Graduating from college is the time to begin a new chapter. Commencement speeches are supposed to inspire and make graduating college students want to make a change. George Saunders gave a commencement speech at Syracuse University graduation in 2013. George Saunders did some things in his speech the traditional way but added a new twist on what is really important in life and in everyone’s career. Not only were the students, changed, but also every person that heard or read the speech felt inspired. George Saunders’ commencement speech was rhetorically effective in proving that kindness can get you far in life by using repetition, parallelism, ethos, and rhetorical questions. When people repeat a certain phrase or a sentence it is more memorable…
Wake-up, go to work, watch television, go to sleep. College students fear that life after school will be a routine and, David Wallace in his speech, “The 2005 Kenyon Commencement Address” (May 21, 2005), agrees that after entering the workforce life will be repetitive but argues to students that with their education they can look at life in a different perspective, with their education they would be able to understand the hardships others face and appreciate the more annoying routines. Wallace…
In this world today, there are those who greet the day with zeal and zest, but also those who do so with only ever weary and pessimism. In his commencement speech at Maharishi University of Management, dated May 24th, 2014, Jim Carrey strives to inspire the graduates of class 2014 to go out into the world with vigor and ardor. He speaks with the intention and mindset to praise and extol the graduates, as a commencement speaker generally will. We learn a little bit more about the audience by…
When comparing the commencement speech given by Steve Jobs at Stanford University in 2005 to the commencement speech given by Barak Obama at Wesleyan University in 2008, one can argue that Steve Jobs’ address has a stronger use of the rhetorical situation and the rhetorical appeals. Jobs’ ability to combine ethos, pathos and purpose proves his credibility, builds a relationship with the audience, and helps students believe in their intuitions. In his 2005 commencement address to Stanford…
Whoopi Goldberg Speaks to the Graduates of Goodwin College During the commencement speech of Goodwin College’s graduating class, comedian Whoopi Goldberg had high praises for the students. She called them extraordinary and asked the students to run for public office. Goldberg said told the graduates that their accomplishments are extraordinary because none of them had to do this. However, they chose to do it even if they weren’t told to do so. Hundreds of people listened to the comedian as she…
Aaron Sorkin's Commencement speech Aaron Sorkin a Syracuse graduate, gave a very inspiring commencement speech for the graduates and the families of the graduates at Syracuse University on May 13th 2012. In the speech, the main topic was overcoming failures everywhere in life. He talks about his struggles when he was a student at Syracuse and all the battles he fought then. Earlier in his life he battled a drug addiction with cocaine: Sorkin said in his speech he didn't think he could write…
On the 11th of May in 2013, George Saunders, an English professor, delivered a commencement speech that challenged human thinking. Saunders was the author of the New York Times best seller "Tenth of December", and a professor at Syracuse University in New York. He delivered a commencement speech to the graduating class of 2013, as well as their families, friends, and the board of directors at Syracuse. The ten-minute speech addressed his biggest regret; "failure of kindness". Saunders first…
David Foster Wallace Reflection Many commencement speeches are inspiring and speak to all of the graduating students that are stepping into the workforce. David Foster Wallace’s speech focused on the life ahead of the students, who will be day in and day out in days filled with boredom, harsh frustrations and the same routine of daily life. When I first read the quote, it showed a story behind the commencement speech. The quote speaks to the autopilot lives that we are living, where we are…
In the commencement speech, Jobs used a narrative pattern with an introduction, three stories, and an end. In a short, succinct opening, Jobs set the stage for his talk, grabbed the audience’s attention and used self-deprecating humor by telling them he had never been to a graduation ceremony before. By starting with humor, he gave the audience a break from the more serious topic about life and their future and kept the audience enthusiastic for what he said next. The text of his speech told a…
The books and articles I read this summer taught me to take common topics and change the way I look at them. They covered a wide variety of subjects such as adult life, capital punishment, school shootings, and how my own mind works. They all received critical acclaim and it is obvious why. All the authors cause their readers to question the way they have been looking and going about things. David Foster Wallace’s commencement speech to Kenyon College graduates has received praise because of…