HSC study page by S D'Souza

Listen to the speech before watching the video to understand the distinctive voice:

Answer the following questions to analyse the eulogy:

1. 1.       What is the purpose of the opening sentence?  What kind of rhythm and structure does it have?  What tone do these help to create?

2. Note the structure of the speech.  The following headings may help:

• Personal memories
• Her insecurity
• Not just a family, but a world, in mourning
• Thank God
• Her problems with the media
• Her special qualities & achievements
• Her children

3. What is the tone (i.e., writer’s attitude toward the material he is presenting) of most of the first                                   half of the speech?  [Mournful?  Somber?  Despairing?  Stately?  Majestic?  Celebratory?]
Where does the tone change?  What causes the change?  Does it change again?  How is this change conveyed by the writer?  Why the variance?

4. What pronoun does the earl use to refer to Diana in the first three-quarters or so of the speech?
    How does this change in the fifth paragraph from the end?  What is the effect of this change?

5. The eulogy contains numerous examples of parallelism.  This means that several parts of a sentence (or even several sentences) are phrased in a similar way.  Doing so tends to add balance, rhythm, and clarity to the sentence.

e.g. We are all united today not only in our desire to pay our respects
                                                to Diana, but rather in our need to do so.
e.g. … a family in grief, in a country in mourning, before a world in shock.

Find other examples of parallelism.  What is the effect of this device–particularly as regards the tone of the eulogy?  What are some other techniques/devices used to convey the message/meaning?

Homework: Read the article below and make at least 8 points that help to analyse the eulogy.

‘I read it to Diana’s coffin and heard a small whisper’