Title: Four persons who inspired me the most to succeed in this life.
A very good morning I bid to our principal, vice principals, specialist teachers, teachers and my fellow students. This morning, I would like to talk about four persons who inspired me to succeed in this life.
The first person who inspired me the most is my own father. His name is Mr. Jack Sparrow ak Bujang. I believe none of us have a perfect father. But, there are two things that I really like about my father which inspire me to be a better person. One of his noble characters is determination. He is a very determined person. His father died when he was 14 while his mother died when he was 16. It was very difficult for him to accept the loss of his parents as he was still very young and immature. He thought of giving up, but his father’s hope kept him going. His father always wanted him to be an educated person. His father wanted him to be a teacher. Therefore, he went to Batu Lintang Teacher’s College to realize his dream. Gradually, he graduated and became a teacher. I am also inspired by his ability to forgive and forget. My father had never had a grudge against anyone no matter how bad he was treated. As the matter of fact, it is not easy to forgive and forget. Amazingly, he could do that. I wish I could do that. Perhaps, one day I will be able to learn and understand the beauty of forgiving someone.
The second person who inspired me the most is Mr. Kieran. He was my English lecturer when I was doing my first degree at UITM, Shah Alam, Selangor. It is not easy to find a lecturer who can respond to criticism positively. I was very weak in English before. When he asked me to submit my first essay, he condemned me badly and claimed that I was not fit to be considered as a university student as my essay was full of common and critical errors. The worst thing was, I could not even speak in public due to zero exposure to public speaking when I was in primary and secondary schools. Furthermore, I had never sat for MUET compared to my classmates who studied English during their matriculation years. After criticizing my essay, I stared at him. I was angry and disappointed with him. I told him that he should help me instead of criticizing me because I believe that if we expect the best from our students, we must also learn to give the best. I thought he was going to report my rebellious act to the dean. I thought that day was my last day at UITM for criticizing a lecturer. I was wrong. He was silent for a while and I was surprised that he accepted my comments positively. Starting from that day, he began to teach me about grammar and how to write a good essay. He was very gentleman. He was one of a kind. I really appreciate his ability to respond to comments positively. I will not forget everything about grammar that he taught me before. The only way to appreciate him is by sharing the knowledge that he had shared with me.
The third person who inspired me the most is Tan Sri P. Ramlee. I admire his versatility as he was a singer, actor, director, songwriter and scriptwriter. We can hardly find a person who has many great talents. He was definitely one of a kind. I have never been bored with his movies as each of the movies was carefully and beautifully designed and directed. The movies were very simple but the messages were deadly and deep. There was a lot of sarcasm in his movies. He also conveyed the messages though jokes that the audience didn’t even realize that he was actually playing with sarcastic remarks throughout the movie. He was also a great thinker. He spent a lot of time thinking about how to present his ideas and messages effectively through films. He was also a perfectionist. He didn’t want to produce a film or a song which lasts a few hours. He always wanted his songs and movies to be relevant, acceptable, remembered and loved forever. In other words, he was trying to teach us the importance of giving our very best in everything we do.
The fourth and last person who inspired me the most is Bruce Lee. I admire him mainly because he was not a racist. He shared his knowledge about martial art named “Jeet Kune Do” with everyone. He was small in size but he was considered as one of the strongest men in this world. He trained very hard because he had a goal. His main goal was to defeat his opponent in a few seconds. He could punch and kick faster than a cat. Due to his remarkable speed in fighting, the film crews advised him to slow down his speed. If he failed to reduce his speed, the audience would not be able to see each of his movements. I also admire him because he was a great thinker. He encouraged everyone to learn martial art to defend themselves instead of provoking others. Another reason why I admire him is because he inspired others to fight for their rights. He portrayed patriotism through his movies as he didn’t want the Chinese to be fooled and tortured by the Japanese. He also inspired the Chinese to fight for their country. In reality, he encouraged me to fight for my rights as a citizen. He taught me to think critically about my surrounding and be sensitive to the racial discrimination and social injustice which occur in my own country. He inspired me to be a teacher who gives my best to my students regardless of my students’ background.
I hope the world will think critically and wisely about their contributions to the world. May God bless all the inspiring figures who had made me a better person today. Thank you for listening.
Written by: Mr.Mani ak Jack
Date: 2/3/2011
“I wrote this text so that you will learn how to say and write things from your heart instead of copying facts from reference books. “
Friday, April 29, 2011
Speech on Good Education by Mani anak Jack
I strongly agree because a good education is equal to a good economy. However, education today has been heavily and negatively affected by politics.
Let me begin with our so called political leaders. Before I proceed any further, let me relate this to an analogy. Angel and demon do exist in this world and the after world. So do demonic and angelic leaders.
Demonic leaders will always try his best to prevent his people from having a good education because he fears that this new generation would outsmart him because he constantly thinks that this new generation as a permanent threat. I strongly believe that demonic leaders had a very destructive, dark and painful childhood.
This demonic leader will always make sure that he gives the worst education to his people. Ironically, demonic leaders will always give the best education to his own blood and cronies because he and his groups wish to stay on top for as long as they breathe. Demonic leaders will always create unnecessary conflicts and issues in his own country in order to keep the people busy and forget about the main purpose of life which is to have a good education.
Unnecessary conflicts can be considered as war, international aid (help others but destroy his own people), and changes in system and etc. These political strategies will definitely weaken the education system because the system is changed repeatedly without any clear reason and objective. Demonic leaders will always think of how he should prevent the number of thinkers of his country because he does not want too many people to know about his wrongdoings.
Demonic leader will also delay the development of important infrastructure such as road, schools, water and electric supply in order to delay the development of the minds of his citizens. When most of his people are illiterate, it will be very easy for him to control and fool them as the people are being ignorant and unaware of every little evil thing that he does every single day.
On the other hand, angelic leaders will always think of how he can help his people to be highly educated. He does not consider his people as a threat. He considers them as the country’s asset who can help him make his country one of the most well developed country in the world. Angelic leaders will always spend most of the country’s revenue on education. Angelic leaders normally put more emphasis on building schools and universities. He will also try his best to make schools and universities accessible and affordable to each of his citizen. He believes that when his citizens are highly intelligent, they will be economically independent. Consequently, the country will independent too as the country does not have to import a lot of things because they know exactly how to do so many things as they are nurtured to be thinkers.
In conclusion, a leader always has a choice whether to be a demonic leader or angelic leader. Our vote is also a choice. Let us make a wiser choice now and tomorrow.
Let me begin with our so called political leaders. Before I proceed any further, let me relate this to an analogy. Angel and demon do exist in this world and the after world. So do demonic and angelic leaders.
Demonic leaders will always try his best to prevent his people from having a good education because he fears that this new generation would outsmart him because he constantly thinks that this new generation as a permanent threat. I strongly believe that demonic leaders had a very destructive, dark and painful childhood.
This demonic leader will always make sure that he gives the worst education to his people. Ironically, demonic leaders will always give the best education to his own blood and cronies because he and his groups wish to stay on top for as long as they breathe. Demonic leaders will always create unnecessary conflicts and issues in his own country in order to keep the people busy and forget about the main purpose of life which is to have a good education.
Unnecessary conflicts can be considered as war, international aid (help others but destroy his own people), and changes in system and etc. These political strategies will definitely weaken the education system because the system is changed repeatedly without any clear reason and objective. Demonic leaders will always think of how he should prevent the number of thinkers of his country because he does not want too many people to know about his wrongdoings.
Demonic leader will also delay the development of important infrastructure such as road, schools, water and electric supply in order to delay the development of the minds of his citizens. When most of his people are illiterate, it will be very easy for him to control and fool them as the people are being ignorant and unaware of every little evil thing that he does every single day.
On the other hand, angelic leaders will always think of how he can help his people to be highly educated. He does not consider his people as a threat. He considers them as the country’s asset who can help him make his country one of the most well developed country in the world. Angelic leaders will always spend most of the country’s revenue on education. Angelic leaders normally put more emphasis on building schools and universities. He will also try his best to make schools and universities accessible and affordable to each of his citizen. He believes that when his citizens are highly intelligent, they will be economically independent. Consequently, the country will independent too as the country does not have to import a lot of things because they know exactly how to do so many things as they are nurtured to be thinkers.
In conclusion, a leader always has a choice whether to be a demonic leader or angelic leader. Our vote is also a choice. Let us make a wiser choice now and tomorrow.
A SPEECH ON POVERTY (WRITTEN BY MANI JACK)
How to Reduce Poverty
A very good morning I bid to our wise and deep judges, precise timekeeper and respected audience. This morning I would like to talk about how to reduce poverty. According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s dictionary, poverty is defined as the state of being poor.
Before I elaborate on how to reduce poverty, allow me to share with you some devastating and worrying facts on poverty. For your information, poverty has always been one of the most critical and disturbing issues in the world. According to United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund or UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty. Obviously, they die due to extreme malnutrition. According to www.global issues.org, at least 80% of humanity lives in poverty. In other words, over 3 billion people in the world are imprisoned by poverty.
Based on www.bread.org, 925 million people in the world are suffering from hunger. According to the same source, 9 million children died in 2008 before they celebrated their fifth birthday. In 2005, it was reported that 1.4 billion people earn less than 1.25 dollars day. That would be 4 Malaysian ringgit a day or 120 ringgit a month. Can anyone enjoy life with that very little amount of money? I leave it all to you to do the calculation by referring to the current standard of living. I hope the revelation of the global figures will trigger a positive change in each of us.
Of all the ways on how to reduce poverty, the most effective one is through good education. Good education is the mother of all positive changes. According to www.globalissues.org., poverty is getting out of control in developing countries. There are so many factors which contribute to the rise of poverty such as war and corruption. Continuous war will definitely destroy most of the important buildings such as schools and universities. Obviously, going to school will remain as a sweet dream. On the other hand, corruption will make the rich richer and the poor poorer. In other words, country revenue has not been divided properly.
In order to enjoy a better economy, each nation should work on providing good education to their students. Scholarships should be given instead of study loan because developing countries are not as rich as developed countries. Developing countries should abolish study loans because study loans will hinder students who did well in academic to continue their study. If study loans are not abolished, the poor will remain poor as the world today is all about knowledge and expertise. Free education should also be considered as an option as the old saying goes, “Give a man a fish, he can eat for a day; Teach him to fish, he can eat fish for a lifetime”.
Education is very effective in changing the way we think. For example, a degree holder will definitely not share the same level of thinking with a primary six student. Furthermore, education helps us to think critically about the causes and the effects of our actions. Education also breeds generations who know how to think and rationalize small and critical matters. A degree holder also enjoys a higher salary than those who just rely on SPM and PMR result. A degree holder will also have the financial ability to own a house and a car. On the other hand, the uneducated ones will always go for the cheapest and of the lowest quality. In other words, poverty is undeniably equal to illiteracy. However, before any nations work on improving of the quality of education, they should first recognize and appreciate the teachers as they are the ones who build each country directly and indirectly. Great teachers will always produce great students. According to Sherwood Anderson, an American novelist and short story writer, the whole object of education si to develop the mind. The mind should be a thing that works.
In conclusion, good education is the main key to reduce poverty as it is pointless to come up with so many economic strategies without paying full attention to the importance of having good education. Good education is equal to a better and a stronger economy of a particular country. Thank you so much for your attention.
M.J (25/03/2011)
A very good morning I bid to our wise and deep judges, precise timekeeper and respected audience. This morning I would like to talk about how to reduce poverty. According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s dictionary, poverty is defined as the state of being poor.
Before I elaborate on how to reduce poverty, allow me to share with you some devastating and worrying facts on poverty. For your information, poverty has always been one of the most critical and disturbing issues in the world. According to United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund or UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty. Obviously, they die due to extreme malnutrition. According to www.global issues.org, at least 80% of humanity lives in poverty. In other words, over 3 billion people in the world are imprisoned by poverty.
Based on www.bread.org, 925 million people in the world are suffering from hunger. According to the same source, 9 million children died in 2008 before they celebrated their fifth birthday. In 2005, it was reported that 1.4 billion people earn less than 1.25 dollars day. That would be 4 Malaysian ringgit a day or 120 ringgit a month. Can anyone enjoy life with that very little amount of money? I leave it all to you to do the calculation by referring to the current standard of living. I hope the revelation of the global figures will trigger a positive change in each of us.
Of all the ways on how to reduce poverty, the most effective one is through good education. Good education is the mother of all positive changes. According to www.globalissues.org., poverty is getting out of control in developing countries. There are so many factors which contribute to the rise of poverty such as war and corruption. Continuous war will definitely destroy most of the important buildings such as schools and universities. Obviously, going to school will remain as a sweet dream. On the other hand, corruption will make the rich richer and the poor poorer. In other words, country revenue has not been divided properly.
In order to enjoy a better economy, each nation should work on providing good education to their students. Scholarships should be given instead of study loan because developing countries are not as rich as developed countries. Developing countries should abolish study loans because study loans will hinder students who did well in academic to continue their study. If study loans are not abolished, the poor will remain poor as the world today is all about knowledge and expertise. Free education should also be considered as an option as the old saying goes, “Give a man a fish, he can eat for a day; Teach him to fish, he can eat fish for a lifetime”.
Education is very effective in changing the way we think. For example, a degree holder will definitely not share the same level of thinking with a primary six student. Furthermore, education helps us to think critically about the causes and the effects of our actions. Education also breeds generations who know how to think and rationalize small and critical matters. A degree holder also enjoys a higher salary than those who just rely on SPM and PMR result. A degree holder will also have the financial ability to own a house and a car. On the other hand, the uneducated ones will always go for the cheapest and of the lowest quality. In other words, poverty is undeniably equal to illiteracy. However, before any nations work on improving of the quality of education, they should first recognize and appreciate the teachers as they are the ones who build each country directly and indirectly. Great teachers will always produce great students. According to Sherwood Anderson, an American novelist and short story writer, the whole object of education si to develop the mind. The mind should be a thing that works.
In conclusion, good education is the main key to reduce poverty as it is pointless to come up with so many economic strategies without paying full attention to the importance of having good education. Good education is equal to a better and a stronger economy of a particular country. Thank you so much for your attention.
M.J (25/03/2011)
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE FORMS IN CREATING SENTENCES...
Active / Passive Verb Forms
Sentences can be active or passive. Therefore, tenses also have "active forms" and "passive forms." You must learn to recognize the difference to successfully speak English.
Active Form
In active sentences, the thing doing the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing receiving the action is the object. Most sentences are active.
[Thing doing action] + [verb] + [thing receiving action]
Examples:
Passive Form
In passive sentences, the thing receiving the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing doing the action is optionally included near the end of the sentence. You can use the passive form if you think that the thing receiving the action is more important or should be emphasized. You can also use the passive form if you do not know who is doing the action or if you do not want to mention who is doing the action.
[Thing receiving action] + [be] + [past participle of verb] + [by] + [thing doing action]
Examples:
Active / Passive Overview
Active Passive
Simple Present Once a week, Tom cleans the house. Once a week, the house is cleaned by Tom.
Present Continuous Right now, Sarah is writing the letter. Right now, the letter is being written by Sarah.
Simple Past Sam repaired the car. The car was repaired by Sam.
Past Continuous The salesman was helping the customer when the thief came into the store. The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store.
Present Perfect Many tourists have visited that castle. That castle has been visited by many tourists.
Present Perfect Continuous Recently, John has been doing the work. Recently, the work has been being done by John.
Past Perfect George had repaired many cars before he received his mechanic's license. Many cars had been repaired by George before he received his mechanic's license.
Past Perfect Continuous Chef Jones had been preparing the restaurant's fantastic dinners for two years before he moved to Paris. The restaurant's fantastic dinners had been being prepared by Chef Jones for two years before he moved to Paris.
Simple Future
WILL Someone will finish the work by 5:00 PM. The work will be finished by 5:00 PM.
Simple Future
BE GOING TO Sally is going to make a beautiful dinner tonight. A beautiful dinner is going to be made by Sally tonight.
Future Continuous
WILL At 8:00 PM tonight, John will be washing the dishes. At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes will be being washed by John.
Future Continuous
BE GOING TO At 8:00 PM tonight, John is going to be washing the dishes. At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes are going to be being washed by John.
Future Perfect
WILL They will have completed the project before the deadline. The project will have been completed before the deadline.
Future Perfect
BE GOING TO They are going to have completed the project before the deadline. The project is going to have been completed before the deadline.
Future Perfect Continuous
WILL The famous artist will have been painting the mural for over six months by the time it is finished. The mural will have been being painted by the famous artist for over six months by the time it is finished.
Future Perfect Continuous
BE GOING TO The famous artist is going to have been painting the mural for over six months by the time it is finished. The mural is going to have been being painted by the famous artist for over six months by the time it is finished.
Used to Jerry used to pay the bills. The bills used to be paid by Jerry.
Would Always My mother would always make the pies. The pies would always be made by my mother.
Future in the Past
WOULD I knew John would finish the work by 5:00 PM. I knew the work would be finished by 5:00 PM.
Future in the Past
WAS GOING TO I thought Sally was going to make a beautiful dinner tonight. I thought a beautiful dinner was going to be made by Sally tonight.
ACTIVE / PASSIVE VOICE
Active voice
In most English sentences with an action verb, the subject performs the action denoted by the verb.
These examples show that the subject is doing the verb's action.
Because the subject does or "acts upon" the verb in such sentences, the sentences are said to be in the active voice.
Passive voice
One can change the normal word order of many active sentences (those with a direct object) so that the subject is no longer active, but is, instead, being acted upon by the verb - or passive.
Note in these examples how the subject-verb relationship has changed.
Because the subject is being "acted upon" (or is passive), such sentences are said to be in the passive voice.
NOTE: Colorful parrots live in the rainforests cannot be changed to passive voice because the sentence does not have a direct object.
To change a sentence from active to passive voice, do the following:
1. Move the active sentence's direct object into the sentence's subject slot
2. Place the active sentence's subject into a phrase beginning with the preposition by
3. Add a form of the auxiliary verb be to the main verb and change the main verb's form
Because passive voice sentences necessarily add words and change the normal doer-action-receiver of action direction, they may make the reader work harder to understand the intended meaning.
As the examples below illustrate, a sentence in active voice flows more smoothly and is easier to understand than the same sentence in passive voice.
It is generally preferable to use the ACTIVE voice.
To change a passive voice sentence into an active voice sentence, simply reverse the steps shown above.
1. Move the passive sentence's subject into the active sentence's direct object slot
2. Remove the auxiliary verb be from the main verb and change main verb's form if needed
3. Place the passive sentence's object of the preposition by into the subject slot.
Because it is more direct, most writers prefer to use the active voice whenever possible.
The passive voice may be a better choice, however, when
• the doer of the action is unknown, unwanted, or unneeded in the sentence
Examples
• the writer wishes to emphasize the action of the sentence rather than the doer of the action
Examples
• the writer wishes to use passive voice for sentence variety.
Sentences can be active or passive. Therefore, tenses also have "active forms" and "passive forms." You must learn to recognize the difference to successfully speak English.
Active Form
In active sentences, the thing doing the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing receiving the action is the object. Most sentences are active.
[Thing doing action] + [verb] + [thing receiving action]
Examples:
Passive Form
In passive sentences, the thing receiving the action is the subject of the sentence and the thing doing the action is optionally included near the end of the sentence. You can use the passive form if you think that the thing receiving the action is more important or should be emphasized. You can also use the passive form if you do not know who is doing the action or if you do not want to mention who is doing the action.
[Thing receiving action] + [be] + [past participle of verb] + [by] + [thing doing action]
Examples:
Active / Passive Overview
Active Passive
Simple Present Once a week, Tom cleans the house. Once a week, the house is cleaned by Tom.
Present Continuous Right now, Sarah is writing the letter. Right now, the letter is being written by Sarah.
Simple Past Sam repaired the car. The car was repaired by Sam.
Past Continuous The salesman was helping the customer when the thief came into the store. The customer was being helped by the salesman when the thief came into the store.
Present Perfect Many tourists have visited that castle. That castle has been visited by many tourists.
Present Perfect Continuous Recently, John has been doing the work. Recently, the work has been being done by John.
Past Perfect George had repaired many cars before he received his mechanic's license. Many cars had been repaired by George before he received his mechanic's license.
Past Perfect Continuous Chef Jones had been preparing the restaurant's fantastic dinners for two years before he moved to Paris. The restaurant's fantastic dinners had been being prepared by Chef Jones for two years before he moved to Paris.
Simple Future
WILL Someone will finish the work by 5:00 PM. The work will be finished by 5:00 PM.
Simple Future
BE GOING TO Sally is going to make a beautiful dinner tonight. A beautiful dinner is going to be made by Sally tonight.
Future Continuous
WILL At 8:00 PM tonight, John will be washing the dishes. At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes will be being washed by John.
Future Continuous
BE GOING TO At 8:00 PM tonight, John is going to be washing the dishes. At 8:00 PM tonight, the dishes are going to be being washed by John.
Future Perfect
WILL They will have completed the project before the deadline. The project will have been completed before the deadline.
Future Perfect
BE GOING TO They are going to have completed the project before the deadline. The project is going to have been completed before the deadline.
Future Perfect Continuous
WILL The famous artist will have been painting the mural for over six months by the time it is finished. The mural will have been being painted by the famous artist for over six months by the time it is finished.
Future Perfect Continuous
BE GOING TO The famous artist is going to have been painting the mural for over six months by the time it is finished. The mural is going to have been being painted by the famous artist for over six months by the time it is finished.
Used to Jerry used to pay the bills. The bills used to be paid by Jerry.
Would Always My mother would always make the pies. The pies would always be made by my mother.
Future in the Past
WOULD I knew John would finish the work by 5:00 PM. I knew the work would be finished by 5:00 PM.
Future in the Past
WAS GOING TO I thought Sally was going to make a beautiful dinner tonight. I thought a beautiful dinner was going to be made by Sally tonight.
ACTIVE / PASSIVE VOICE
Active voice
In most English sentences with an action verb, the subject performs the action denoted by the verb.
These examples show that the subject is doing the verb's action.
Because the subject does or "acts upon" the verb in such sentences, the sentences are said to be in the active voice.
Passive voice
One can change the normal word order of many active sentences (those with a direct object) so that the subject is no longer active, but is, instead, being acted upon by the verb - or passive.
Note in these examples how the subject-verb relationship has changed.
Because the subject is being "acted upon" (or is passive), such sentences are said to be in the passive voice.
NOTE: Colorful parrots live in the rainforests cannot be changed to passive voice because the sentence does not have a direct object.
To change a sentence from active to passive voice, do the following:
1. Move the active sentence's direct object into the sentence's subject slot
2. Place the active sentence's subject into a phrase beginning with the preposition by
3. Add a form of the auxiliary verb be to the main verb and change the main verb's form
Because passive voice sentences necessarily add words and change the normal doer-action-receiver of action direction, they may make the reader work harder to understand the intended meaning.
As the examples below illustrate, a sentence in active voice flows more smoothly and is easier to understand than the same sentence in passive voice.
It is generally preferable to use the ACTIVE voice.
To change a passive voice sentence into an active voice sentence, simply reverse the steps shown above.
1. Move the passive sentence's subject into the active sentence's direct object slot
2. Remove the auxiliary verb be from the main verb and change main verb's form if needed
3. Place the passive sentence's object of the preposition by into the subject slot.
Because it is more direct, most writers prefer to use the active voice whenever possible.
The passive voice may be a better choice, however, when
• the doer of the action is unknown, unwanted, or unneeded in the sentence
Examples
• the writer wishes to emphasize the action of the sentence rather than the doer of the action
Examples
• the writer wishes to use passive voice for sentence variety.
SPM QUESTION: POVERTY (NOTES AND REFERENCES)
Hunger and World Poverty
About 25,000 people die every day of hunger or hunger-related causes, according to the United Nations. This is one person every three and a half seconds, as you can see on this display. Unfortunately, it is children who die most often.
Yet there is plenty of food in the world for everyone. The problem is that hungry people are trapped in severe poverty. They lack the money to buy enough food to nourish themselves. Being constantly malnourished, they become weaker and often sick. This makes them increasingly less able to work, which then makes them even poorer and hungrier. This downward spiral often continues until death for them and their families.
There are effective programs to break this spiral. For adults, there are “food for work” programs where the adults are paid with food to build schools, dig wells, make roads, and so on. This both nourishes them and builds infrastructure to end the poverty. For children, there are “food for education” programs where the children are provided with food when they attend school. Their education will help them to escape from hunger and global poverty.
Hunger and World Poverty Sources: United Nations World Food Program (WFP), Oxfam, UNICEF.
Note: The world hunger map display above is representational only and does not show the names and faces of real people. The photographs are computer composites of multiple individuals.
• Almost half the world — over 3 billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day.
• The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the 41 Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (567 million people) is less than the wealth of the world’s 7 richest people combined.
• Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.
• Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn’t happen.
• 1 billion children live in poverty (1 in 2 children in the world). 640 million live without adequate shelter, 400 million have no access to safe water, 270 million have no access to health services. 10.6 million died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5 (or roughly 29,000 children per day).
Poverty is the state for the majority of the world’s people and nations. Why is this? Is it enough to blame poor people for their own predicament? Have they been lazy, made poor decisions, and been solely responsible for their plight? What about their governments? Have they pursued policies that actually harm successful development? Such causes of poverty and inequality are no doubt real. But deeper and more global causes of poverty are often less discussed.
Behind the increasing interconnectedness promised by globalization are global decisions, policies, and practices. These are typically influenced, driven, or formulated by the rich and powerful. These can be leaders of rich countries or other global actors such as multinational corporations, institutions, and influential people.
In the face of such enormous external influence, the governments of poor nations and their people are often powerless. As a result, in the global context, a few get wealthy while the majority struggle.
These next few articles and sections explore various poverty issues in more depth:
13 articles on “Causes of Poverty” and 6 related issues:
Poverty Facts and Stats
Last updated Monday, September 20, 2010.
Most of humanity lives on just a few dollars a day. Whether you live in the wealthiest nations in the world or the poorest, you will see high levels of inequality.
The poorest people will also have less access to health, education and other services. Problems of hunger, malnutrition and disease afflict the poorest in society. The poorest are also typically marginalized from society and have little representation or voice in public and political debates, making it even harder to escape poverty.
By contrast, the wealthier you are, the more likely you are to benefit from economic or political policies. The amount the world spends on military, financial bailouts and other areas that benefit the wealthy, compared to the amount spent to address the daily crisis of poverty and related problems are often staggering.
Some facts and figures on poverty presented in this page are eye-openers, to say the least.
Read “Poverty Facts and Stats” to learn more.
Structural Adjustment—a Major Cause of Poverty
Last updated Sunday, November 28, 2010.
Cutbacks in health, education and other vital social services around the world have resulted from structural adjustment policies prescribed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank as conditions for loans and repayment. In addition, developing nation governments are required to open their economies to compete with each other and with more powerful and established industrialized nations. To attract investment, poor countries enter a spiraling race to the bottom to see who can provide lower standards, reduced wages and cheaper resources. This has increased poverty and inequality for most people. It also forms a backbone to what we today call globalization. As a result, it maintains the historic unequal rules of trade.
Read “Structural Adjustment—a Major Cause of Poverty” to learn more.
Poverty Around The World
Last updated Sunday, January 02, 2011.
Around the world, in rich or poor nations, poverty has always been present.
In most nations today, inequality—the gap between the rich and the poor—is quite high and often widening.
The causes are numerous, including a lack of individual responsibility, bad government policy, exploitation by people and businesses with power and influence, or some combination of these and other factors.
Many feel that high levels of inequality will affect social cohesion and lead to problems such as increasing crime and violence.
Inequality is often a measure of relative poverty. Absolute poverty, however, is also a concern. World Bank figures for world poverty reveals a higher number of people live in poverty than previously thought.
For example, the new poverty line is defined as living on the equivalent of $1.25 a day. With that measure based on latest data available (2005), 1.4 billion people live on or below that line.
Furthermore, almost half the world—over three billion people—live on less than $2.50 a day and at least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day:
Read “Poverty Around The World” to learn more.
Today, over 22,000 children died around the world
Last updated Monday, September 20, 2010.
Images © UNICEF
Over 22,000 children die every day around the world.
That is equivalent to:
• 1 child dying every 4 seconds
• 15 children dying every minute
• A 2010 Haiti earthquake occurring almost every 10 days
• A 2004 Asian Tsunami occurring almost every 10 days
• An Iraq-scale death toll every 18–43 days
• Just under 8.1 million children dying every year
• Some 88 million children dying between 2000 and 2009
The silent killers are poverty, easily preventable diseases and illnesses, and other related causes. Despite the scale of this daily/ongoing catastrophe, it rarely manages to achieve, much less sustain, prime-time, headline coverage.
Read “Today, over 22,000 children died around the world” to learn more.
World Hunger and Poverty
Last updated Sunday, August 22, 2010.
Meaningful long-term alleviation of hunger is rooted in the alleviation of poverty, as poverty leads to hunger. World hunger is a terrible symptom of world poverty. If efforts are only directed at providing food, or improving food production or distribution, then the structural root causes that create hunger, poverty and dependency would still remain.
While resources and energies are deployed to relieve hunger through technical measures such as improving agriculture, and as important as these are, inter-related issues such as poverty means that political solutions are likely required as well for meaningful and long term hunger alleviation.
Read “World Hunger and Poverty” to learn more.
Food Dumping [Aid] Maintains Poverty
Last updated Monday, December 10, 2007.
Food aid (when not for emergency relief) can actually be very destructive on the economy of the recipient nation and contribute to more hunger and poverty in the long term. Free, subsidized, or cheap food, below market prices undercuts local farmers, who cannot compete and are driven out of jobs and into poverty, further slanting the market share of the larger producers such as those from the US and Europe. Many poor nations are dependent on farming, and so such food aid amounts to food dumping. In the past few decades, more powerful nations have used this as a foreign policy tool for dominance rather than for real aid.
Read “Food Dumping [Aid] Maintains Poverty” to learn more.
Food and Agriculture Issues
Last updated Sunday, November 21, 2010.
Food and agriculture goes to the heart of our civilizations. Religions, cultures and even modern civilization have food and agriculture at their core. For an issue that goes to the heart of humanity it also has its ugly side.
This issue explores topics ranging from the global food crisis of 2008, to issues of food aid, world hunger, food dumping and wasteful agriculture such as growing tobacco, sugar, beef, and more.
Read “Food and Agriculture Issues” to learn more.
Trade, Economy, & Related Issues
Last updated Sunday, January 02, 2011.
Read “Trade, Economy, & Related Issues” to learn more.
Corruption
Last updated Sunday, November 07, 2010.
We often hear leaders from rich countries telling poor countries that aid and loans will only be given when they show they are stamping out corruption. While that definitely needs to happen, the rich countries themselves are often active in the largest forms of corruption in those poor countries, and many economic policies they prescribe have exacerbated
the problem. Corruption in developing countries definitely must be high on the priority lists, but so too must it be on the priority lists of rich countries.
Read “Corruption” to learn more.
Foreign Aid for Development Assistance
Last updated Sunday, April 25, 2010.
In 1970, the world’s rich countries agreed to give 0.7% of their gross national income as official international development aid, annually.
Since that time, billions have certainly been given each year, but rarely have the rich nations actually met their promised target.
For example, the US is often the largest donor in dollar terms, but ranks amongst the lowest in terms of meeting the stated 0.7% target.
Furthermore, aid has often come with a price of its own for the developing nations. Common criticisms, for many years, of foreign aid, have included the following:
• Aid is often wasted on conditions that the recipient must use overpriced goods and services from donor countries
• Most aid does not actually go to the poorest who would need it the most
• Aid amounts are dwarfed by rich country protectionism that denies market access for poor country products while rich nations use aid as a lever to open poor country markets to their products
• Large projects or massive grand strategies often fail to help the vulnerable; money can often be embezzled away.
About 25,000 people die every day of hunger or hunger-related causes, according to the United Nations. This is one person every three and a half seconds, as you can see on this display. Unfortunately, it is children who die most often.
Yet there is plenty of food in the world for everyone. The problem is that hungry people are trapped in severe poverty. They lack the money to buy enough food to nourish themselves. Being constantly malnourished, they become weaker and often sick. This makes them increasingly less able to work, which then makes them even poorer and hungrier. This downward spiral often continues until death for them and their families.
There are effective programs to break this spiral. For adults, there are “food for work” programs where the adults are paid with food to build schools, dig wells, make roads, and so on. This both nourishes them and builds infrastructure to end the poverty. For children, there are “food for education” programs where the children are provided with food when they attend school. Their education will help them to escape from hunger and global poverty.
Hunger and World Poverty Sources: United Nations World Food Program (WFP), Oxfam, UNICEF.
Note: The world hunger map display above is representational only and does not show the names and faces of real people. The photographs are computer composites of multiple individuals.
• Almost half the world — over 3 billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day.
• The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the 41 Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (567 million people) is less than the wealth of the world’s 7 richest people combined.
• Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.
• Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn’t happen.
• 1 billion children live in poverty (1 in 2 children in the world). 640 million live without adequate shelter, 400 million have no access to safe water, 270 million have no access to health services. 10.6 million died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5 (or roughly 29,000 children per day).
Poverty is the state for the majority of the world’s people and nations. Why is this? Is it enough to blame poor people for their own predicament? Have they been lazy, made poor decisions, and been solely responsible for their plight? What about their governments? Have they pursued policies that actually harm successful development? Such causes of poverty and inequality are no doubt real. But deeper and more global causes of poverty are often less discussed.
Behind the increasing interconnectedness promised by globalization are global decisions, policies, and practices. These are typically influenced, driven, or formulated by the rich and powerful. These can be leaders of rich countries or other global actors such as multinational corporations, institutions, and influential people.
In the face of such enormous external influence, the governments of poor nations and their people are often powerless. As a result, in the global context, a few get wealthy while the majority struggle.
These next few articles and sections explore various poverty issues in more depth:
13 articles on “Causes of Poverty” and 6 related issues:
Poverty Facts and Stats
Last updated Monday, September 20, 2010.
Most of humanity lives on just a few dollars a day. Whether you live in the wealthiest nations in the world or the poorest, you will see high levels of inequality.
The poorest people will also have less access to health, education and other services. Problems of hunger, malnutrition and disease afflict the poorest in society. The poorest are also typically marginalized from society and have little representation or voice in public and political debates, making it even harder to escape poverty.
By contrast, the wealthier you are, the more likely you are to benefit from economic or political policies. The amount the world spends on military, financial bailouts and other areas that benefit the wealthy, compared to the amount spent to address the daily crisis of poverty and related problems are often staggering.
Some facts and figures on poverty presented in this page are eye-openers, to say the least.
Read “Poverty Facts and Stats” to learn more.
Structural Adjustment—a Major Cause of Poverty
Last updated Sunday, November 28, 2010.
Cutbacks in health, education and other vital social services around the world have resulted from structural adjustment policies prescribed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank as conditions for loans and repayment. In addition, developing nation governments are required to open their economies to compete with each other and with more powerful and established industrialized nations. To attract investment, poor countries enter a spiraling race to the bottom to see who can provide lower standards, reduced wages and cheaper resources. This has increased poverty and inequality for most people. It also forms a backbone to what we today call globalization. As a result, it maintains the historic unequal rules of trade.
Read “Structural Adjustment—a Major Cause of Poverty” to learn more.
Poverty Around The World
Last updated Sunday, January 02, 2011.
Around the world, in rich or poor nations, poverty has always been present.
In most nations today, inequality—the gap between the rich and the poor—is quite high and often widening.
The causes are numerous, including a lack of individual responsibility, bad government policy, exploitation by people and businesses with power and influence, or some combination of these and other factors.
Many feel that high levels of inequality will affect social cohesion and lead to problems such as increasing crime and violence.
Inequality is often a measure of relative poverty. Absolute poverty, however, is also a concern. World Bank figures for world poverty reveals a higher number of people live in poverty than previously thought.
For example, the new poverty line is defined as living on the equivalent of $1.25 a day. With that measure based on latest data available (2005), 1.4 billion people live on or below that line.
Furthermore, almost half the world—over three billion people—live on less than $2.50 a day and at least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day:
Read “Poverty Around The World” to learn more.
Today, over 22,000 children died around the world
Last updated Monday, September 20, 2010.
Images © UNICEF
Over 22,000 children die every day around the world.
That is equivalent to:
• 1 child dying every 4 seconds
• 15 children dying every minute
• A 2010 Haiti earthquake occurring almost every 10 days
• A 2004 Asian Tsunami occurring almost every 10 days
• An Iraq-scale death toll every 18–43 days
• Just under 8.1 million children dying every year
• Some 88 million children dying between 2000 and 2009
The silent killers are poverty, easily preventable diseases and illnesses, and other related causes. Despite the scale of this daily/ongoing catastrophe, it rarely manages to achieve, much less sustain, prime-time, headline coverage.
Read “Today, over 22,000 children died around the world” to learn more.
World Hunger and Poverty
Last updated Sunday, August 22, 2010.
Meaningful long-term alleviation of hunger is rooted in the alleviation of poverty, as poverty leads to hunger. World hunger is a terrible symptom of world poverty. If efforts are only directed at providing food, or improving food production or distribution, then the structural root causes that create hunger, poverty and dependency would still remain.
While resources and energies are deployed to relieve hunger through technical measures such as improving agriculture, and as important as these are, inter-related issues such as poverty means that political solutions are likely required as well for meaningful and long term hunger alleviation.
Read “World Hunger and Poverty” to learn more.
Food Dumping [Aid] Maintains Poverty
Last updated Monday, December 10, 2007.
Food aid (when not for emergency relief) can actually be very destructive on the economy of the recipient nation and contribute to more hunger and poverty in the long term. Free, subsidized, or cheap food, below market prices undercuts local farmers, who cannot compete and are driven out of jobs and into poverty, further slanting the market share of the larger producers such as those from the US and Europe. Many poor nations are dependent on farming, and so such food aid amounts to food dumping. In the past few decades, more powerful nations have used this as a foreign policy tool for dominance rather than for real aid.
Read “Food Dumping [Aid] Maintains Poverty” to learn more.
Food and Agriculture Issues
Last updated Sunday, November 21, 2010.
Food and agriculture goes to the heart of our civilizations. Religions, cultures and even modern civilization have food and agriculture at their core. For an issue that goes to the heart of humanity it also has its ugly side.
This issue explores topics ranging from the global food crisis of 2008, to issues of food aid, world hunger, food dumping and wasteful agriculture such as growing tobacco, sugar, beef, and more.
Read “Food and Agriculture Issues” to learn more.
Trade, Economy, & Related Issues
Last updated Sunday, January 02, 2011.
Read “Trade, Economy, & Related Issues” to learn more.
Corruption
Last updated Sunday, November 07, 2010.
We often hear leaders from rich countries telling poor countries that aid and loans will only be given when they show they are stamping out corruption. While that definitely needs to happen, the rich countries themselves are often active in the largest forms of corruption in those poor countries, and many economic policies they prescribe have exacerbated
the problem. Corruption in developing countries definitely must be high on the priority lists, but so too must it be on the priority lists of rich countries.
Read “Corruption” to learn more.
Foreign Aid for Development Assistance
Last updated Sunday, April 25, 2010.
In 1970, the world’s rich countries agreed to give 0.7% of their gross national income as official international development aid, annually.
Since that time, billions have certainly been given each year, but rarely have the rich nations actually met their promised target.
For example, the US is often the largest donor in dollar terms, but ranks amongst the lowest in terms of meeting the stated 0.7% target.
Furthermore, aid has often come with a price of its own for the developing nations. Common criticisms, for many years, of foreign aid, have included the following:
• Aid is often wasted on conditions that the recipient must use overpriced goods and services from donor countries
• Most aid does not actually go to the poorest who would need it the most
• Aid amounts are dwarfed by rich country protectionism that denies market access for poor country products while rich nations use aid as a lever to open poor country markets to their products
• Large projects or massive grand strategies often fail to help the vulnerable; money can often be embezzled away.
Midst of Hardship by Latif Mohidin
POEM
TITLE: Midst of Hardship
POET: Latiff Mohidin
CONTENTS:
1. SYNONYMS
2. EXPLANATIONS
3. EXAMPLES
This poem is about a group of poor people (particularly the farmers who live in the village or remote areas who depend solely on crops to survive). These people are so used to the difficult lives that they face every day that they don’t even consider the suffering as a burden. They accept and face all the hardships with an open mind and heart.
Designed by: Mani ak Jack (15th-18th/04/2011)
Midst of Hardship (explanation on the vocabulary)
1. Dawn : (synonyms: sunrise, daybreak, first light, early morning) (antonyms: dusk: evening ,nightfall)
2. Soaked: (synonyms : very wet, drenched, flooded) (antonym : dry)
3. Torn: (synonyms: ragged, worn out, frayed)
4. Approach: (synonyms : come near, come close to)
5. Limbs: an arm or leg
6. Scratches: (synonyms: mark, cut, scar, bruises (commons effect of scratching)
7. Wounds: (synonyms: injury, cut, abrasion )
8. Brows : forehead, (the part of the face that is above the eyes and below the hair)
9. Sign: (synonyms: symbol, indication)
10. Despair: (synonyms: misery, desolation, hopelessness, anguish, gloom, depression, dejection)
11. Whole: (synonym: entire)
12. Horrendous: (synonyms: awful, dreadful, terrible, unbearable, unspeakable, and horrific)
13. Bloated : (synonyms: swollen, distended)
14. Carcasses: (synonyms: corpse, remains, body, skeleton)
15. Tiny: (synonyms: small, little)
16. Chip: (synonyms: fragment, (a small piece of wood, glass) debris
17. Barks: def: the outer covering a tree (the skin of a tree, the outer part of a tree)
18. Desperately: (synonyms: very much, badly, greatly, dreadfully, urgently,)
19. Albino:( def: a person or an animal that is born with no colour)
20. Amidst: (can also be spelled amid and mid) (synonyms: in the middle of, among, in the midst of)
21. Sigh: (synonyms: moan, groan, and exhale noisily.)
22. Complaint: (synonyms: grievance, grumble, and objection.)
Designed and prepared by: Mr. Mani ak Jack (5/3/2011)
“Sharing knowledge is my job while applying the knowledge is your job. Mani Jack” ___________________________________________________________________
Questions to ponder:In the Midst of Hardship
1.
From the title, what do you think the poem is about?
2.
What is the occupation of the people in the picture?
3.
Are these people living in hardship?
4.
If yes, provide some examples of the hardship that they face?
5.
Do you think they are contented with their lives? Why?
___________________________________________________________________________
“In the Midst of Hardshipis a poem that reminds us that life has its ups and downs.
People are faced with great difficulties during natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes. They encounter hardship, pain and even death. However, the natural disaster will eventually subside. Life will go on. Instead of lamenting over the painful experience, the villagers in this poem choose to be grateful to be alive. They still have their home and each other.
Life will go on; they will get over the hardship together and resume their lives.”
First Stanza
At dawn they returned home their soaky clothes torn and approached the stove and approached the stove their limbs marked by scratches their legs full of wounds but on their brows
Meaning:
The family returns home at daybreak soaked to the skin.
They have scratches and wounds on their hands and legs.
They do not look depressed or disturbed by it all.
Second Stanza
There was not a sign of despair the whole day and night just passed they had to brave the horrendous flood in the water all the time between bloated carcasses and tiny chips of tree barks and desperately looking for their son’s albino buffalo that was never found
Meaning:
They have been out the whole day and night.
They have trudged though the floodwater which is full of twigs, branches and dead animals.
They are looking for their son’s albino buffalo.
Third Stanza
They were born amidst hardship and grew up without a sigh or a complaint now they are in the kitchen making jokes while rolling their cigarette leaves.
Meaning:
Although they have been poor from birth and have experienced a lot of hardships, they grew up without regrets.
They are now relaxing in the kitchen, cracking jokes and preparing to have a smoke.
TITLE: Midst of Hardship
POET: Latiff Mohidin
CONTENTS:
1. SYNONYMS
2. EXPLANATIONS
3. EXAMPLES
This poem is about a group of poor people (particularly the farmers who live in the village or remote areas who depend solely on crops to survive). These people are so used to the difficult lives that they face every day that they don’t even consider the suffering as a burden. They accept and face all the hardships with an open mind and heart.
Designed by: Mani ak Jack (15th-18th/04/2011)
Midst of Hardship (explanation on the vocabulary)
1. Dawn : (synonyms: sunrise, daybreak, first light, early morning) (antonyms: dusk: evening ,nightfall)
2. Soaked: (synonyms : very wet, drenched, flooded) (antonym : dry)
3. Torn: (synonyms: ragged, worn out, frayed)
4. Approach: (synonyms : come near, come close to)
5. Limbs: an arm or leg
6. Scratches: (synonyms: mark, cut, scar, bruises (commons effect of scratching)
7. Wounds: (synonyms: injury, cut, abrasion )
8. Brows : forehead, (the part of the face that is above the eyes and below the hair)
9. Sign: (synonyms: symbol, indication)
10. Despair: (synonyms: misery, desolation, hopelessness, anguish, gloom, depression, dejection)
11. Whole: (synonym: entire)
12. Horrendous: (synonyms: awful, dreadful, terrible, unbearable, unspeakable, and horrific)
13. Bloated : (synonyms: swollen, distended)
14. Carcasses: (synonyms: corpse, remains, body, skeleton)
15. Tiny: (synonyms: small, little)
16. Chip: (synonyms: fragment, (a small piece of wood, glass) debris
17. Barks: def: the outer covering a tree (the skin of a tree, the outer part of a tree)
18. Desperately: (synonyms: very much, badly, greatly, dreadfully, urgently,)
19. Albino:( def: a person or an animal that is born with no colour)
20. Amidst: (can also be spelled amid and mid) (synonyms: in the middle of, among, in the midst of)
21. Sigh: (synonyms: moan, groan, and exhale noisily.)
22. Complaint: (synonyms: grievance, grumble, and objection.)
Designed and prepared by: Mr. Mani ak Jack (5/3/2011)
“Sharing knowledge is my job while applying the knowledge is your job. Mani Jack” ___________________________________________________________________
Questions to ponder:In the Midst of Hardship
1.
From the title, what do you think the poem is about?
2.
What is the occupation of the people in the picture?
3.
Are these people living in hardship?
4.
If yes, provide some examples of the hardship that they face?
5.
Do you think they are contented with their lives? Why?
___________________________________________________________________________
“In the Midst of Hardshipis a poem that reminds us that life has its ups and downs.
People are faced with great difficulties during natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes. They encounter hardship, pain and even death. However, the natural disaster will eventually subside. Life will go on. Instead of lamenting over the painful experience, the villagers in this poem choose to be grateful to be alive. They still have their home and each other.
Life will go on; they will get over the hardship together and resume their lives.”
First Stanza
At dawn they returned home their soaky clothes torn and approached the stove and approached the stove their limbs marked by scratches their legs full of wounds but on their brows
Meaning:
The family returns home at daybreak soaked to the skin.
They have scratches and wounds on their hands and legs.
They do not look depressed or disturbed by it all.
Second Stanza
There was not a sign of despair the whole day and night just passed they had to brave the horrendous flood in the water all the time between bloated carcasses and tiny chips of tree barks and desperately looking for their son’s albino buffalo that was never found
Meaning:
They have been out the whole day and night.
They have trudged though the floodwater which is full of twigs, branches and dead animals.
They are looking for their son’s albino buffalo.
Third Stanza
They were born amidst hardship and grew up without a sigh or a complaint now they are in the kitchen making jokes while rolling their cigarette leaves.
Meaning:
Although they have been poor from birth and have experienced a lot of hardships, they grew up without regrets.
They are now relaxing in the kitchen, cracking jokes and preparing to have a smoke.
List of Impromptu Speeches
Tips for impromptu speeches.
1. Take a deep breath.
2. Create a mind map in your mind.
3. The topic is easy if you learn to calm down.
4. Everything will go wrong if you panic.
5. Organize your thoughts.
Remember these are ideas for impromptu speech topics which are just mini-speeches and therefore they have an opening, body and conclusion just like any other speech.
1st 10 Good Impromptu Speech Topics
• What moral issue best defines you?
• What is the biggest effect of the internet?
• Describe your worst experience
• Discuss the most memorable event in your life
• Is capitalism the best political and economic system? Defend your choice.
• Is knowledge more important than wisdom?
• Is a glass half full or half empty? Explain your choice.
• Why are humans so fascinated with understanding the universe?
• Does technology live up to it's promise?
• Ghosts I'd like to meet
2nd 10 Good Impromptu Speech Topics
• The morality of zoos
• Three keys to a happy life
• Reality TV shows
• Beauty
• You are what you eat
• Love is a choice
• Professional athletes are overpaid
• Dogs are better than cats
• How to become a millionaire
• Importance of communication
3rd 10 Good Impromptu Speech Topics
• Bottles versus cans
• Real or fake Christmas trees
• peer to peer technology
• Motorcycle helmets
• the assasination of a dictator can/cannot be justified
• Curfews
• Alien abductions
• The worst/best book you ever read
• All time favorite movie
• Your first memory
4th 10 Good Impromptu Speech Topics
• The best things in life are free
• Clothes make the man/woman
• Happy drugs (prozac, zoloft, etc.)
• Good versus Evil
• Your favorite sound
• Your least favorite sound
• Exams are/are not good forms of assessment
• Why it's important to meditate
• What are you grateful for?
• Speed dating
5th 10 Good Impromptu Speech Topics
• Your favorite relative
• Your favorite holiday
• Internet affairs
• The greatest gift we can give others is...
• If I were invisible for a day...
• What I would do if I knew I could not fail
• The most successful person I know
• Good grades matter
• Everyone should be a volunteer
• hybrid animals
1. Take a deep breath.
2. Create a mind map in your mind.
3. The topic is easy if you learn to calm down.
4. Everything will go wrong if you panic.
5. Organize your thoughts.
Remember these are ideas for impromptu speech topics which are just mini-speeches and therefore they have an opening, body and conclusion just like any other speech.
1st 10 Good Impromptu Speech Topics
• What moral issue best defines you?
• What is the biggest effect of the internet?
• Describe your worst experience
• Discuss the most memorable event in your life
• Is capitalism the best political and economic system? Defend your choice.
• Is knowledge more important than wisdom?
• Is a glass half full or half empty? Explain your choice.
• Why are humans so fascinated with understanding the universe?
• Does technology live up to it's promise?
• Ghosts I'd like to meet
2nd 10 Good Impromptu Speech Topics
• The morality of zoos
• Three keys to a happy life
• Reality TV shows
• Beauty
• You are what you eat
• Love is a choice
• Professional athletes are overpaid
• Dogs are better than cats
• How to become a millionaire
• Importance of communication
3rd 10 Good Impromptu Speech Topics
• Bottles versus cans
• Real or fake Christmas trees
• peer to peer technology
• Motorcycle helmets
• the assasination of a dictator can/cannot be justified
• Curfews
• Alien abductions
• The worst/best book you ever read
• All time favorite movie
• Your first memory
4th 10 Good Impromptu Speech Topics
• The best things in life are free
• Clothes make the man/woman
• Happy drugs (prozac, zoloft, etc.)
• Good versus Evil
• Your favorite sound
• Your least favorite sound
• Exams are/are not good forms of assessment
• Why it's important to meditate
• What are you grateful for?
• Speed dating
5th 10 Good Impromptu Speech Topics
• Your favorite relative
• Your favorite holiday
• Internet affairs
• The greatest gift we can give others is...
• If I were invisible for a day...
• What I would do if I knew I could not fail
• The most successful person I know
• Good grades matter
• Everyone should be a volunteer
• hybrid animals
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