A Rhetorical Analysis Of J. K. Rowling's Speech

knowing that everyone in the audience will immediately be able to make a connection to the woman standing in front of them. Rowling clearly states that in her speech she will focus on, failure and imagination, which have completely opposite connotations, making the audience feel an entire range of emotions and getting them involved. Her purpose, ironically on the day of success for these graduates, is to focus on not only the “benefits of failure,” but what she identifies as “the crucial importance of imagination.” Her ethos is thoroughly convincing because these students have grown up encountering her novels either through the pages of books or through the screen of a film that came soon after. The Harry Potter series sold over 400 million

What I just recited was a selection from "Oh, The Places You'll Go!", a graduation speech as prepared by Dr. Seuss. I chose to recite this because its optimism toward beginning a new phase of life seemed to fit our class. It reminded me of our entrance into high school, when as freshmen, we blew away the students and staff at Stoks high School with our incredible enthusiasm and spirit. We didn't allow ourselves to be intimidated by the upperclassmen, or by our new surroundings. By the time we had completed our first Homecoming activities, coming in second place only to the seniors, we had established a certain respect, and it became evident that the Class of 2006 was capable of achieving greatness.

Amy Poehler gave the 2011 Harvard Commencement address to graduating seniors, their families, and their guests on May 25, 2011. Poehler combined her classic comedic humor with a serious underlying message to create an engaging speech. Poehler began the speech with humor and explained her prior knowledge about Harvard. She went on to discuss her own college experience, her career, and some of the best advice she learned throughout her life. Her main message of the speech was that “no one can do it alone.” She explained that no

Pride had also entered into her character as she explained her smiling soreness, as she "had taken to smiling more often and [her] jaws hurt from the unaccustomed activity;" (835). "As a member of the winning team (the graduating class of 1940)" (835) she was moving headfirst toward the future. It was obvious that she was delighted that she had accumulated a plethora of achievements displayed with colored stars on the bulletin board. Even though Henry Reed had been awarded valedictorian, "instead of being disappointed [she] was pleased that [they] shared top honors" (836). A sense of approval flowed though her and she was genuinely and deservedly happy; "she was headed for the freedom of open fields" (835).

Most graduates have a lot of stress and worry about their futures, the uncertainty of where they are going or what they will become. Ellen is relatable when she tells the graduates how she didn’t know who shes was, considering that, she was still dating men. Another use of a rhetorical question “But why am I here today?” to introduce an anecdote about her growing up in New Orleans. This question takes the audience’s attention back to her, because, consequently, they know that Ellen will explain why she is there; giving them a reason to listen to her words. Once again, Ellen asks “What else can happen to you?” in order to commend the graduates of having success after the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. She uses the hyperbole and rhetorical question, “So what I’m saying is, when you’re older, a lot of you will be gay. Anyone writing this stuff down? Parents?” this keeps everybody’s attention and loops the parents into relating the commencement speech to them as well. Rhetorical questions help Ellen by giving the crowd small moments to reflect and invites them into her speech, connecting to them and allowing them to smile during serious content.

Hundreds of students, parents, and faculty members gathered and created an audience to witness J.K Rowling’s speech at Harvard University in 2008. J.K Rowling is a well-known author, famous for her Harry Potter book series, and much more. Rowling’s speech was well thought out, and delivered excellently, with three main points she addresses throughout the speech. The three points being: failure can lead a person to success, never give up hope on your dreams and aspirations, and lastly Rowling emphasizes the importance of imagination. Sometimes we fail to see that the obstacles in our life help shape the road to our success in the future, and Rowling points out to us that failures and obstacles is what helped us become successful , and to never ignore that.

The Salutatorian Addresses, given by Emily Nortnik, Shelbi Ledesma, and Hannah Branson, took the class of 2017 back through the last 13 years of their lives. There were good times and there were challenges, but together they faced life’s ups and downs while unknowingly making cherishable memories. Valedictorians, Lily Lockhart and Elizabeth Ward, graduated with GPAs above 4.3.

David Foster Wallace talks about how the commencement speakers should speak about why they were chosen to give the speech. And why they are where they are basically how the college has made them accomplish. Every graduation anyone has ever been too everyone always belittles the commencement speeches

The impact of words will change the views and opinions that others have. The change of opinion stems from an influential speaker to a degrading bully; the views and opinions of religion, self-image or worth, goals in life, or the stance on a topic alter due to the power of the words. During “Graduation Day” Angelou describes three main speakers: the principal, Mr. Edward Donleavy, and Henry Reed, the valedictorian. The author, Angelou, states the most impactful speakers include Mr. Edward Donleavy and Henry Reed, during her graduation day. Mr. Edward Donleavy’s speech turned the joyful, excited graduates and community of Lafayette County Training School into a humiliated, degraded community, killing the hope and optimism in each person (Angelou,

Famous actors, musicians, politicians, artists and authors are often called upon to deliver commencement addresses at prestigious places of higher learning. It doesn't take Nobel-Prize-winning social scientists or psychologists, or speech professors to predict what these elite guest speakers will say on such occasions such as these. The speaker will tell the graduating class to aim high, never give up, make the most of opportunities, and do as our forbearers did: pull yourselves up by the bootstraps. But when Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks showed up at Vassar College to present the commencement address, his presentation avoided those clichés and platitudes. Hanks was refreshing original and yet remarkably pragmatic. This paper critiques Hanks' themes, examines his rhetorical techniques, and editorially analyzes his purpose.

In her commencement speech, famed author J.K. Rowling effectively imparts her wisdom and advice to recent Harvard graduates in an amiable manner. Through her discourse, she attempts convey two major lessons that she wishes she had known upon her own graduation: the benefits of failure, and the significance of imagination. Although the speech is mainly informative, Rowling does include certain elements of persuasion when she encourages her audience to utilize their imagination. The organization of her speech is quite coherent; her introduction establishes her two main points, which subsequently follow and make up the bulk of her address, and are summarized in her conclusion. With this clear format, strong substance and excellent speaking style,

Famed author J.K. Rowling has slammed Christian fundamentalists who tell her that they are praying for her.

J.K. Rowling, famous for writing the Harry Potter series, presented her commencement speech to Harvard on June of 2008. She had people from graduates to non-graduates gather before her. She gave an inspiring speech on the “importance of imagination” and “benefits of failure” (Rowling). She describes her main points effectively to the audience by using strategies such as ethos, logos, and pathos as well as tone.

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series has become one of the most popular children’s series in the world over the past decade. Through these books children and young adults alike have delved into a fantastical world in which they explored the problems that their protagonist, Harry Potter, has faced. In Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, the sixth book of the Harry Potter series, Harry dealt with the challenge of proving to his peers and professors that Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape were no longer trustworthy. Even so, Harry failed to realize that the author of the notes in his Advanced Potion-Making book was corrupt. In this book, J.K. Rowling uses point of view, style, and irony to demonstrate the need for people to be more analytical

Using imagination and creativity, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series has defined literature as transformative. In this seven-book series J.K Rowling imagined and creatively pieced together a fantasy world of muggles, wizards, tyrants, and heroes to symbolically share with readers problems plaguing modern society. Similar to Shelley’s work of the past, never before have readers in the modern era seen teenage and adult mania surrounding an 11-year-old wizard. Some will argue that J.K. Rowling’s young-adult series lacks depth or wants to twist young minds by using magic and evil, but through close examination it is evident that