Part Two：Sample Speeches with Commentary

The Fringe Benefits of Failure andthe Importance of Imagination（excerpted）

The Commencement Address at the Annual Meeting of the Harvard Alumni Association

By J．K．Rowling　June 2008

President Faust，members of the Harvard Corporation and the Board of Overseers，members of the faculty，proud parents，and，above all，graduates．

The first thing I would like to say is“thank you．”Not only has Harvard given me an extraordinary honour，but the weeks of fear and nausea I have endured at the thought of giving this commencement address have made me lose weight．A win-win situation！ Now all I have to do is take deep breaths，squint at the red banners and convince myself that I am at the world's largest Gryffindor reunion．

Delivering a commencement address is a great responsibility；or so I thought until I cast my mind back to my own graduation．The commencement speaker that day was the distinguished British philosopher Baroness Mary Warnock．Reflecting on her speech has helped me enormously in writing this one，because it turns out that I can't remember a single word she said．This liberating discovery enables me to proceed without any fear that I might inadvertently influence you to abandon promising careers in business，the law or politics for the giddy delights of becoming a gay wizard．

You see？If all you remember in years to come is the“gay wizard”joke，I've come out ahead of Baroness Mary Warnock．Achievable goals：the first step to self improvement．

Actually，I have wracked my mind and heart for what I ought to say to you today．I have asked myself what I wish I had known at my own graduation，and what important lessons I have learned in the 21 years that have expired between that day and this．

I have come up with two answers．On this wonderful day when we are gathered together to celebrate your academic success，I have decided to talk to you about the benefits of failure．And as you stand on the threshold of what is sometimes called“real life”，I want to extol the crucial importance of imagination．

These may seem quixotic or paradoxical choices，but please bear with me．

Looking back at the 21-year-old that I was at graduation，is a slightly uncomfortable experience for the 42-year-old that she has become．Half my lifetime ago，I was striking an uneasy balance between the ambition I had for myself，and what those closest to me expected of me．

．．．

What I feared most for myself at your age was not poverty，but failure．

At your age，in spite of a distinct lack of motivation at university，where I had spent far too long in the coffee bar writing stories，and far too little time at lectures，I had a knack for passing examinations，and that，for years，had been the measure of success in my life and that of my peers．

I am not dull enough to suppose that because you are young，gifted and well-educated，you have never known hardship or heartbreak．Talent and intelligence never yet inoculated anyone against the caprice of the Fates，and I do not for a moment suppose that everyone here has enjoyed an existence of unruffled privilege and contentment．

However，the fact that you are graduating from Harvard suggests that you are not very well-acquainted with failure．You might be driven by a fear of failure quite as much as a desire for success．Indeed，your conception of failure might not be too far from the average person's idea of success，so high have you already flown．

Ultimately，we all have to decide for ourselves what constitutes failure，but the world is quite eager to give you a set of criteria if you let it．So I think it is fair to say that by any conventional measure，a mere seven years after my graduation day，I had failed on an epic scale．An exceptionally short-lived marriage had imploded，and I was jobless，a lone parent，and as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain，without being homeless．The fears that my parents had had for me，and that I had had for myself，had both come to pass，and by every usual standard，I was the biggest failure I knew．

Now，I am not going to stand here and tell you that failure is fun．That period of my life was a dark one，and I had no idea that there was going to be what the press has since represented as a kind of fairy tale resolution．I had no idea then how far the tunnel extended，and for a long time，any light at the end of it was a hope rather than a reality．

So why do I talk about the benefits of failure？Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential．I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was，and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me．Had I really succeeded at anything else，I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged．I was set free，because my greatest fear had been realised，and I was still alive，and I still had a daughter whom I adored，and I had an old typewriter and a big idea．And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life．

You might never fail on the scale I did，but some failure in life is inevitable．It is impossible to live without failing at something，unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all—in which case，you fail by default．

Failure gave me an inner security that I had never attained by passing examinations．Failure taught me things about myself that I could have learned no other way．I discovered that I had a strong will，and more discipline than I had suspected；I also found out that I had friends whose value was truly above the price of rubies．

The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are，ever after，secure in your ability to survive．You will never truly know yourself，or the strength of your relationships，until both have been tested by adversity．Such knowledge is a true gift，for all that it is painfully won，and it has been worth more than any qualification I ever earned．

So given a Time Turner，I would tell my 21-year-old self that personal happiness lies in knowing that life is not a check-list of acquisition or achievement．Your qualifications，your CV，are not your life，though you will meet many people of my age and older who confuse the two．Life is difficult，and complicated，and beyond anyone's total control，and the humility to know that will enable you to survive its vicissitudes．

Now you might think that I chose my second theme，the importance of imagination，because of the part it played in rebuilding my life，but that is not wholly so．Though I personally will defend the value of bedtime stories to my last gasp，I have learned to value imagination in a much broader sense．Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not，and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation．In its arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity，it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared．

One of the greatest formative experiences of my life preceded Harry Potter，though it informed much of what I subsequently wrote in those books．This revelation came in the form of one of my earliest day jobs．Though I was sloping off to write stories during my lunch hours，I paid the rent in my early 20s by working at the African research department at Amnesty International's headquarters in London．

There in my little office I read hastily scribbled letters smuggled out of totalitarian regimes by men and women who were risking imprisonment to inform the outside world of what was happening to them．I saw photographs of those who had disappeared without trace，sent to Amnesty by their desperate families and friends．I read the testimony of torture victims and saw pictures of their injuries．I opened handwritten，eye-witness accounts of summary trials and executions，of kidnappings and rapes．

Many of my co-workers were ex-political prisoners，people who had been displaced from their homes，or fled into exile，because they had the temerity to speak against their governments．Visitors to our offices included those who had come to give information，or to try and find out what had happened to those they had left behind．

I shall never forget the African torture victim，a young man no older than I was at the time，who had become mentally ill after all he had endured in his homeland．He trembled uncontrollably as he spoke into a video camera about the brutality inflicted upon him．He was a foot taller than I was，and seemed as fragile as a child．I was given the job of escorting him back to the Underground Station afterwards，and this man whose life had been shattered by cruelty took my hand with exquisite courtesy，and wished me future happiness．

And as long as I live I shall remember walking along an empty corridor and suddenly hearing，from behind a closed door，a scream of pain and horror such as I have never heard since．The door opened，and the researcher poked out her head and told me to run and make a hot drink for the young man sitting with her．She had just had to give him the news that in retaliation for his own outspokenness against his country's regime，his mother had been seized and executed．

Every day of my working week in my early 20s I was reminded how incredibly fortunate I was，to live in a country with a democratically elected government，where legal representation and a public trial were the rights of everyone．

Every day，I saw more evidence about the evils humankind will inflict on their fellow humans，to gain or maintain power．I began to have nightmares，literal nightmares，about some of the things I saw，heard，and read．

And yet I also learned more about human goodness at Amnesty International than I had ever known before．

Amnesty mobilizes thousands of people who have never been tortured or imprisoned for their beliefs to act on behalf of those who have．The power of human empathy，leading to collective action，saves lives，and frees prisoners．Ordinary people，whose personal well-being and security are assured，join together in huge numbers to save people they do not know，and will never meet．My small participation in that process was one of the most humbling and inspiring experiences of my life．

Unlike any other creature on this planet，humans can learn and understand，without having experienced．They can think themselves into other people's places．

Of course，this is a power，like my brand of fictional magic，that is morally neutral．One might use such an ability to manipulate，or control，just as much as to understand or sympathise．

And many prefer not to exercise their imaginations at all．They choose to remain comfortably within the bounds of their own experience，never troubling to wonder how it would feel to have been born other than they are．They can refuse to hear screams or to peer inside cages；they can close their minds and hearts to any suffering that does not touch them personally；they can refuse to know．

I might be tempted to envy people who can live that way，except that I do not think they have any fewer nightmares than I do．Choosing to live in narrow spaces leads to a form of mental agoraphobia，and that brings its own terrors．I think the wilfully unimaginative see more monsters．They are often more afraid．

What is more，those who choose not to empathize enable real monsters．For without ever committing an act of outright evil ourselves，we collude with it，through our own apathy．

One of the many things I learned at the end of that Classics corridor down which I ventured at the age of 18，in search of something I could not then define，was this，written by the Greek author Plutarch：What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality．

That is an astonishing statement and yet proven a thousand times every day of our lives．It expresses，in part，our inescapable connection with the outside world，the fact that we touch other people's lives simply by existing．

But how much more are you，Harvard graduates of 2008，likely to touch other people's lives？Your intelligence，your capacity for hard work，the education you have earned and received，give you unique status，and unique responsibilities．Even your nationality sets you apart．The great majority of you belong to the world's only remaining superpower．The way you vote，the way you live，the way you protest，the pressure you bring to bear on your government，has an impact way beyond your borders．That is your privilege，and your burden．

If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice；if you choose to identify not only with the powerful，but with the powerless；if you retain the ability to imagine yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages，then it will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence，but thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped change．We do not need magic to change the world，we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already：We have the power to imagine better．

．．．

So today，I wish you nothing better than similar friendships．And tomorrow，I hope that even if you remember not a single word of mine，you remember those of Seneca，another of those old Romans I met when I fled down the Classics corridor，in retreat from career ladders，in search of ancient wisdom：

As is a tale，so is life：Not how long it is，but how good it is，is what matters．

I wish you all very good lives．

Thank you very much．

演讲分析

J．K．罗琳，1965年生于英国，全球畅销书《哈利·波特》的作者。2008年6月5日是哈佛大学的毕业典礼日，该校邀请她担任演讲嘉宾。在演讲中，罗琳通过分享自己的经历，告诉听众失败和想象力在人生中所起的重要作用。罗琳的演讲语言真挚，幽默温馨，从容淡定。这篇演讲从话题的选择到演讲内容的展开都以听众为中心，具体体现在以下三点：

第一点，话题的选择。该演讲的大部分听众是哈佛大学的毕业生。作为名校的学生，他们本身十分优秀，而且对演讲者会有很高期望。如果罗琳只是像大家所期待的那样，谈谈成功的秘诀以及如何为走向社会做好准备，演讲的效果可能并不理想。因此，罗琳选择不谈成功，却谈失败；不说现实，却说想象。她选取的话题与众不同，与听众的预期产生了反差，很容易吸引大家的注意力。

第二点，演讲的开头。罗琳在演讲的开头，先是以联系自身、回顾自己当年的毕业典礼的方式，幽默地与听众建立联系。然后开始点明演讲主题，说自己从毕业到今天，21年已经过去，“我又学到了哪些重要的人生道理。答案有两个”。在这个美好的日子，大家庆祝的是学术成绩，她则决定谈谈失败的好处；同时，大家即将进入“真实生活”，她想要赞美想象力的作用。引出演讲的主题后，她自己先承认“这两个话题可能看起来不切实际或自相矛盾，但是请耐心听下去”。这样的开头，通过预判听众的反应，产生反差，从而有力地吸引了听众。然而，如果后面的演讲内容不是听众需要的，这种新鲜感持续不了多久。

第三点，演讲的主体。罗琳的演讲清晰地由两部分组成——失败的好处和想象力的作用。在谈论第一点，失败的好处时，罗琳说道，“和你们这般年纪的时候，我最害怕的是失败。”与观众建立联系的同时，她充分考虑了观众的特征，如她所言，“能从哈佛毕业说明你们很少和失败打交道。失败的恐惧和成功的渴望有可能同样强烈地驱使着你们。事实上，你们认为的失败可能和普通人认为的成功相差不远，因为你们已经飞得太高。”随后，罗琳联系自己毕业后失业、离婚等这些失败的实例，问大家“为什么我要谈论失败的好处呢？”然后点明她的主旨：“因为失败意味着远离一切不重要的东西”。失败可以让人将精力放在对自己唯一重要的工作上，从而获得真正的成功；此外，只有经过逆境的考验，我们才能真正认识自己、了解生活。这样看来，虽然罗琳在说成功的反面——失败，但她所说的正是这些优秀毕业生需要听的，就是经历失败才能学会成功。

接着，罗琳进入演讲的第二部分，即想象力的作用。她依然选择从听众的立场引入主题。她说：“你们也许认为我选择想象力的重要性作为演讲的第二个主题，是因为它在我重建人生中所起的作用，其实不完全是。”罗琳并没有像听众预期的那样讨论想象力对作家的重要性，而是引出了更为深层次的理解。她认为想象力是一种同情心。这里罗琳分享了她早期在伦敦国际特赦组织非洲研究部的工作经历，她认为这段经历让她感到无比幸运，让她对人性的善良有了更深刻的认识，也让她意识到人类无须体验就能学习和理解，人类可以设身处地为他人着想。所以要让现实更美好，我们需要想象力。通过实例和论述，罗琳紧接着联系听众，她问道，“2008届的哈佛毕业生们，你们影响他人生活的可能性有多大？”她指出哈佛毕业生们拥有的特权即是他们的责任，她同时呼吁大家用自己的想象力，让世界变得更好。

因此，罗琳的整个演讲，从话题的选择到演讲主题的展开，都充分考虑了听众的特征和他们的心理需求。演讲主题明确，富含哲理，让人回味无穷，最后听众会恍然大悟：原来，失败就是成功，而想象则意味着现实。

The Doors That Are Open to Us

Prepared Speech at the 9th“21st Century Cup”National English Speaking Competition

By Hong Ye　April，2004

Good morning，ladies and gentlemen：

1．The title of my speech is“The doors that are open to us．”The other day my aunt paid me a visit．She was overjoyed．“I got the highest mark in the mid-term examination！”she said．Don't be surprised！ My aunt is indeed a student；to be exact，a college student at the age of 45．

2．Last year，she put aside her private business and signed up for a one-year，full-time management course in a college．“This was the wisest decision I have ever made，”she said proudly like a teenage girl．To her，college is always a right place to pick up new ideas，and new ideas always make her feel young．

3．“Compared with the late 70s，”she says，“now college students have many doors．”My aunt cannot help but recall her first college experience in 1978 when college doors began to be re-opened after the Cultural Revolution．She was assigned to study engineering despite her desire to study Chinese literature，and a few years later，the government sent her to work in a TV factory．

4．I was shocked when she first told me how she had no choice in her major and job．Look at us today！ So many doors are open to us！ I believe there have never been such abundant opportunities for self-development as we have today．And my aunt told me that we should reach our goals by grasping all these opportunities．

5．The first door I see is the opportunity to study different kinds of subjects that interest us．My aunt said she was happy to study management，but she was also happy that she could attend lectures on ancient Chinese poetry and on Shakespearean drama．As for myself，I am an English major，but I may also go to lectures on history．To me，if college education in the past emphasized specialization，now，it emphasizes free and well-rounded development of each individual．So all the fine achievements of human civilization are open to us．

6．The second door is the door to the outside world．Learning goes beyond classrooms and national boundaries．My aunt remembers her previous college days as monotonous and even calls her generation“frogs in a well．”But today，as the world becomes a global village，it is important that our neighbors and we be open-minded to learn with and from each other．I have many fellow international classmates，and I am applying to an exchange program with a university abroad．As for my aunt，she is planning to get an MBA degree in the United Kingdom where her daughter，my cousin，is now doing her master's degree in biochemistry．We are now taking the opportunity to study overseas，and when we come back，we'll put to use what we have learnt abroad．

7．The third door is the door to lifelong learning．As new ideas appear all the time，we always need to acquire new knowledge，regardless of our age．Naturally，my aunt herself is the best example．Many of my aunt's contemporaries say that she is amazingly up-to-date for a middle-aged woman．She simply responds，“Age doesn't matter．What matters is your attitude．You may think it's strange that I am still going to college，but I don't think I'm too old to learn．”Yes，she is right．Since the government removed the age limit for college admissions in 2001，there are already some untraditional students，sitting with us in the same classrooms．Like these people，my aunt is old but she is very young in spirit．With her incredible energy and determination，she embodies both tradition and modernity．

8．The doors open to us also pose challenges． For instance，we are faced with the challenge of a balanced learning，the challenge of preserving our fine tradition while learning from the West，and the challenge of learning continuously while carrying heavy responsibilities to our work and family．So，each door is a test of our courage，ability and judgment，but with the support of my teachers，parents，friends and my aunt，I believe I can meet the challenge head on．When I reach my aunt's age，I can be proud to say that I have walked through dozens of doors and will，in the remainder of my life，walk through many more．Possibly I will go back to college，too．

9．Thank you very much，ladies and gentlemen．

演讲分析

这篇演讲是南京大学外国语学院英语系2006届学生洪晔，在2004年参加第九届“21世纪杯”全国英语演讲比赛时做的定题演讲，她在那次演讲比赛中获得冠军。整篇演讲语言通俗，结构清晰，娓娓道来。现在我们一起来探讨下，演讲者洪晔是如何通过听众分析，做到以听众为中心的。

首先，话题的选择。这届英语演讲比赛的定题题目是讲我们每个人所面临的机会，这样的话题很容易变成空洞的议论，列举我们面对的机遇和挑战，然后再讲我们应该如何努力。如果大部分选手的演讲都是这样，恐怕听众会产生听觉疲劳，觉得没有新意。这篇演讲却将抽象的题目形象化，变成“The Doors That Are Open to Us”，这样生动的形象让人看得见摸得着，容易吸引人注意，也让人印象深刻。

其次，演讲的开头。演讲比赛的听众大部分是在校大学生、评委和指导老师们，年龄从20～50岁不等，但他们的共同点是，对大学生活都比较熟悉。了解了这些听众特征后，我们看一下洪晔是如何开始她的演讲的。她从她阿姨的故事开始说起，一个45岁的商人重新回到大学校园学习管理。这样的故事真实有趣，容易吸引各个年龄层次的听众。然后，演讲者从阿姨的故事引入演讲主题，“第一次阿姨说她当年根本无法选择自己的专业和职业时，我非常吃惊。看看今天的我们！如此之多的机会之门在我们面前敞开。”通过过去与现在的对比，引入自己的主题，显得非常自然，而且容易引起共鸣。

第三，演讲的展开。紧接着，演讲者把我们面临的机遇归结为三扇门——第一扇门是学习自己喜欢的各种学科的机会；第二扇门是通向外部世界的大门；第三扇门是终生学习的机会。洪晔一扇接一扇地介绍这些机会之门，结构十分清晰，让听众非常容易跟着走。另外值得注意的是，在展开演讲的同时，洪晔始终在讲她自己和她阿姨的故事，又始终在讨论我们面临的机遇，这样的夹叙夹议，既讲故事又说道理，使听众在听故事的过程中不知不觉就被她说的道理折服。演讲的最后，洪晔说道，“当我到了阿姨那样的年龄，我可以自豪地说我走过许多扇机会之门，而且还将在以后的岁月穿过更多的机会之门。到那时，我可能也会重返大学校门。”这个结尾简洁明了地总结全文，展望未来，还做到了首尾呼应。