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“What Freedom Means to Me"

Freedom is an important concept that has an impact on our daily lives, even if we are not aware of it. Freedom is viewed and defined differently by different people. Benjamin Franklin wrote that “Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.” Do you agree with this definition? Would you define it differently? This year’s topic explores the concept of freedom and how it relates to our lives.

In organizing their speeches, students may choose to consider one or more of the following questions or present on their own aspect of the topic.

● How is freedom defined?

● What does freedom mean to you?

● What types of freedoms do you have? And how do they affect your everyday life?

● How is freedom gained or lost?

● Which freedom would you miss the most if it were taken away?

Students may use these questions to help formulate ideas, but they should not be limited by the list above. Speeches must be at least three minutes and no more than five minutes long. Speeches must be in the students’ own words.

Rules:

● The speech content must be your own thoughts and words on the topic.

● Your speech must be three to five minutes long. Penalty points will be assessed for speeches over or under the time limit.

● No props, visuals or costumes! Judging criteria: Contestants will be judged using the following 100-point system.

● 40 points for material organization (Theme and subject adherence, structure, content, logic, and color)

● 40 points for delivery and presentation (Voice, pronunciation, enunciation, gestures and poise)

● 20 points for overall effectiveness (Impression and effect)