LEONARDO DICAPRIO’S OSCAR SPEECH ANALYSIS

We can learn a lot from this speech. I did some quick analysis in the following areas:

1. Thanking others
2. Rhetorical Devices: anaphora, anadiplosis, parallelism, antistrophe, climax
3. Making the speech not about himself but about something bigger
4. Delivery style

The world has been waiting for Leonardo DiCaprio to win an Oscar and finally he has made it. It is clear that Leonardo has put a lot of effort to craft and practice his speech. Some people have jokingly said that the speech was very fluent because he has been practicing it for over 10 years 🙂

We can learn a lot from this speech. Below is some analysis:

First, thanking others

It is common for Oscar winners to thank many people when they win. Usually they take the uncreative “shopping list” approach. For example the say: I want to thank the director, the producer, the team, my partner, my friends, my family, etc. This approach is boring and impersonal. Leonardo on the other hand has clearly put a lot of thought into his thanks. For example:

“Tom Hardy, your fierce talent on screen can only be surpassed by your friendship off screen.” “Alejandro Iñárritu, you have forged your way into history”. “Scorsese, for teaching me so much about the cinematic art form”.

By being specific, not only did Leonardo add a personal touch, he did not bore the audience.