Bullfighting Case

I. Introduction
A. ATTENTION-GETTER: I want to play a game. In this game there are two competitors, yourself and a raging bull. Your job is to amaze the crowd by taunting the bull as it stampedes towards you, with only your red cape and your courage to aid you. Sounds like fun? B. REASON TO LISTEN: By presenting this speech, it will help clarify the tradition of bullfighting in Spain that is often misconstrued and misguided. This speech will provide the history and importance of why the brutal sport of bullfighting is an important custom to Spanish tradition. C. SPEAKER CREDIBILITY: I have provided extensive research by utilizing books and online sources as references to find accurate information of this subject. D. THESIS: Bullfighting incorporates a long history in the Spanish culture using the symbolic animal of the bull to practice this long-lived tradition as an art form. E. PREVIEW OF MAIN POINTS

1. The history of Spanish bullfighting.
2. Bullfighting as an art form.
3. The representation of the bull and the reasons for using them. Transition: Well, the only difference is that this is not a game, but a Spanish tradition practiced throughout the centuries. II. Body

F. Bullfighting has been occurring for several centuries throughout the country of Spain. 4. Bullfight: A traditional Spanish, Portuguese, or Latin American spectacle, in which a bull is fought by a matador, assisted by banderilleros and picadors, in a prescribed way in an arena and is usually killed. (Britannica Online) 5. Bulls also played an important role in the religious ceremonies of the Iberian tribes living in Spain in prehistoric times. 6. Although the true origins of bullfighting are unknown, the earliest indications of bullfighting are evident up to ancient Rome. a) Greek and Roman influenced and created the spectacle of bullfighting. 7. The development of bullfighting in the modern era has transformed it into a new kind of sport. b) Since the dawn of the first millennium, bullfighting had been performed while mounted on a horse for over 600 years. (i) Since then, Spain has popularized the sport from horseback by the masses into a foot-based spectacle. 8. The popularity of bullfighting has risen to a professional sport. c) By the 18th century, bullfighting has become a profitable sport popularized throughout Europe (Don Quijote).

Transition: Bullfighting is not only a sport, but a tradition that has enriched itself in Spanish culture as an art form. G. The traditional bullfight has inspired the imaginations of artists such as painters, novelists, poets, photographers, sculptors, and cinematographers. 9. Such famous artists such as Pablo Picasso began to draw bullfights in his youth and even related his mature works to bulls. PHOTO 10. Bullfighting from Spain influenced many works in literature in America as well. d) Earnest Hemingway pioneered influenced the overview of bullfighting in the Americas in his novel Death in the Afternoon. e) “We are fascinated by victory and we replace the avoidance of death by the avoidance of defeat” (Britannica Online) 11. Propaganda for bullfighting has not only helped the sport financially but has transformed the ads to an art form. f) A major contribution to bull art occurred in the 1920s with the flashy posters (carteles).

PHOTO 12. The bullfighter (matador) is a highly regarded athlete that is the most renowned person in the bullring. g) Inspired poetry about the beauty of the matador during a bullfight. h) “. . . Like a river of lions was his marvelous strength and like a torso of marble his fine-drawn restraint. . .” (Lorca, 1967). Transition: This sport can only be done with bulls because of the close connection it symbolizes with Spain. H. Spain identifies itself with the symbol of the bull. 13. Known as the “toro bravo”, Spanish bulls are considered brave and courageous. 14. The bull is the “totem of Spain” identified with the strength of Spain and of Spaniards (Douglass, 1997). 15. Killing of the bull at the end of the fight is related to ancient sacrifices in prehistoric Spain. i) Sacrificing the bull shows the dominance of a strong creature. 16. The bull is portrayed as art and has been revered throughout history. j) The bull is seen as the animal of strength and of fertility (Mouton, 2002). III. Conclusion

I. REVIEW MAIN POINTS
17. The significance and transcendence of Spanish bullfighting.
18. The inspiration of bullfighting.
19. The importance of the bull in Spanish culture.
J. RESTATE THESIS: The sport of bullfighting has inspired many as art being an event held throughout the centuries with the incorporation of the bull as an upheld symbol. K. CLOSING DEVICE: In this game, there are no winners and losers. There is a bull that is destined to die and a bullfighter who can potentially die. This “sport” is more considered as merely tradition and of honor that is more famous than ever.

References

Conrad, B. (1961). Encyclopedia of Bullfighting. In (L. Spota, Trans.). Massachusetts: The Riverside Press. Don Quijote. The Art and History of Bullfighting. Retrieved February 15, 2009, from http://www.donquijote.org/culture/spain/bullfight/ Douglass, C. B. (1997). Bulls, Bullfighting, and Spanish Identities In (D. J. Sapir, Ed.). The University of Arizona Press. Encyclopedia Britannica. Bullfighting. Retrieved February 15, 2009, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/84444/bullfighting Lorca, F. G. (1967). The Bullfight. In (S. Mailer & N. Mailer, Trans.). New Directions Publishing Corporation. Mouton, R. (2002). Pamplona In (M. Barra, Illus.). Metairie, LA: Quinn Publishing.