A Rhetorical Analysis Of Commencement Speech By Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs, who is known as one of the greatest innovators of our time, had given a speech in 2005 to new graduates from Stanford. As many would find this ironic since he never graduated from college, but by the end of the speech they have realized why he was there to give the speech. He successfully gives the speech by using multiple rhetorical devices such as repetition of life experiences as well as common emotion that everyone consists of. By using those, his goals are to have the new graduates continue through life by doing what they love to do no matter what obstacles comes across their life.

In 2005 during his Commencement address, Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple and Pixar, uses ethos to inspire Stanford graduates to follow their dreams no matter the obstacles in life. Jobs focuses on three stories of his life. His first story is about him dropping out of college in which he said was the best that could have happened to him. From this, he was able to become successful in what actually interested him, which were computers and their typography. Jobs second story describes how he was actually kicked out of his own company, giving him a fresh new start to create something new. From this misfortune, Jobs was able to found the companies NeXT and Pixar and also where he met his wife, Lauren.Thirdly, Jobs speaks about his close experience

A Rhetorical Analysis of Steve Jobs Commencement Speech for Stanford University's Graduating Class of 2005: Jobs titled his speech "You've got to find what you love." Steve Jobs is best known as an American entrepreneur, inventor and industrial designer. He was the cofounder, chairman and CEO of Apple Inc. and founder, CEO and chairman of Pixar Animation Studios. Jobs and cofounder of Apple Inc. Steve Wozniak are wildly recognized as pioneers of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s.

Steve Jobs, a businessman in Silicon Valley, gave the Stanford Commencement Address in 2005. Rhetorical tools are used to persuade the audience. Ethos deals with the speaker's credibility, Pathos appeals to emotion and Logos appeals to logic. Steve Jobs’ successfully used the rhetorical tools Ethos, Pathos, and Logos throughout his speech.

In his 2005 Commencement Address at Stanford University, Steve Jobs makes three major claims that he uses to send off this generation of college grads. His first claim is about connecting the dots of our decisions and how we can only see the good that comes from them in the future. Jobs’ second claim is about love and how no matter what we're doing it must be what we love . His final claim is about death, and how no one wants to die even if they want to go to heaven.

Steve Jobs speech is to inform and entertain the public audience. He’s giving a lesson on life. Steve Jobs uses his life in his speech to give all audiences a word of encouragement. He tells the story of birth, death, and rebirth. The historical background of the commencement speech is based on Jobs actual real life background. Job was set up for adoption way before he was born. He then grew up to go to college but not find the value so he became a drop out. He went through many trials but never gave up on what he loves to do. The primary audience of this speech are the graduating students of Stanford University. He wants them to hear the speech and keep it with them as they commence into the next level in their lives. The secondary audience would be anybody who listen to the speech. Due to the fact that this speech is used to encourage and uplift a lot of people in their lives and career journeys. The structure of job speech is very systematic he told his stories in a three story chronological form. This structure allows him to talk about different and varying points while still connecting them to his overall point of finding “what you love to do.”

In his speech, Jobs first sets the stage by describing a key point is in his life to gain

Jobs’ appeal to ethos in his anecdotes is not just limited to the fact that he is a celebrity. He also chose parts of his stories not only to give lesson but also to speak for his own manner. He didn’t tell us stories about how he smartly crushed competitions or how he obtains a monopoly on the tech market. He chose stories where he is basically the “good guy”. He didn’t even talk about how he got fired from Apple in the first place. He just passes it saying, “Our vision of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out.” In addition to his status, during his stories, he successfully builds the argument that he is a “self-made man” not lucky, he was faithful, not arrogant and he is smart. These are behaviors the audience value and consider very useful. This makes the audience value him and his speech more.

A commencement speech, a speech that sends off college students into the real world. When these speeches are said, they are meant to be eye-openers, a lesson that should be held close to you to aid in whatever comes your way in the future. This is what Steve Jobs wanted to do when he gave his commencement speech. He gave his speech to his fellow graduates to guide them into something more and tell them a fundamental tip on how to live their life. In Steve Jobs commencement speech, he uses rhetorical devices, syntax and diction to make his purpose which is don’t live your life based on others choices or taboos in society, but rather how you want to, more persuasive.

He was able to rise above his circumstances against all odds, and accomplish incredible things. When someone so successful speaks on his own experiences on the road to success, it is important to listen and analyze his message, to better understand how one truly becomes “successful”. In 2005, Jobs was chosen to speak at Stanford University, specifically to address the graduating class and offer them words of wisdom for the road ahead. In his speech, Jobs told multiple stories from his own life, and eventually he ties them all together with one simple, yet thought-provoking quote. Most people in the world see someone like Steve Jobs and think that in order to get where he is, he must have been blessed with a prodigious gift.

A few years after the release of their second model, Apple II, sales went up to $139,000,000 dollars.

The type of delivery method Steve Jobs used in his speech was scripted. The material was written out and delivered word for word from the notes. Lack of eye contact and looking down at the podium is what helped me differentiate the type of method used. Steve Jobs’ vocal performance effectively conveyed his ideas and thoughts. “And then I got fired.

Jobs’ passion for his work was arguably the most important factor that went into his success in achieving the American Dream. Some argue that he took his passion too far, pushing his family and personal life away in order to focus on his work. Their argument, however, is formed without regard to the fact that the products he created would not be as creative and useful as they are today if he failed to put in as much love and attention to his creations as he did. After Jobs was fired from his own company, he recalls watching Apple fall without him, lamenting that “’Sculley destroyed Apple by bringing in corrupt people and corrupt values […] They cared about making money – for themselves mainly, and also for Apple – rather than making great

Steve Job’s commencement speech in 2005 at Stanford University, which is one of the best university in our country was very memorable and inspiring for Stanford graduates and also for audience listening to speech. In his speech, Jobs inspires students and audience to pursue their dreams and always to follow their heart no matter what even though things don’t always go according to plan and never give up. Steve Job is mainly known for his contributions in the technological world but along with that he is also recognized for his world-renowned presentations. Jobs’ simplicity in delivery and extensive use of rhetoric makes his speech effective and comparable to speeches of famous narrators. In this commencement speech, Jobs uses simplicity in the structure of his speech along with the use of rhetoric such as ethos and pathos besides usage of personal stories to make this speech effective in inspiring his audience and making it memorable.

It may seem quite peculiar that the 2007 “Harvard Commencement Speech” was delivered by an individual who once dropped out of the university. However, once it is established that this very individual is “Harvard's most successful dropout,” as well as founder of microsoft computers; Bill Gates certainly constitutes as qualified for the deliverance of this speech. Bill Gates “Harvard Commencement Speech” encourages the new graduates that “humanity’s greatest advances are not in its discoveries— but in how those discoveries are applied to reduce inequity.” Gates asserts this claim by following it with specific examples, such as delivering medicine to countries in poverty. In order to reduce the world’s hardships, Gates poses the question “how can we do the most good for the greatest number with the resources we have.” He addresses the graduating class of Harvard using emotional appeal to ignite compassion within the graduates, logic and reasoning to provide attainable solutions to reduce the world's inequities, and strives to establish his personal credibility in order to support the claim that the purpose of discoveries is not for personal knowledge or self improvement, but rather for the world’s betterment.