On October 10, juniors in AP English Language and Composition presented speeches they wrote memorializing a topic of their choice, such as a celebrity who had recently passed away or victims of a recent tragedy.
Each group consisted of three to five students who collaborated on creating a speech loosely based upon the devices that former U.S. president George W. Bush used in his address to the nation following the September 11 terrorist attacks and ones that former U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy used in his speech announcing the assassination of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., from the perspective of a person of significance to the deceased or victims of the event. Each group had a speaker, who would read the speech in front of their classmates; a copy editor, who would type out the final draft of the speech into a document; and rhetoricians, who would implement rhetorical devices into the speech and label them on the final document.
One group wrote their speech about the 2023 Lahaina Wildfires in Maui, Hawaii. Mo Duczkowski, Catherine Holahan, Mackennah Kefor, and Cliffy Swain collaborated in writing their speech from the perspective of Richard Bissen Jr., the mayor of Maui. In their speech, they touched upon the cause of the fire and what caused it to create the amount of destruction that it did. They acknowledged the hard work of Maui’s first responders, paid respects to those whose lives were forever changed by the tragedy, addressed issues that may make it difficult to rebuild, and reassured the community of Lahaina that changes will be made to further protect the well-being of the citizens.
The group chose this topic for their speech because it was a relatively recent event that was severely underreported in the media. “We chose this topic because we all believe it is important to be conscious of issues like these and make it clear to any audience that while history cannot be erased, the problems that cause tragedies like this can be solved,” Cliffy Swain, the group’s copy editor, stated when asked about the topic. All members of the group felt it was important to bring attention to the issues that residents of Lahaina, Maui, were still facing at the time of writing the speech.
In the speech, they discussed topics like the cause of the fire, the hardworking first responders, the victims, and the issues that indirectly led to the devastation that the fires caused. They addressed many pieces of the tragedy that were undermined in the media and that the community of Lahaina is still facing today, two years later.
Mo, Catherine, Mackennah, and Cliffy put in lots of effort into their speech, and they hope to continue bringing awareness towards harsh, underreported topics such as the 2023 Maui Wildfires.
1. Good morning, everyone.
2. Two days ago, our homes, our families, our communities, and our culture were tragically destroyed by something as small as a broken power line. This event will have an unforgettable impact on Lahaina and the island of Maui. Our people have been, and will continue to, work hard every day to restore the spirit of Lahaina that was lost two days ago.
3. On August 8th, 2023, at 6:34 AM, utility pole 25 off of Lahainaluna Road sparked and ignited dry brush nearby. The severe winds that morning escalated the situation to something much bigger, and the fire proceeded to spread throughout our township. The fires ravaged through neighborhoods and destroyed many homes until it was contained. However, later that afternoon, strong winds once again reignited the flames and continued to devastate our community.
4. It may not provide much comfort hearing this message from me, but our dedicated first responders have been extremely helpful in aiding the people and minimizing the fire and damages it caused. Their heroic actions helped diminish the numbers of injuries and casualties in our communities. However, this does not take away from the lives lost and those whose lives will never be the same. I pray for all of those who are grieving loved ones and who are struggling to find relief in this time of darkness.
5. During these troublesome times, it is important that we stay united as a community. As said in Romans 5:3, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance.” We must persevere together in order to overcome the hardships we have faced.
6. Not only did these fires destroy our community, but they also destroyed our wildlife. It will be a while before the ecosystem will recover, and all that we can do is be conscious of our environment and do our best to protect the remaining organisms that survived. Our neglect to regularly upkeep our vegetation was the direct cause of this tragedy. We cannot go back and fix our mistakes, but we can move forward and honor the culture that we so ignorantly disregarded.
7. When it comes to solving this issue, it will not be black and white. Our island has experienced an influx in tourism over the past few years. Wealthy individuals from the continental United States have come to our island and bought out all of our property, and increased prices of resources for those who have been here for generations. As a native Hawaiian, I am experiencing these feelings just as deeply as all of you are over these tragedies.
8. But as your mayor, I will take any necessary actions to provide food and shelter, I will speak with the victims and consider their advice, I will call for aid from the federal government, and most importantly, I will proudly represent Maui and the township of Lahaina.
9. I sincerely thank you all for your presence, patience, and perseverance. I pray that we all can move forward from this incident and continue to embrace our community. Thank you, God bless Maui, and God bless Lahaina.
