Meeting Between Bertie and Lionel, Essay

Lionel is very comfortable speaking in public, unlike Bertie. He is disdainful of protocols and tradition, unlike Lionel. However, both men have assumed roles in their lives contrary to the expectations they were born with -- Bertie was not born to be king, yet he is given this status. Lionel assumes the manner and attitude of a man of a much higher class status because of his ability as a former (albeit, mediocre) actor and his desire to market himself as a speech therapist. Bertie calls Lionel a kind of 'pretender' because of Lionel's lack of formal qualifications, but gradually Bertie comes to evaluate Lionel's expertise based upon Lionel's demonstrated ability. Lionel similarly comes to respect Bertie despite his initial reservations about Bertie's class differences.

Q5. What you learned from this movie.

There is no such thing as a hopeless cause. Bertie was told he was hopeless as a speaker, and Lionel believed that his career as an actor was over. Both men demonstrated that they were capable of reinventing themselves, against all odds.

Q6. Why it was inspirational.The movie demonstrates the power of hope and the ability to change the world by changing yourself and helping others. Bertie was told that his speech defect was incurable, but because Lionel didn't stop believing in him, he was able to change, and use his power as a king and an orator to inspire the British populace to endure the Blitz.

Q6. A reflection on the main characters' roles.

Despite his occasionally brash and abrasive tone, as well as his lack of knowledge about the protocols of the royal family, Lionel's actions demonstrate the power of teaching. Although not a great actor himself, Lionel was capable of inspiring others to act -- and in Bertie's case, act on the world stage. The power of performing, and being someone you are not -- either a higher class, great speech therapist, in the case of Lionel or a confident king in the case of Bertie -- can be strong enough that you eventually become your role,….....