Outline

Kersting 1

Oral Communication and Presentation: Informative Speech Outline

Katt Kersting

COMM 101

Specific Purpose:

To inform my audience of the famous film director, Tim Burton.

Attention:

“Visions are worth fighting for. Why spend your life making someone else’s dreams?” Sounds

like a good piece of advice, huh? Perhaps even worthy of an inspirational tattoo? The man who

stated this quote has inspirited me so deeply to the point where his art is even tattooed

permanently onto my body.

Credibility:

Since the age of 6, I’ve found a true connection to the whimsical works of film director Tim

Burton. I’ve seen all his movies, countless times each may I add, and I can assure you that I have

many of these films memorized word for word. The point I’m trying to make here is as an

aspiring film director, I have understood the technical and imaginative genius behind the works

of Tim Burton.

Preview:

Today I’ll be sharing facts on Tim Burton’s life; how he became a successful movie director, the

keys to his unique style, and the effect he has had on the film industry.

Transition: Before one can enjoy the art that Tim Burton has created, they must

understand how one can grow into one of the most iconic film directors of all time.

First Main Point: Like any other person who becomes successful, Tim lived an average life just

like you and me.

A. As a child, Burton always carried around a notebook where he would write and sketch
ideas for characters.

1. If he didn’t have his notebook, he would draw on napkins or wrappers.
B. After majoring in animation at the California Institute of Arts, he worked as a Disney

animator for less than a year before striking out on his own (Woods 10).

Kersting 2

1. Tim went to school for illustration animation, not for film.
2. He eventually got bored at Disney for the innocent style he had to learn to love.

C. In 1982, he released his award-winning short Vincent.
1. Because of its success, he was able to begin his own production company and

begin creating his own style with films such as Batman (1989) and Edward

Scissorhands (1990) (“Tim Burton Biography”).
D. Burton’s closest companion is Johnny Depp.

1. Their bond was so connected that they possessed their own nonverbal way of
communication; which confused much of the crew and cast on set.

2. He is also the Godfather of Burton’s son, Billy Raymond Burton.

Transition: So, what makes Burton so recognizable? So easy to identify? It could be the

crazed hair and signature blue-misted glasses that create his signature look, but I believe it’s

actually his film style that catches peoples’ attention.

Second Main Point: Burton’s style is beloved by several fans all over the world but, yet it hasn’t

always been viewed as such.

A. Burton’s creations fascinate audiences for “his characters elicit both alarm and wonder”
(McMahon 3).

1. Many of the characters he creates are larger than life and seem somewhat as
outcasts, which make them lovable and connective with the audience.

B. Burton is known for his bold and dark style and themes in his films.
1. Because of the dark and deeply weird nature of Burton’s Nightmare Before

Christmas, Walt Disney Studios decided it was too off-brand to be released under

their banner (“21 Things”).
a. So, the film was made through their branch Touchstone Pictures.

1. Once it began to get popular, Disney released it again with their
opening logo and took more “responsibility”.

Transition: Although the “happiest place on earth” wasn’t too hot on his unique style, it

remains certain that Burton has left a true legacy on the film industry.

Third Main Point: Since his name first hit the big screen, one can agree that Burton has become

one of the most recognizable and successful film makers to date.

A. Burton set off a trend for bringing novels to the big screen such as Abraham Lincoln:
Vampire Hunter (2012) and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016) (“Tim

Burton Biography”).
B. Burton also showed the true power and beauty of stop-motion through The Nightmare

Before Christmas (1993), The Corpse Bride (2005), and Frankenweenie (2012) along

with others, popularizing “clay-mation” (“Tim Burton Biography”).
C. Tim has received several award nominations and wins for several of his films over the

years.
D. Burton has also exhibited over 700 drawings, paintings, and other artwork at New York

City’s Museum of Modern Art in 2009 and 2010 (“Tim Burton Biography”).

Kersting 3

1. He also possesses his own personal museum exhibits that travel around the world.

Transition: His films and style continue to inspire and shock the whole world. Us

endearing fans sit and wait patiently wondering what piece of art he will cook up next.

Summary: Tim Burton was able to become a successful director through a hardworking past,

which lead to a unique style, and eventually leaving handprints on the film industry.

Concluding Remarks: In case you still needed that tattoo idea, I’ll leave you with my favorite

quote from this remarkable man; “It seems that if you’re passionate about something, it freaks

people out. You’re considered bizarre or eccentric. To me, it just seems that you know who you

are.”

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Biography.com Editors (2018). Tim Burton biography producer, painter, illustrator, director,

screenwriter (1958–). Accessed on September 30, 2018 from:

https://www.biography.com/people/tim-burton-9542431

McMahon, J. L. (2014). The philosophy of Tim Burton, University Press of Kentucky, 2014.

ProQuest eBook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/pointpark-

ebooks/reader.action?docID=1653632&query=tim+burton

Puchko, K. (2017). 21 things you didn’t know about The Nightmare Before Christmas. Accessed

on September 30, 2018 from: http://mentalfloss.com/article/60723/21-things-you-didnt-

know-about-nightmare-christmas

Woods, P. A. (2007). Tim Burton: a child’s garden of nightmares. London: Plexus, 2007.

Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=cat07186a&AN

=ppu.42973&site=eds-live&scope=site&custid=s7614884

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/pointpark-ebooks/reader.action?docID=1653632&query=tim+burton

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/pointpark-ebooks/reader.action?docID=1653632&query=tim+burton

http://mentalfloss.com/article/60723/21-things-you-didnt-know-about-nightmare-christmas

http://mentalfloss.com/article/60723/21-things-you-didnt-know-about-nightmare-christmas

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=cat07186a&AN=ppu.42973&site=eds-live&scope=site&custid=s7614884

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=cat07186a&AN=ppu.42973&site=eds-live&scope=site&custid=s7614884

Running head:

HARRIET JACOBS

HARRIET JACOBS

HARRIET JACOBS

Name

Institutional affiliation

Date

Speech topic: Harriet Jacobs.

Speech type: object

Speech order: Chronological.

General purpose: reflecting on the life and achievement of Harriet Jacobs.

Specific objective: informing the audience on the contribution of Harriet Jacobs towards abolition of slavery in America.

Central idea: although born to slavery, Harriet Jacobs become a significant figure in the fight against slavery of the blacks.

Harriet Jacobs was born in the year 1813 into slavery. As a black, she endured sexual abuse for several years before she eventually escaped to the north. Being born into slavery her life was to be spent on slavery. Her mother died when she was only six, and she was left under the custody of her master, who owed her mother. Life with her Tavern keeper gave her an opportunity not only to see but also an opportunity to read and write (Jacobs, 1996).  The education garnered during her early life in slavery that became pivotal in her quest to end slavery.

Life in slavery was not good at all; Jacobs endures hard labor and sexual harassment from her master. She sought to hide from the harsh treatment. A white woman decided to hide Jacobs in her house, which was a great personal risk that she took. Here, she hid in a garret that couldn’t allow her to stand. She stayed here for seven years. She would later escape to Philadelphia through the help of some activists. She crafted her experiences as a slave girl that significantly influenced other people of goodwill to rise against slavery in America. In the book “the incidence of a slave girl,” Jacobs narrates her mistreatment (Yellin, 2015). It is through this that she was able to marshal other people to rise against slavery in the country. She led abolitionist movements and championed for equal treatment and liberty for black in owning property and good working conditions.

Reference

Yellin, J. F. (Ed.). (2015). The Harriet Jacobs Family Papers. UNC Press Books.

Jacobs, H. A. (1996). Harriet Jacobs and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: New Critical Essays. Cambridge University Press.

She was daughter of Delilah and Daniel Jacobs who were slaves owned by different masters born in North Carolina, in the fall of 1813.

she wrote in her autobiography that her childhood was a happy one “[We] lived together in a comfortable home, and, though we were all slaves, I was so fondly shielded that I never dreamed that I was a piece of merchandise.” She even found happiness after her mother’s death, when she moved into the home of her mother’s mistress — a kind woman who nurtured the young Harriet, teaching her to read and sew, and seeing to her well-being. The happiness would not last, though. Upon the death of the benevolent mistress when Harriet was 12 years old, ownership of Harriet was transferred to the mistress’ niece. But since the niece was only three years old, Harriet’s actual master was the father, a Dr. James Norcom. This man would be the cause of a great deal of misery.
Around the time Harriet turned 15, Norcom began his relentless efforts to bend the slave girl’s will. To get Harriet away from his wife, who was suspicious of her husband’s intentions, he built a cottage for the girl slave four miles from town. Harriet had previously asked Norcom for permission to marry a free black man. Norcom had violently refused. Now Harriet had a plan to disrupt his fight for sexual conquest: She had become friends with a caring white man — an unmarried lawyer. 
She would become sexually involved with this man, become pregnant, and an infuriated Norcom would sell her and her child. A child was conceived. Harriet felt “it was something to triumph over my tyrant in that small way.” Nevertheless, Norcom had no intention to sell her. 
Harriet gave birth. Still Norcom pursued Harriet. The harassment continued even after she bore the lawyer another child. Finally, after she learned that Norcom was preparing to put her children to work as plantation slaves, she had had enough. In June of 1835, after seven years of mistreatment, Harriet escaped. For a short time, she stayed with various neighbors, both black and white. Then she moved into a tiny crawlspace above a porch built by her grandmother and uncle. The space was nine feet long and seven feet wide. Its sloping ceiling, only three feet high at one end, didn’t allow her to turn while laying down without hitting her shoulder. Rats and mice crawled over her; there was no light and no ventilation. But her children had been bought by the lawyer and were now living in the same house. Harriet could even see them while they played outside through a peephole she had drilled. She lived in the crawlspace for seven years, coming out only for brief periods at night for exercise.
In 1842, Harriet made her escape to freedom. She sailed to Philadelphia, and after a short stay, travelled to New York City by train. There she was reunited with her daughter, who had in the meantime been sent by her father. Harriet would later move to Rochester, New York, to be close to her brother, also a fugitive slave. There she became involved with the abolitionists associated with Frederick Douglass’ paper, the North Star. In the following years, she would move back to New York, flee to Massachusetts to avoid Dr. Norcom, and finally become legally free after a friend arranged her purchase. Friends later convinced her to write an account of her life as a slave. The book, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, was one of the first open discussions about the sexual harassment and abuse endured by slave women — a topic that even made many abolitionists uncomfortable.
Harriet was actively involved with the abolition movement before the launch of the Civil War. During the war she used her celebrity to raise money for black refugees. After the war she worked to improve the conditions of the recently freed slaves. She led abolitionist movements and championed for equal treatment and liberty for black in owning property and good working conditions.