William Faulkner has made immense contributions to the world of literature; that is undeniable. In this speech given during his acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize, he offers what could be considered his finest contribution to poets and writers the globe over; his motivation to write. Faulkner is a writer in the truest sense; he writes not to capture the spirit of the times but the spirit of the people, in hopes that his prose will inspire his fellow man to endure and prevail. This speech is directed towards writers who, in an era of apathy, may have lost the true meaning of the art of writing; to remind the public of the challenges of the human spirit. "The human Heart in Conflict with Itself" achieves Faulkner's objective of appealing to writers' sense of duty to instill in the hearts of the masses a spirit of compassion and courage.
             Faulkner uses many devices and a passionate tone to write a successful and effective speech. The overall tone of this piece is stirring; Faulkner uses diction that gives insight to his determination to revive fortitude in difficult times. The opening segment of this speech has a down-to-earth and rather straightforward tone; images of a doctor discussing a virus and its cure with a patient are brought to mind. The succeeding segment, however, is more inspiring; similar to a coach's pep talk during half-time when the team is down by three. Faulkner uses repetition to a great extent in the second segment; he often repeats the words "endure" and "prevail" to make his point. He also repeats the word "and" six times in one sentence to emphasize how equally important each ideal discussed is. Faulkner also uses metaphors such as "I decline to accept the end of man" to argue how essential the human spirit is. "The end of man" will not physically occur if writers record the factual rather than the spiritual, but man's s...