It is powerful to compare King Benjamin’s speech to the greatest orations of world history. While I was in high school and college I read the speeches (in Latin and Greek) of many of the classic ancient orators. I also became aware of handbooks that were used in American schools to teach the art of oratory. Giving a great speech was an art. Who were the most impressive orators in the history of the world? Pericles reputably gave the famous funeral speech during the Peloponnesian War. Demosthenes, Lysias, Cicero, and Seneca the Elder were renowned Greek and Roman orators, public speakers, and lawyers of antiquity. Many of their speeches and orations have been preserved, analyzed, and used as models for great talks. In my chapter entitled "Benjamin’s Speech: A Masterful Oration," I identify twelve key qualities that rhetoricians readily agree are commonly found in the greatest of orations in world history. While great speeches often have six or seven of these, all twelve are present in King Benjamin’s speech. For example:
Great orations are said to transcend the moment and capture the entire spirit of an age. They are able to distill where a nation has come from, to look ahead into the coming generations, and to capture and embody the spirit of where they stood as a people at that time. King Benjamin certainly does this in many ways.
A great oration is dramatic. It is out of the ordinary and not routine. Benjamin’s people came and pitched their tents. They were all waiting and wondering what was going to happen next. This drama adds to the experience of the people. More than that, great orators are able to capitalize on that moment. They do not disappoint. When the people leave, they have truly experienced a marvelous, memorable occasion. There is a solemnity about it, and this too characterizes Benjamin’s speech.
A great oration is absolutely sincere, with no pretense. Consider Abraham Lincoln. The simple Gettysburg Address captures and distils the agony of the thousands of Americans who died fighting each other at that small Pennsylvania crossroads. "May they not have died in vain." The memory of that speech helped to re-launch the United States as a nation. There was no pretense there. President Lincoln was not saying those words so he would get reelected. This was absolute sincerity.
The sincerity of Benjamin is even more impressive to me because of what he does not say. Nowhere does he say, "I am so glad that I was able to lead you. Remember when we fought and I had the Sword of Laban and we defeated all those enemies!" He does not talk about all the great work that he has done for the people over the decades. He simply says, "I have been suffered to spend my days in your service" (Mosiah 2:11–12). There is no self-boasting here. Benjamin is humbly saying, "Farewell."
A great oration delivers eternal truths uttered with disarming humility. King Benjamin knows how to speak of himself as not being even as much as the dust of the earth. His concern about the little children is another mark of humility.
A great oration has a voice of pure authority. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "I do not know any kind of history … to which people listen with more interest than to any anecdote of eloquence. … It is a triumph of pure power." As you read King Benjamin’s speech, the power of his words, drawn from personal experience and revelation, rivet down the points that he wanted made. They reflect the angelic source from whence they came. His whole presence as king bespeaks dignified authority at every level.
A great oration is purposeful and effectively organized. Speaking of Cicero, the paragon of Roman orators, Sherwin Cody’s handbook on the world’s great orations has said:"He dazzles us with the brilliancy of his rhetoric. His words roll out in perfect oratorical rhythm, his periods are nicely balanced, his figures of speech and his choice of words beautifully artistic, singing through the mind like music and enchanting the ear." Those words describe Benjamin’s speech just as well as Cicero.
A great oration gives unmistakable instructions to ensure success. For example, King Benjamin’s speech gives clear instructions on how to put off the natural man. He says to be humble, submissive, meek, patient, full of love, and so forth. He does not just say, "Well, put off the natural man!" He says, "Here’s how you do it." It is beneficial to watch for how many times King Benjamin will use this oratory method.
Great oratory also produces a compelling presentation of ultimate human choice that propels people to critical action. King Benjamin does that too, concluding with his comment, "if you believe all these things see that ye do them" (Mosiah 4:10).
John W. Welch, "Benjamin’s Speech: A Masterful Oration," in King Benjamin’s Speech: "That Ye May Learn Wisdom," ed. John W. Welch and Stephen D. Ricks (Provo, UT: FARMS, 1998), 55–88.
John W. Welch and Daryl R. Hague, "Benjamin’s Sermon as a Traditional Ancient Farewell Address," in King Benjamin’s Speech: "That Ye May Learn Wisdom," ed. John W. Welch and Stephen D. Ricks (Provo, UT: FARMS, 1998), 89–117.