In Glenn Loury’s speech, “Is He One of Us? Reflections on Identity and Authenticity” (pp. 489-493), he delivers the 245th Opening Convocation to the students of Brown University. Loury addresses diversity, what role it plays, and the advantages it can bring to people’s lives. His supporting statements are puzzling and his justification falls short of being a well thought-out speech, as one might expect at an Opening Convocation. As his speech progresses, his direction becomes unclear with each new point he brings up.
The order of Loury’s speech is confusing and hard to follow. He speaks about unrelated topics and this can be confusing to the reader and or listener. For example, he starts his speech assuming everyone is familiar with “Identity Reflex,” and how we humans, all have the ability to hear the call of the “Tribe.” He then trails off about …show more content…
He states that he firmly believes that, the students at Brown University, in the first few days of school, will wander away from their beliefs about diversity, due to the strong emphasis on their ideas about identity. He also explains how his friend Woody, who was a black activist, even though he appeared to be white, fought for rights, even though his family was “passing for white.” Speaking about his friend, Woody, who is “half-white”, is not enough evidence to make his point of diversity clear.
In conclusion, I believe, one person’s opinions and beliefs can and does often influence the way we see the world, especially, if the audience is young and naïve. When something conflicts with our beliefs, we try to force others into making hasty decisions that may not be based entirely on facts and Loury is guilty of this. Moreover; his speech about diversity is about his feelings and experiences, not statistics and facts; this may lead students to mistake Loury’s opinions for
The order of Loury’s speech is confusing and hard to follow. He speaks about unrelated topics and this can be confusing to the reader and or listener. For example, he starts his speech assuming everyone is familiar with “Identity Reflex,” and how we humans, all have the ability to hear the call of the “Tribe.” He then trails off about …show more content…
He states that he firmly believes that, the students at Brown University, in the first few days of school, will wander away from their beliefs about diversity, due to the strong emphasis on their ideas about identity. He also explains how his friend Woody, who was a black activist, even though he appeared to be white, fought for rights, even though his family was “passing for white.” Speaking about his friend, Woody, who is “half-white”, is not enough evidence to make his point of diversity clear.
In conclusion, I believe, one person’s opinions and beliefs can and does often influence the way we see the world, especially, if the audience is young and naïve. When something conflicts with our beliefs, we try to force others into making hasty decisions that may not be based entirely on facts and Loury is guilty of this. Moreover; his speech about diversity is about his feelings and experiences, not statistics and facts; this may lead students to mistake Loury’s opinions for