We’ve all seen the movies; a kid from the projects grows up, overcomes his background, and lives out his dream of playing professional sports. These movies have the unique ability to both move people, and inspire them at the same time. Often, they can even bring people to tears. Maybe, that’s why the story of Kevin Durant resonates so strongly with listeners. After winning the 2013-14 MVP award in the NBA, Durant delivered arguably the greatest acceptance speech ever. However, to truly understand why the speech is so moving, you need to understand three things: the audience he’s addressing, the tone he uses throughout the speech, and the speaker himself. In this essay, these three things will be analyzed in detail, and hopefully,
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Technically, the audience was any and all people who happened to be watching ESPN at that time. However, Durant wasn’t speaking to America. He was talking to his closest friends and family, who were present at the speech. Throughout the speech, Durant addresses many of them by name, which gives the speech a much more personal feel. It feels almost as if Durant is speaking to them directly. At one point, Durant says to teammate Russell Westbrook, “There's days where I want to just talk with you and tell you to snap out of it sometimes, but I know there's days where you want to do the same thing with me. I love you, man. I love you. A lot of people put unfair criticism on you as a player, and I'm the first to have your back, through it all. Just stay the person you are.” This is very conversational, and very personal. Clearly, Durant wasn’t addressing all of America, his only focus was those people he was speaking …show more content…
For the most part, his tone is very reserved and reverent. Like most acceptance speeches, he expresses his thanks, and keeps his voice very even and quiet. Although his tone throughout is very serious, but he occasionally adds humor, usually when addressing his family or friends. Multiple times throughout the speech, Durant pokes fun at teammates, like one line addressed to Steven Adams, “Steven, Big Kiwi, I didn't know who you were when you first got here, but you made me realize with the screens you set in practice.” Durant can also become emotional at times. The best example of this is Durant’s now famous, “You the real MVP” line. Durant is talking to his mother, who is in the crowd, and actually breaks into tears while speaking. This is one of the most moving and memorable parts of the speech, as it truly shows the depth of Durant’s love and caring for his
Technically, the audience was any and all people who happened to be watching ESPN at that time. However, Durant wasn’t speaking to America. He was talking to his closest friends and family, who were present at the speech. Throughout the speech, Durant addresses many of them by name, which gives the speech a much more personal feel. It feels almost as if Durant is speaking to them directly. At one point, Durant says to teammate Russell Westbrook, “There's days where I want to just talk with you and tell you to snap out of it sometimes, but I know there's days where you want to do the same thing with me. I love you, man. I love you. A lot of people put unfair criticism on you as a player, and I'm the first to have your back, through it all. Just stay the person you are.” This is very conversational, and very personal. Clearly, Durant wasn’t addressing all of America, his only focus was those people he was speaking …show more content…
For the most part, his tone is very reserved and reverent. Like most acceptance speeches, he expresses his thanks, and keeps his voice very even and quiet. Although his tone throughout is very serious, but he occasionally adds humor, usually when addressing his family or friends. Multiple times throughout the speech, Durant pokes fun at teammates, like one line addressed to Steven Adams, “Steven, Big Kiwi, I didn't know who you were when you first got here, but you made me realize with the screens you set in practice.” Durant can also become emotional at times. The best example of this is Durant’s now famous, “You the real MVP” line. Durant is talking to his mother, who is in the crowd, and actually breaks into tears while speaking. This is one of the most moving and memorable parts of the speech, as it truly shows the depth of Durant’s love and caring for his