Anna Quindlen's Commencement Speech At Mount Holyoke College

The author uses Imagery and dialogue to show the theme that “People are not meant to be perfect, they are meant to be themself.”

She does not take on a superior or subordinate tone; rather it is like she’s having a conversation with her audience as a peer. I find this very powerful because she achieves what she wants to in a subtle way. Naylor doesn’t lecture or blame she simply shares her experience.

“Everyone is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life thinking that it’s stupid.” ― Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Fish In A Tree. The theme of this story is you shouldn’t let anyone make you think that you don’t belong because your different and that were are unique in own special type of way and we should appreciate our differences. This is the theme because Ally learned an important lesson not to care what other people say, to have confidence in yourself, and also to accept differences and express

In my life, the bar of standard has always been set exceptionally high. With a high-achieving sister, I knew that I needed to strive for greatness. Things that came to her easily, such as math, always seemed harder for me to obtain. Being quiet a child and more introverted than other kids, I was always in the background. To

Good morning Principle Boyd, proud parents, faculty, and fellow graduates, to this extraordinary celebration breakfast, in honor of Our Lady of Grace Catholic School Class of 2017. Yes, I am graduating 8th grade, but I still have to make my bed, be nice to my siblings, do my chores, I cannot drive a car, I must continue putting my Iphone into my locker every night, so that I will not be grounded!  Nevertheless, I am graduating from Our Lady of Grace Catholic School, and I feel like I found a pot-of-gold at the end of the rainbow.

I believe that existence is comprised of hundreds and millions of different realities intermingling and colliding into one another. I also believe that at the center of each reality there lies the individual who crafted it. Our perception of what is real and false exists solely in our own minds, and our minds are what determines the lense in which we perceive the world. Our perception is largely influenced by our psyche; how we live and think stems from our perception of the world. Our brains are directly influenced by a number of key factors, including but not limited to; societal connotations, individual experience, instinctual desires, environmental factors, and cognitive thought. These factors, as well as other conditions, are what determine our “default setting.” In his noteable “This is Water” speech, given at the 2005 Kenyon Commencement Address, David Foster Wallace argues a similar idea as he explains his take on the phrase “teaching you how to think”. Through his use of relatable parables and anecdotes and repetition and reverent focus of words like “choice” and “awareness” he paints a livid picture of the use of conscious choice in our daily lives. He stresses the concept of a self centered “default setting” that comes from an individual's “blind certainty” and the repercussions that deferring to that default can have on an individual's lifestyle and fulfilment. If we are unable to recognise the water in which we dwell we will always remain unaware, stuck in an

Later in the speech Quindlen takes on an inspirational tone where she uses short sentences that shows how she’s enunciated specific information for instance “Look at your fingers. Hold them in front of your face. Each one is crowned by an abstract design that is completely different than those of anyone in this crowd, in this country, in this world. They are a metaphor for you”(Quindlen, 298). The pauses between the sentences make what she’s saying sound very dramatic. This tone continues as she talks about different ways you can break out the same old cycle of perfection. and she concludes her speech encouraging the audience to listen to that voice that tells you to do something different and outrageous,

Over one hundred years ago, transcendentalist poet Ralph Waldo Emerson declared, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” Throughout time his message remains applicable as society attempts to conform everyone to its standards. The secular population tends to wrestle with the idea of individualism, like Emerson, alongside the idea of amounting to society’s uniform expectations. Today’s society sends out mixed messages; one encourages each person to embrace their uniqueness, and another message promotes the similarities between everyone. By establishing conflicting viewpoints, many people struggle to find an identity. Mary Oliver’s poem, “The Journey,” explores the inner

Jeannette’s mother made it clear she did not have a considerable amount of faith in her. In one circumstance, Walls took note of how marveled her Mom was at Lori’s brilliance. She wrote, “‘Lori gets straight As,’ she once told me. ‘So do I,’ I said. ‘Yes, but you have to work for them’" (Walls 159). Natural talent obtains admiration, yet hard work is pitiful. Putting effort into something should not be looked down upon. Hard work shows passion, for a person can submit to a challenge rather than withstand the long haul. Jeannette should not have been belittled for having to work harder towards her achievements than her sister. Being a “try hard” is laughed at until it furthers a person to success. Reaching a goal is more of a breeze with natural

Angelina Grimke, was born February 20, 1805 to Mary Smith Grimke and John Faucheraud Grimke and was also the youngest of fourteen children. She stood for so many things, as a reformer. She was a lady who wanted nothing more than to change the world. From the age of three Angelina was very impacted by slavery. She tried to help free slaves and she also could not stand to seem them tortured or the after effects of the torture. When it came time for her to be confirmed in the church she refused because she knew that the church was fond of slavery and that was just not something that she stood for. When she was thirteen years old her sister Sarah left the family plantation to become a Quaker because she too opposed slavery. On one of Sarah’s trips

On the other hand, her agenda was made clear and while later on there will be dissection of her tone and diction, it worked better with the general audience. She has her mind set on what she wants to talk about

I spoke to Abby Newcomer at Wingate by Wyndham in Durham, NC today, Tuesday, August 09, 2016, and she is hold a few rooms for Wednesday, October 19, 2016. All rooms are priced at $89.00 excluding taxes. People can make their reservations now by calling 919-941-2854. The group name is NIEHS SBIR/STTR for Grantees Developing New Assays Toxicants on Cell Differentiation.

“Advice, like youth, probably wasted on the young” is the actual title of a column featured in the Chicago Tribune that has become a legend, commonly known as the commencement speech entitled, “Wear Sunscreen”. Mary Schmich’s now infamous words were first published by the Tribune on June 1, 1997. They were subsequently, albeit inaccurately, attributed to the notorious author, Kurt Vonnegut, for his alleged address at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduation. This is one of the first instances of something to “go viral” as it circulated through the early internet, primarily via email (Caro). Those same words made their way to Australian movie director Baz Luhrmann, who in a collaborative effort, put them to music in a song titled, “Everybody’s Free (to wear Sunscreen)” which made it all the way to number 45 on Billboard’s Hot 100 list in April of 1999 (Billboard).

A quote by the author that highlights this idea of not being able to be who you are is, “I wanted to be a princess and a prince; but I would never have said so, then”. This emphasizes the underlying fear many have of being judged by the outside world. It is very unfortunate that so many are still unable to say the things they wish to say and dress the way they want to dress because society perceives it to be unacceptable or wrong.

Hello, Ms Welkie, Thank you for reaching out. I received you voice message earlier asking how I am doing. Currently I am holding up, keeping up with classes and trying to move forward. It's a little hard to focus when I keep having flashes of what happen and the scars I have to look at daily but if at any point that I can't holdup and need to talk I will definitely reach out.