In 1972, Marlon Brando won the Academy Award for The Godfather. This is “his” non-acceptance speech:
He used the opportunity to gain attention to the issue of the marginalization of Native American cultures, especially through their portrayal in the media.
This is not relevant to this blog, for the most part (because I am almost exclusively focused on the presidential election right now), but I find it commendable, and it is of interest in that Brando not only asked Americans to raise their consciousness of images (the visual rhetoric of Hollywood) but because he presented the message with great power, gaining authority and authenticity by giving his time in the limelight to a Native American spokesperson. Brando did what my students do in composition courses when they use quotes from outside sources to support their arguments. This rhetorical decision was not only an appeal to ethos (credibility and persona), but it heightened the emotion, as well.
I thought it was worth noting and sharing.
