions were all well-incorporated into his speech. As a final thought, his speech had both motivated and impressed me. I hope Martin Sheen continues to keep up his excellent work as an activist. I will remember, even the smallest things can change the world.