Informative Speech Outline - The Importance of Genealogy PDF

Preview

Summary

Download Informative Speech Outline - The Importance of Genealogy PDF

Description

Running head: THE IMPORTANCE OF GENEALOGY

Informative Speech: The Importance of Genealogy

1

IMPORTANCE OF GENEALOGY

2

Topic: Importance of Genealogy General Purpose: To Inform Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the importance of studying our family origin and history. Thesis: Genealogy is like a treasure hunt, it helps in connecting families, those who have passed on and those living and it is not just a map of the past, but a template for the future action. I.

Introduction A. Attention Getter: Richard-Stephens is a 23-year old African American black male living in the flats of Manhattan with his uncle. He was raised by a single mother who used to work as an elementary teacher in an NGO funded school in the boroughs. His brother, Michael Oliver was sent to prison three years ago when he was found guilty of being in possession of sixteen grams of marijuana. According to his mother, however, it was the police who planted the drug in Oliver’s pocket, something she said was due to racial profiling. With no many relatives to share her sorrow with, Stephens’ mother slipped into deep depression and later committed suicide; she jumped out of a moving train. Disturbed with these developments, Stephens was left wondering how his family got into such a situation and has hence spent a considerable part of his time digging through letters and other available documents to understand his family tree and lineage. This is precisely the situation that many people, not just in the United States, but across the globe, find themselves in.

IMPORTANCE OF GENEALOGY B.

3

Reason to Listen:

Genealogy, for some reasons, has been widely misunderstood and also not given much attention and focus it requires. Many people do not understand where they came from and the events that occurred in their families that made them who they are today. In this session, therefore, I will give you a reason worth going back to your roots and digging to the last piece of information to know who came before you and how they influenced your life. This information will be essential in almost all parts of your life including health. C.

Thesis statement:

Genealogy gives us the doorway to the past. It is essential to break through the brick wall to get into the past, know the truth, learn from it, and forge a connection that will make us stronger and wiser. D.

Credibility Statement: 

Personally, I am fascinated by genealogy and have done a lot of research, listened to stories, read through books to understand my lineage and how my family came to be.



I have also listened to many confessions from people on how they have benefited from studying their family tree and why that was a turning point in their lives.



Furthermore, through internet research, I have managed to learn what different authors from different cultures say about genealogy and its general importance for an individual at the societal level.

E.

Preview of the Main Points:

IMPORTANCE OF GENEALOGY

First, I will have a general outlook on what genealogy is and how different people



view it. Second, I will discuss the importance of genealogy for an individual and the



society at large. Lastly, I will conclude on whether it is worth spending money and time on



studying about our family genealogy. II.

According to Kretsedemas (2017), the inaugural issue of Genealogy provides a vibrant

selection of essays that gives several answers to the question “What is Genealogy?” A.

4

Genealogy has been defined and expressed by authors and scholars in different

ways. 1. According to Kretsedemas (2017), it is different from other research such as theoretical or empirical since; a. Instead of modelling an inter-sectionality among things that are presumed to be categorically different, it hybrids a trans-categorical relation in things that are already embedded. b. It is the tracing of these relations that assist in understanding how family names transform over time or just disappear from the limelight, or how people become famous and their names remembered from the vantage point of different cultural sensibility. c. It is a method used to trace the pathways that help in solving the mysteries that people do impose on other things and to exposing the limitations of the familiar narrative that is, providing the non-teleological explanations of our origin.

IMPORTANCE OF GENEALOGY 2.

5

The Foucauldian scholars, on the other hand, have viewed genealogy as a disruptive

tendency which allows it to function as a diagnostic and prescription for social change (Smith, 2017). This is to mean that; a. Genealogy renders visible the emergence of differences that might otherwise remain buried in discourses that emphasize their continuity with what came before (Smith, 2017). Transition: Now that we have seen some of the explanations and understandings different authors and scholars have had towards genealogy, it is now time to look at the importance of genealogy for individuals and the society at large. B.

Genealogy has plenty of benefits for individuals and the society at large.

1. It helps map and gives doorway into the past. a. According to Neuhouser (2012), we can be able to reconnect with our past family connections just through studying how they lived. b. In case Stephens is successful in connecting the dots to understand the history of his family, then he will manage to figure out why they live in the boroughs and why he was raised by a single mother. c. According to Neuhouser (2012), by understanding how our past connects us, we save the human family. 2.

Trace medical conditions. a. According to Nash (2017), there are some hereditary medical conditions that one cannot understand unless they dig into their family history.

IMPORTANCE OF GENEALOGY

6

b. It is imperative to recognize some of these conditions to be cautious not to pass the trait deeper into the family tree unknowingly. c. In the case of Stephens, maybe his family had a history of people committing suicide, something that might have contributed to his mother’s fate. Therefore, through understanding these concepts, Stephens will not shallowly accept that his mother was troubled, but because it is something that runs in the family. As a result, he will take caution during such times of trouble. 3.

Tracing birth parents. a. This works well for children raised under foster families or the adopted ones. b. Genealogy can be used by these people to reconnect with their birth parents.

4.

Validating family stories. a. In every family tree, there are rumors and endless stories of what someone in the family did. Some of these things might be for their good or bad. To put an end to these rumors, genealogy can be used to find the truth from the lies. b. Hence, instead of passing rumor and lies from generation to generation, genealogy will help in the preservation of what is right and let go lies.

5.

Discover Family History. a. According to Knauft (2017), genealogy for some folks is a fascination. They have the urge and will to dig into the history of their family just for the fun of it. b. It is like a treasure hunt; once you start it, you cannot stop until you find the truth. c. Through discovering our family history, it is also possible to understand what people who came before us did that shaped who we are today or where we are.

IMPORTANCE OF GENEALOGY

7

d. Therefore, genealogy is the best way to appreciate what our ancestors sacrificed for or benefits. III.

Conclusion A.

Review of the Main Points. 1. Today I first discussed “What is Genealogy?” 2. Second, I looked at the importance of genealogy for individuals and the society at large.

B.

Restate the Thesis: From what we have seen as the importance of genealogy, it is

understandable that it is this aspect that provides us with the doorway into the past which helps in better understanding of the family and why we should appreciate their efforts. C.

Closure: I hope that this session was a life-changing experience for every one of you.

My objective was to inform you why you need to study your family tree. I look forward to seeing each of you becoming curious and inquisitive about your past as this will be of great benefits to you.

IMPORTANCE OF GENEALOGY

8 References

Knauft, B. M. (2017). What Is Genealogy? An Anthropological/Philosophical Reconsideration. Genealogy, 1(1), 5. Kretsedemas, P. (2017). What Is Genealogy? Introduction to the Inaugural Issue of Genealogy. Nash, C. (2017). Genealogical Relatedness: Geographies of Shared Descent and Difference. Genealogy, 1(2), 7. Neuhouser, F. (2012). The Critical Function of Genealogy in the Thought of J.-J. Rousseau. The Review of Politics, 74(3), 371-387. Smith, A. M. (2017). Family Genealogy and Family Communication: Finding Common Ground. Genealogy, 1(1), 6....