Fifty-Five Unemployed and Faking Normal Speech
Speaker: Elizabeth White
Place: Slover Library, Norfolk
Date: April 24th 2017
The speech I attended took place at 6.00 PM. The speech was organized within a Money Smart Week held by the City of Norfolk authorities. The occasion was significant to the speaker because she was chosen by the organizers of the event as a prominent leader who could help the senior individuals to change their lives. The people who came to listen to the speech were very excited that one of the smartest, most charismatic and talented women could share her life views with them. The speech was directed at persuading the audience that retirement should not end the individual’s social and personal life. The event took place at the Slover Library. One of the library’s comfortable rooms accommodated about 40 people of keen audience. Most of the people were senior, many of them African-Americans. The speaker’s name was Elizabeth White. She was a daughter of the army officer and traveled in Europe and North Africa a lot during her childhood. After finishing high school, she studied at Oberlin College, Johns Hopkins University and Harvard Business School where she received different educational degrees, including MBA. Then she found her first job at the World Bank. She has always been very proactive and wanted to make a difference. Throughout her life she fought with gender inequality. She is a co-founder of the decorative home stores in Philadelphia, New York and several other states. Nowadays Elizabeth works with many non-profit organizations, plays a role of COO in one of them, does community work and helps people to find their way in life.
The subject of the speech was very close to the subject of the book “Fifty-Five Unemployed and Faking Normal” written by the speaker. Specifically, Elizabeth focused on some of the main ideas of the book explaining the emotional aspects of being retired, social pressure and financial instability of older people. Elizabeth made an introduction with a story about an abstract woman, who was 55, was tired of life, had a very low income and could not afford to be a part of life she used to have. The speaker then asked rhetorical questions on whether the audience knew somebody like this woman or recognized themselves in her. In the thesis of the speech, Elizabeth stated that senior people should not give up. There are methods and suggestions which could be used to have a decent life even if the income is modest. In the body of the speech Elizabeth talked about the main strategies which could be used by the retired to change their lives for better, like think positively, search for alternatives, be creative, find supportive community, learn, do not fake or think of what other people think about you, but live your life the way you think is right. The organization of the speech was at the very high level: the arguments were logical, the elements of the speech were well …
