"World of Cardboard" Speech: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

{{quote|"[[Batman|That man]] won't quit as long as he can still draw a breath. None of [[Justice League (animation)|my teammates]] will. Me? I've got a different problem. I feel like I live in a '''[[Trope Namer|world]] [[Beam Me Up, Scotty|made]] [[Trope Namer|of cardboard]]''', always taking constant care not to break something, to break ''someone''. Never allowing myself to lose control even for a moment, or someone could ''die''. But you can take it, can't you, [[Darkseid|big man]]? [[Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner|What we have here]] [[I Am Not Left-Handed|is a rare opportunity for me to cut loose]] and show you just how powerful I ''really'' am."

 

A fundamental part of telling a story is conflict: you want the hero to have their problems and, hopefully, overcome them in a satisfactory manner. In many cases that conflict is entirely external; the [[Big Bad]] is plotting to [[Take Over the World]] and [[The Hero]] is out to stop them. But there is also that conflict which is emotional; it exists in their mind and usually forms a mental block that they cannot break through.

 

 

In effect, this is a [[Eureka Moment]] that leads to a [[Heroic Resolve]]. The speech itself can vary depending on the revelation, but the crux of this trope revolves around the epiphany. Universal to all of these speeches is that realization and being subsequently empowered because of it.

 

{{examples}}

* In ''[[Tsukihime]]'', Shiki's [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] comes when he manages to [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?|scare Roa shitless]] with one of these: [[Justified Trope|justified]] in that to him, the world '''really is''' as flimsy as cardboard:

{{quote|'''Shiki:''' You don't understand death at all. That's why you can't kill me, and why you're only able to kill a weakened woman. If you could see death, you couldn't maintain your sanity. All you can perceive is the part which keeps things alive. If you could see death, you wouldn't be able to even stand.... It's like the world on the moon, a desolate wasteland. Being able to see the "death" of things means you are forced to see the world's uncertainty and fragility. The ground is like it's not there, and the sky seems about to fall at any moment. You don't know of the illusion that the whole world could perish in an instant. That is what it means to see death. These eyes, this power isn't something you can boast about like you did. Do you see your mistake, now, vampire? Life and death may be back to back, but they will never face each other. I'll show you. This is what it means to kill something.}}

{{quote|'''Kai:''' [[My Name Is Inigo Montoya|Kai. That's my name.]] And I'm a Beyblader. And you might think you are, but you're not. You learned from the best but you forgot a very important lesson. Beyblading isn't just about overpowering your opponent with fancy moves. That's only part of the game. There's more to it than that. Much more. That's why I have something you don't. I have learned from every battle I fought. Every friend, enemy, and spectator always had something to offer me. And I'm a student to this game. And I always will be. With the hardships of training, competitions, the wins and the losses, they all taught me something. And I've taken that knowledge and used it to my advantage. That's why I can say, that I'm a true beyblader. That's what keeps me going. And that's my strength. I don't think you ever will (understand). Because you're not a true beyblader. You have the power and the skill, but something is missing from inside you. You don't have the beyblading spirit! That's why I have to win this battle! Because beyblading means more to me than you could ever understand! IT'S NOT JUST A GAME TO ME! FINISH HIM NOW DRANZER!"}}

* Simon gets an ''awesome'' speech in ''[[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]'' when he breaks out of his [[Heroic BSOD]] and comes to accept his own strengths and weaknesses instead of measuring himself against Kamina. Then he [[No-Holds-Barred Beatdown|drills General Guame a new one]].

* Tsukasa from ''[[.hack//Sign]]'' has a revelation about {{spoiler|not needing to fear reality anymore}}, a la this trope, {{spoiler|which enables his escape from "The World."}} In the process, he gives this speech.

* At the end of ''[[Tiger and Bunny]]'', Kotetsu gives one when {{spoiler|he returns from his [[Ten-Minute Retirement]]}}.

* In ''[[Dragonball Z]]'', during the final battle with Kid Buu, Vegeta has a long internal monologue in which he comes to terms with Goku being better than him. After spending most of the series resenting Goku for this and trying to surpass him by any means, Vegeta finally lets go of his grudge.

 

* Dream from ''[[The Sandman]]'' delivers one towards the end of ''The Kindly Ones''.

{{quote|'''Dream:''' Rules and responsibilities: these are the ties that bind us. We do what we do, because of who we are. If we did otherwise, we would not be ourselves. I will do what I have to do. And I will do what I must.}}

* Another one for the [[Trope Namer]], doubling as a [[Shut UP, Hannibal]] to Manchester Black (a [[Nineties Anti-Hero]] pastiche), who's trashed his values and told him he's "living in a bloody dream world":

{{quote|'''Superman:''' I wouldn't have it any other way. Dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us. And on my soul, I swear... until my dream of a world where dignity, honor, and justice becomes the reality we all share - I'll never stop fighting. Ever.}}

{{quote|'''Superman:''' I can't take your life, much as I'm tempted. But my code doesn't say a damn thing about not battering you to within an inch of it, ''murderer''! ''(and proceeds to do just that)''}}

{{quote|'''Superman:''' Ma. Pa. You were wrong. I will always love you... but you were wrong. It took {{spoiler|my own daughter}}, my most despised rival, to teach me: I am '''no man.''' I will '''not be ruled by the laws of men.''' I am '''Superman.'''}}

* Little over halfway through ''[[Transmetropolitan]]'', Spider learns that {{spoiler|he's suffering from some sort of brain disease which will leave him unable to even write in less than a year}}. Upon hearing this, he simply jumps back to work, and when asked why, he responds:

* An older example. Spider-Man, who was trying to take a break, gets annoyed when Ox of the Enforcers picked up the car he was in and tried to shake him out of it. Spider-Man explained how he usually pulls his punches to not kill people, but just realized Ox could probably take it [[Punched Across the Room|before he punched him out.]]

 

* In ''[[Kyon: Big Damn Hero]]'':

{{quote|'''{{spoiler|Mikuru (big)}}:''' So... in a roundabout way, you and I, together, even though I still stumble a little bit, are forging towards a brighter future. One that isn't predetermined to you, that doesn't damage the future I come from. If you understand what I said earlier... you have the power to change me. Not my past self, so directly... but your influence ends up helping me become the person I am. I could tell you everything, try to make it predetermined... I could say things were better or worse then they truly will be, and try to trick you into changing things for me. Once, I did - sort of - tell you about the goals of the people I work for. Instead, though, this time I'll do what Yuki-chan did. I'll tell you nothing, even if you would believe me. But I'm not trying to keep you in the dark because I want to manipulate you... I'm telling you as little as possible because I believe in you. I have absolute confidence that if I don't limit you, you will achieve something wonderful. And maybe, just in small, selfish bits... I might lead you towards something that I think we both would like...}}

* In ''[[Reconciliation]]'', Hanako, {{spoiler|having received an angry [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]] from Lilly, who is grieving over the loss of her husband Hisao and rejecting Hanako's attempts to console her}}, talks about her past, including the loss of her parents, her isolation, becoming friends with Lilly and Hisao, being upset by being pitied, and finally lashing out at them. Hanako says the loss of her friendship with Hisao and Lilly was worst of all because she knew it was her fault, and as such, {{spoiler|asks Lilly to accept the support of those closest to her}}.

 

* ''[[The Hustler (film)|The Hustler]]'' makes it clear from the beginning that although Fast Eddie is a talented pool player, his attitude is holding him back. It's no surprise that he eventually gets his World of Cardboard Speech. Now, how he gets it, on the other hand...

* At the end of ''[[Serenity]]'', River admits to Simon as he lies dying from a gunshot to the stomach that she understands that she's always relied on him and the rest of the crew to [[The Caretaker|take care of her]] through her helpless madness. Then, she adds that now, it is [[Let's Get Dangerous|her turn]] to [[You Shall Not Pass|take care of them.]] [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|Cue awesome.]]

* In ''[[The Matrix|The Matrix Revolutions]]'', Neo gives a rather brief, but effective, one to Smith, when the latter demands to know '''''why''''' Neo persists in fighting him.

{{quote|'''Neo''': Because I choose to.}}

{{quote|'''Henry:''' I found out the way your mind works and the kind of man you are. I know your plans and expectations - you've burbled every bit of strategy you've got. I know exactly what you will do, and exactly what you won't, and I've told you exactly nothing. To these aged eyes, boy, that's what WINNING looks like!}}

** Henry has the upper hand, right? Wrong. Philip launches into his World of Cardboard Speech and plays the people hiding in the room against him.

** It also has Jack realizing while what happened didn't go as planned, he gave it his all and there were still good parts too it. Basically, while he screwed up he wouldn't regret what he did because it was still worth the problems.

* Mark "Rent" Renton gets one at the end of the adaptation of ''[[Trainspotting]]''. It's the closing monologue to the film that closely mirrors his opening monologue.

** ''The Two Towers'':

{{quote|'''Sam''': I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo; the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end... because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was, when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going... because they were holding on to something

* Hal Jordan in the ''[[Green Lantern (film)|Green Lantern]]'' movie has one when he talks to the Guardians just before the climax. He was told that he was given the ring because he embodies the Corp ideal of being fearless, but he constantly doubts himself because he knows full well what he is afraid of and refuses to share them. When confronted with Parallax coming to destroy Earth, Carol told him that he isn't fearless, but courageous. He can overcome fear. This made him realize why the Corp had so much trouble with Parallax, they were "too afraid to admit they were afraid." Talking to the Guardians, he confessed his human weakness and explained that overcoming fear is the key to beat Parallax.

 

* In ''[[Harrison Bergeron]]'', Harrison goes down to the TV station, and before he takes off his handicaps, says "even as I stand here -- crippled, hobbled, sickened -- I am a greater ruler than any man who ever lived! Now watch me become what I can become!" And then it's all [[Crapsack World|heavily subverted]] when he promptly becomes {{spoiler|a corpse, thanks to a dictatorial surgeon general armed with a shotgun}}.

*** The same applies (though not nearly to the same extent) to wizards in general. The average wizard has so much protection from magical attack that trying to kill them magically would be like trying to kill a fish by holding it under water. Unfortunately for the rest of the non-magical world, in the days when wizards didn't spend their days confined within Universities generally being lazy, they ''would'' use magic to battle one another, and it nearly tore the Discworld apart. Especially under Ridcully's administration, people outside the University are frequently reminded that the "rule" that forbids wizards from using magic on non-wizards in anything but self-defense is just a self-imposed guideline.

* Bill Fitzhugh's ''Pest Control'' has this when Bob and Klaus are cornered by an armed assassin. Klaus says they need a weapon. Then a lightbulb goes off in Bob's head, and Klaus actually watches his shoulders square with [[Heroic Resolve]] as he declares that {{spoiler|the entire city of New York is a weapon, and then proves it by killing their pursuer by running through a few restauraunts.}} Any further detail would spoil the book, so I'll just say it makes Jason Bourne look like a putz.

{{quote|"I'm tired of being lobbied, taken for granted and schemed against. I am now, officially, a ''tyrant''. You all knew I'd ignore my own laws, Persephone here proved that, and I'm sick of the pretense. I get to do whatever I want. You don't. You don't Embrace, you don't kill one another, you sure as hell don't commit diablerie, but if I feel like it, ''I can do any of that.'' I think you'll put up with it, I really do. Because the alternatives are worse. Because in my tenure, I've run this city better than any Prince anyone can remember. Because with me, Chicago ''works''. If you don't agree? Think you can do better? All right, try to upset the apple cart. Just remember {{spoiler|Norris}}. He had half of us blackmailed, he was old and smart and had a legion of spies behind him. Look where ''he'' ended up."}}

 

* In the series finale of ''[[Extras]]'', after taking a role on ''[[Big Brother]]'', Andy finally realizes the absurdity of the measures he's taken to be famous and that none of it is making him any more happy, culminating in one of the most heartfelt and effective on-camera indictments of celebrity culture.

{{quote|'''Andy:''' You are literally the gutter press. And fuck you, the makers of this show as well. You can't wash your hands of this. You can't keep going 'Oh, it's exploitation but it's what the public wants.' No, the Victorian freakshow never went away. Now it's called ''Big Brother'' or ''X-Factor,'' where in the preliminary rounds, we wheel out the bewildered to be sniggered at by multimillionaires. And fuck you for watching this at home. Shame on you, and shame on me. I'm the worst of all because I'm one of these people who goes 'I'm an entertainer. It's in my blood.' Yeah, it's in my blood because a real job's too hard...Someone once said that I'll never be happy because I'll never be famous enough, and they were right."}}

{{quote|''Zack: You know what? That's it. There's nothing wrong with being smart. In fact, and this'll probably shock you, but outside these walls it's considered a ''good'' thing. So go ahead, call me a nerd. But next year, when you're all here, I won't be. I'll be taking The Road Less Traveled right to the beach!''}}

* It wasn't followed by a "Crowning Moment", but ''[[Angel]]'' had one of these in the appropriately titled episode ''Epiphany''. In the previous handful of episodes he had managed to alienate his [[True Companions|entire team]] because he was under the impression that there would be some sort of [[Grand Finale]] where the forces of evil are defeated forever. After having a morally devastating realization on the universality of evil, he resolved that all he could do was simply [[We Help the Helpless|help the innocent]]. This epiphany wavered as his life kept taking turns for the worse, but he regained it right before the end; he even referenced it in his [[Rousing Speech]] three seasons later, just before the series' [[Grand Finale]].

{{quote|My name is '''Saul Tigh'''. I am an officer in the Colonial Fleet. Whatever else I am, whatever else it means, that's the man I want to be. And if I die today, that's the man I'll be.}}

* A particularly dark use, and inversion, of this trope in ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]''. The "in"famous episode "In the Pale Moonlight" had Sisko [[Whole-Episode Flashback|relate his story]] in a computer log about his efforts to convince the Romulans to participate in the Dominion War. Finding that simple logic wouldn't work, he sought the help of Garak and [[Recruiting the Criminal|other criminals]] to falsify evidence. He struggled with the serious moral and ethical compromises he had to go through to achieve this. By the end he stood up and instead of being morally untouchable he stated with growing conviction that the benefits ''outweighed'' the moral standing of one officer, even himself... and then erased the log.

* ''[[Farscape]]'': Crichton {{spoiler|who makes the wormhole weapon and decides to go and tell everyone that they suck for wanting it, and threatening to let them all die. He explains why he shouldn't have made it in the first place}}. Also a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]].

* ''[[Firefly]]'': the speech that Simon gives Jayne at the end of ''Trash'', where Jayne suffered an accidental neck injury immediately after Simon {{spoiler|learned that Jayne tried and failed to collect on their bounty in a previous episode}}:

*** During the [[Final Battle]], {{spoiler|Darkseid quickly overpowers Clark, at which point Jor-El gives Clark a vision that helps him realize that every battle he's fought over the course of the series, every life he's saved, have all been tests along his journey to fulfilling his [[Superman|destiny]]. This grants Clark the clarity to fully embrace his powers (namely flight, which he hadn't been able to use at all during the show's run); Clark then proceeds to [[Curb Stomp Battle|curbstomp]] Darkseid.}}

 

* The last verse in [[Eminem]]'s "Lose Yourself":

{{quote|''No more games, I'ma change what you call rage''

* [[Within Temptation]]- Stand My Ground and Why Not Me?

 

{{quote|"I take comfort in the fact that your wife and children won't be watching. Mine won't, either. But someday... someday I'm gonna tell them about all of this. I'm gonna tell them of the day when their father was ''this'' close to walking away... and, although it's considered a strength to turn the other cheek, sometimes you've got to look evil right in the face and spit in its eye! All the pain, all the suffering that you have put me through is gonna rain down on you at Unforgiven, and it is gonna rain down on you with absolutely no remorse. I will never apologize for the man that I am or the life that I have lived. And I'm going to have no regrets about what happens to you. Unforgiven... it's an appropriate name, isn't it Chris? Because [[This Is Unforgivable!|I will]] ''[[This Is Unforgivable!|never]]'' [[This Is Unforgivable!|forgive you]] for what you've done to me. My only hope is that, someday, God can forgive me for what I do to you!"}}

* [[Dwayne Johnson|The Rock's]] last promo at [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDO9l506-B8 Wrestlemania XIX].

* From [[TNA]]'s 12/2/10 episode.

* On [[TNA]]'s April 14, 2011 edition, Mickie James confronts her archenemy Madison Rayne, who the previous week hit her with a motorcycle. She gives her own speech, telling Madison that while she has been making her life a living hell, the previous week she went too far and tried to take the [[Dirty Coward|coward's way out]] of their match. She then states that ''nothing'', including her dislocated shoulder, will stop her from beating Madison to within an inch of her life at ''Lockdown''. And she meant every word, ''[[No-Holds-Barred Beatdown|completely destroying]]'' Madison at ''Lockdown'' in [[Curb Stomp Battle|36 seconds]]. Deserves special mention for Mickie's completely [[Badass]] delivery of the speech.

 

* "Rose's Turn" from ''Gypsy'' is the definitive musical theater example. It isn't addressed to any visible character, but with lyrics like these, an on-stage audience isn't necessary:

{{quote|''Well, someone tell me when is it my turn?

I can't stand here dumb.

So, ready or not, here - I hope - I come!" }}

 

== Toys ==

{{quote|'''Takanuva''': But I'm not my "kind", not anymore — your shadow leeches saw to that. I'm half Toa of Light, half Toa of Shadow. This was what you wanted, wasn't it? Toa consumed by darkness, Toa not hampered by things like mercy or morality. Well, now you can choke on it.}}

 

* ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'' has several <s>per game</s> per ''cutscene.''

* One of the possible endings for ''[[Planescape: Torment]]'' has the Nameless One making a World of Cardboard Speech... and ''{{spoiler|beating the [[Big Bad]] just with that.}}''

{{quote|'''Starkiller''': (''narrating while slaughtering stormtroopers and droids'') Betrayed by Vader for the ''last'' time. A new journey begins... With something worth fighting for... ''Someone'' worth dying for... And I will not stop... I will not rest. Vader can't stop me now! (''quietly'') Vader can't stop me now. Nothing can.}}

** That's just in the trailer. There's one in the actual game too at the very end:

* In the ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' Bonfire of the Vanities DLC, Ezio delivers one of these after Savonarola is killed, coupled with a bit of [[Shaming the Mob]].

{{quote|''Silencio! Silencio! Twenty-two years ago, I stood where I stand now....and watched my loved ones die, betrayed by those I called friends. Vengeance clouded my mind, and it would have consumed me, were it not for the wisdom of a few strangers, who taught me to look past my instincts. They never preached answers, but guided me to learn for myself. We don't need anyone to tell us what to do. Not Savonarola, nor the Medici. We are free to follow our own path. There are those who would take that freedom from us, and too many of you gladly give it up. But it is our ability to choose - whatever ''you'' think is true - that makes us human. There is no book or teacher to give you the answers, to show you the path. Choose your own way. Do not follow me, or anyone else.''}}

* ''[[Broken Saints]]'': [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|Raimi's speech to Shandala in Chapter 21 about how much she has meant to him.]]

 

* Gilgamesh Wulfenbach of ''[[Girl Genius]]'' gets a couple:

** [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20060306 This one's to Wooster], who thinks he can use Gil's one true love as a bargaining chip.

** [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080229 And] [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080303 this] [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080305 one] [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080307 here?] Well, it speaks for itself, really.

*** The [http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20071203 one leading up to those] may be Gil's ''defining'' [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]].

{{quote|'''Lucca:''' When there is no hope...there's nothing to lose by trying. Maybe I am {{spoiler|destined to become a puppet}}. Maybe there's nothing I can do to stop what's coming. BUT I'LL BE '''DAMNED''' IF I GO DOWN QUIETLY. Even if I have to {{spoiler|twist the very fabric of reality}}...'''I won't lose!'''}}

 

* In the last episode of Season 5 of [[Arby 'n' the Chief]] Arbitur gives one to Trent Donnovich in response to a [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]] Trent had delivered earlier in the season.

{{quote|'''Arbiter''': It doesn’t surprise me that a dose of emotion would have a toxic effect on an emotion-deprived cretin like you. Who’s really the plastic one here? Your bleak outlook on life is poisonous. Maybe the world is a big sinking ship. But we can’t accept that as an inevitability and use it as an excuse to act like shitheads. We have to be the change we seek. We have to build something better for ourselves.}}

** Church has a truly memorable and brilliant one of these at the end of season 8, where he accepts the realities of a situation {{spoiler|that he's an AI and that he's going to try and find Tex inside the dying Epsilon Capture Unit}}. It turns a truly crushing [[Downer Ending]] into a [[Bittersweet Ending]], because he's hopeful that he'll find Tex and that they will be able to be together, after all. He even makes very touching comments on the nature of love and relationships, and somehow made it not inimical to the absolute silliness of the world. Swiftly and thoroughly deconstructed in the next season, mainly for laughs. Finally resolved with a ''second'' World of Cardboard Speech to round out, of all things, the "Memory is the Key" arc, that left anyone with a ''soul'' absolutely speech''less''.

 

* The [[Trope Namer]], which you can watch [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl_5UwS57X8 here], is Superman's speech in ''[[Justice League Unlimited]]'' while fighting with [[Darkseid]] during the [[Grand Finale]]. The specific moment that inspired him was Batman selflessly and fearlessly jumping onto the tyrants' back and even managing to dodge his Omega Blast, something ''no one'' has ever been able to do, as well as Darkseid declaring "[[Nothing Can Stop Us Now|Can't you see that it's hopeless?"]] Superman, of course, decided to prove Batman right and Darkseid wrong.

** Of course, it's something of a subversion since while Darkseid was outclassed on a physical level, he had access to extremely advanced technology ( {{spoiler|the combination of Apokolips technology and his merging with Brainiac}}) that allowed him to subdue Superman. The entire sequence can be seen [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwU0QkcrNVQ&feature=related here.]

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Dialogue]]

[[Category:Characterization Tropes]]

[[Category:Speeches and Monologues]]

[[Category:These Tropes Love to Brag]]