The social and cultural environment in which any piece of literature is born

leaves undeniable influence on its purpose, textual integrity and language

forms. Despite this, the permeable, ever changing nature of popular
culture and generational distinction makes the enduring nature of any art
form alter over time due to the reception of its content and meaning
amongst any scope of time or groups of people. Thus, while the purpose
itself remains unchanged, the way in which this impacts and enriches
ones perception of a range of notions is, ultimately, determined by the
responders personal interpretation and their consideration of other
critical interpretations. This is especially true regarding the notion of
identity, which is a common and theme within the speeches It is still
winter at home by Sir William Deane, Anwar Sadats speech to the Israeli
Knesset and Margaret Atwoods Spotty handed villainesses. These
speeches depict the enrichment of identity due to adverse situations, its
ever-changing nature and the need for unity and acceptance to be present
within a nation before a sense of national identity can be secured.
The concept of identity, a national level, is enriched by diversity and
adversity within a social setting, making it enduring and ever-changing in
nature. This notion is conveyed within the speech by Sir William Deane, Is
it still Winter at home, most largely through the enrichment of the
Australian and Swedish national identities through the tragic canyoning
accident. He utilises inclusive language to emphasise that, despite the
tragedy, the Swiss nation will forever be a part of Australia, and Australia
to Switzerland. Initially, Dean addresses this in the opening by
acknowledging we are gathered in great sadness to mourn the deaths of
21 young people. The sense of decorum present shows the respect of the
Australian nation which Deane is conveying, and is further emphasised by
his recognition of other nations from which individuals involved had come
from, illustrating the use of Kairos to provide the audience with a message
of unity and support that continues to support the notion that social
adversity enriches the national identity of a nation. We cast into the
Saxetenbach 14 sprigs of wattle we felt that we were bringing a little of
Australia to them. This emphasises that, despite the loss of Australian life

overseas, the memory and legacy of these young people will be enduring
through the newfound connection with Switzerland and integrated
national identities. Floral imagery is used to convey the enrichment and
revitalisation of both national identities, as the wattle is symbolically the
Australian national floral emblem. This is further Sir William Deane is
noted to be a proud supporter of multiculturalism, thus accounting for his
ability to establish international optimism from such a tragedy. Moreover,
this adds to its enduring nature as, worldwide, accidents such as the MH17 aeroplane crash impact on peoples from many different nations. Is it
still winter at home provides hope and optimism from such disasters and
hence is enduring.
Similarly, in Spotty handed Villainesses, Margaret Atwood criticises the
contemporary notion that the identity of individuals is determined and
limited by gender construction. Thus, she highlights the way in which
literature inaccurately depicts the female gender and hence creates a
restricting environment for women in a contemporary society. Her address
is targeted towards an audience which is highly educated, thus, she
employs an array of literary allusions to emphasise her promotion of
diverse female identity. One such example is that of the Russian work by
Leo Tolstoy Anna Karenina, as she states she could flout authority. She
could do new good-bad things. The juxtaposition between the rebellious
actions of Anna Karenina and the strict society in which she lives conveys
that stories in which, ultimately, the heroine is punished for rejecting
gender conformity, are stereotypical and do not properly convey the true
nature of the female gender. Later in the speech, however, she portrays
the illogical nature of binary differentiation between what constitutes
morally good and morally bad through utilising a deliberative approach,
questioning women who wore make up and high heels were instantly
suspect, those in overalls were acceptable. The juxtaposition
demonstrates logos by positioning the audience to realise that such
constructions within society mean women are subject to societal
conformity. Through this depiction, Atwood promotes the diverse identity
of women and advocates the rejection of conformity that is also present in

literature. In contemporary society, female presence in literature

continues to be largely disregarded, thus making her speech enduring to
those who are highly educated as the array of literary allusions may make
the speech difficult for less educated people to fully resonate with.
Primarily, the persuasive diction of Anwar Sadats speech to the Israeli
Knesset highlight that for national identity to be established, a sense of
unity and acceptance must first be achieved amongst all people. Anwar
Sadat, in his speech to the Israeli Knesset, emphasises this in notion in
order to condemn to conflict and violence of the Arab-Israeli war and
attempt the stop the unnecessary bloodshed and loss of life amongst both
groups and establish permanent peace based on justice. In attempt to do
this, he utilises submission to God as a recurring means through which he
draws similarities between the two groups. His greeting opens in the
name of God, the gracious and merciful. Sadat establishes ethos amongst
his Israelite audience by positioning himself at a lower status than god,
which is a common belief which is present within the identity of both
groups. Sadat advocates his view that war is futile and inhumane by
addressing the audience, and second of Aristotles general rhetorical
techniques. He implores any life lost in war is a human life, irrespective
of its being that of an Israeli or Arab. The placing of Israeli before Arab
emphasises Sadats appropriation of the speech to the Israeli audience
and indicated the establishment of ethos which, ultimately, enhances the
degree to which his reception chose to resonate with the ideas he
presents. This allows Sadat to condemn the violence and conflict that
characterised the Muslim and Jewish populations in the Middle East
throughout the 1970s and hence promote the enrichment of national
identity through acceptance of other nations. This message continues to
resonate with audiences and has become increasingly important since
Sadats death, as his compassion provides a point of fixture from which
solutions to contemporary Arab-Israeli and religious war can be based
from.