Declamation Piece “I Demand Death!”
My hands are wet with blood. They are crimsoned with the blood of a man I have just killed.
I have come here today to confess. I have committed murder, deliberate, premeditated murder. I have killed a man in cold blood. That man is my master.
I am here not to ask for pity but for justice. Simple, elementary justice. I am a tenant… My father was a tenant before me and so was his father before him. This misery is my inheritance and perhaps this will be my legacy to my children.
I have labored on a patch of land not mine. But I have learned to love that land, for it is the only thing that lies between me and complete destitution.
It is the only world that I have learned to cherish. And somewhere on that land I have managed to build what is now the dilapidated nipa shack that has been home to me.
I have but a few world possessions, mostly rags. My debts are heavy. They are sum total of my ignorance and the inspired arithmetic of my master, which I do not understand.
I labor like a slave and out of the fruits of that labor I get but a mere pittance for a share. And I have to stretch that mere pittance to keep myself and my family alive.
My poverty has reduced me to the bare necessities of life. And the constant fear of rejection from the land has made me totally subservient to my master. You tell me that under the constitution, I am a free man-free to do what I believe is just, free to do what I think is right, and free to worship God according to the dictate of my conscience. But I do not understand the meaning of all these for I have never known freedom. I have always obeyed the wishes of my master out of fear. I have always regarded myself as no better than a slave to the man who owns the land on which I live. I do not ask you to forgive me nor to mitigate my crime. I have taken the law into my own hands, and I must pay for it in atonement.
But kill this system. Kill this system and you kill despotism. Kill this system and you kill slavery. Kill this despotism and you set the human soul to liberty and freedom. Kill this slavery and you release the human spirit into happiness and contentment. For the cause of human liberty, of human happiness and contentment, thousands and even millions have died and will continue to die.
Mine is only one life. Take me if you must but let it be a sacrifice to the cause which countless others have been given before and will be given again and again, until the oppressive economic system has completely perished, until the sons of toil have been liberated from enslavement, and until man has been fully restored to decency and self respect.
You tell me of the right to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But I have known no rights, only obligations; I have known no happiness; only despair in the encumbered existence that has always been my lot.
My dear friend, I am a peace-loving citizen. I have nothing but love for my fellowmen. And yet, why did I kill this man? It is because he was the symbol of an economic system which has made him and me what we are: He, a master, and I, a slave.
Out of a deliberate design I killed him because I could no longer stand this life of constant fear and being a servant. I could no longer suffer the thought of being perpetually a slave.
I committed the murder as an abject lesson. I want to blow that spelled the death of my master to be a death blow to the institution of the economic slavery which shamelessly exists in the bright sunlight of freedom that is guaranteed by the constitution to every man. My dear friend: I do anguish from the weak and helpless and has laid upon the back of the ignorant labor burdens that are too heavy to be borne, I demand death!
To this callous system of exploitation that has tightened the fetters of perpetual bondage in the hands of thousands, and has killed the spirit of freedom in the hearts of men, I demand death.
To this oppression that has denied liberty to the free and unbounded children of God, I DEMAND DEATH!
Category: Declamation Pieces
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Hi,
I have already seen it somethere…
Thanks
Elcoj
the story is nice but it’s too long for a declaamtion piece……pero ang story kay nice….
Wow, brings back memories… Did this declamation in 6th grade. Can’t believe I memorized all that then lol
para sakin medyo madali pero isinasalaysay nya ang pagkakunsensya,pero dun lang sa peace declamation.ayoos na rin yan at least may lesson na makuha.
wwaaaah! ang hirap imemorize, sana ako manalooo
waaaaah
P.S ung piece namin ano ganito sya: “I have taken the law into my own hands, and I must pay for it in blood.”
blood hindi ATONEMENT
ohhhhwwhhh!!!
it’s 2 long.. bt still… GO p din!!
i remember my declamation contest when i was in h.s!!!
Oh God, pls Guide and gve me Courage!!!
i will do my best 4 dis contest.
rather…4 dis competition!!=)
who’s the author??
its so long hard for me to memorize
but still its worth having for
yang declamation peace na yan tinula ku nung grade 4 kmi…. super hirap mag saulo haba kc eh!!!!!!!!!!
it’s nice and difficult declamation piece cause i experience that in a front of many people in my school when i was 1st year heh and i won this piece hehhhe in st.scholasticas college i cant forget that
nice ang story.. kya lan parang mahaba ata . kayanin ko sana ang ma memorize to despite of our busy schedules.. hahaip :c
ohhhhh
.. ang haba nya.. grabe.. sana mamemorize ko to.. at ma i-deliver ng maayos.. ;( !! grabe…
.. ang haba nya.. grabe.. sana mamemorize ko to.. at ma i-deliver ng maayos.. ;( !!
ohhhhh so, long help me to memorized
huhuhuhuh
its very nice..
thank u . mlking tulong toh for me.
this will be our piece for tomorrow’s competetion..
some of my teachers were shocked because they found it very long…:)
it’s very good
kailangan kong mamemorize yan by tommorow…. sobrang pabaya ko… ngayon walang tulugan para hindi ko lang mapahiya ang teacher namin… and I want her to be very proud to me kahit na di ako manalo… basta I did my best…. you know I am the only 1st year student na napili ng teacher na maging representative sa lahat ng handle nyang sections…. it’s too long to memorize… nung nagdedecide ako balak ko talagang di pumunta sa competition pero napagisip-isip ko kakayanin ko lahat if God is by my side…… Thank you… naglabas lang ng nararamdaman ^-^
wOoh..,sna nmn ma mem0rize ko toh ..kasi performance task nmin toh e.. syang amN kpag d ko toh Namemorize kac 30% din toH sa GradeT_T but…kakayanin ko ..^^
OMG!….It’s so long to memorize!… But it’s okay!.. I Hope I can memorize and deliver it in the front of my classmates!..
It’s Nice!…
OMG!….It’s so long to memorize!… But it’s okay!.. I Hope I can memorize and deliver it in the front of my classmates!..
It’s Nice!…
OMG!….It’s so long to memorize!… But it’s okay!.. I Hope I can memorize and deliver it in the front of my classmates!..
Correction lang po:
“I have taken the law into my own hands, and I must pay for it in blood.”
blood not ATONEMENT!….
..gggggggrrrrrrr…2 weeks to memorize…
huhuh/…
its sssssssooooooooo long pa..
i like this declamation piece pero its hard to memorized coz its to long…hehehe..peo aux lauhn…
maraming salamat sa piece na to. nananlo ako sa declamation last feb. 1, 2011
it’s hard to practice this!!
THNX POH
….i think its hard to memorize but i do my best for this…
hayyyy……….. eto ung gagamitin kong speech, hope makatulong to, salamat
my mga ilang lines lng ako na babaguhin at papalitan ko ng sarili kong lines.. hope ok lng:)
hahaha isang gabi ko lng sya dapat imemorize, hope mgawa ko to, tom ko na din kc to ippresent… i know i can make it:)
cramming and procastinating.
bahala na si batman.
lalabs nman ako ni Lord.
it’s “atonement”. the correct one is “atonement.” this piece is by archbishop fulton sheen
g0sh! To0 l0ng f0r a declamati0n piece ! H0pe i can make it !
Xd:
im da only freshmen on dis c0mpetiti0n ! . .i d0ubt if i can do it well . .
Inshallah !
i need to memeorize this piece for the english festival,,its too long ,, but i can do it ,, i can win in this contest ,,i will do my best !~!
d koh pah poh na2ba2sa eh!
ba2sahin koh rin poh yan soon!
Naalala ko pa ang highschool life ko 1st year and 3rd year ko to ginamit sa contest…and guess what? Palong palo panalo…
Ganda ng Piece…
At ngayon, e rereview ko na naman ito para sa aming English103…hahahaha
GoodLuck to me!!
wowowowooh…………………nice kau………..pero……..super…………geba ng mind………..dahil ang taas…….pero nice………
Well .. it’s easy to memorize that ..But please Pray for me to win this September ..I DEMAND DEATH ..a bit nervous haha just a bit
))
haha sa september na ang laban ko at naun ko lng ccmulan kabisaduhin ahaha
I need citation for this declamation piece…
Which book did it came from,
What year it was published and
Who was the publisher?
Thanks everyone…. Please help…..
w0w! THE STORY!!…it’s nice!..but it’s too long!!>.<!
uhmmm…
ohhhhhhhh???????
I had memorized and had a 99% grade in my declamation subject.