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How Is Ethos Used In Steve Jobs Speech

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At age 50, Steve Jobs gave the 2005 Commencement address to the graduating class of Stanford. Throughout his speech, he references both his real world examples of rhetoric, and allowed the class to question their own path in life. His speech was both on his path towards failure and success, and his story on how he transformed from a college dropout to the CEO of Apple Computers and Pixar Animation. By utilizing all techniques of rhetoric, including logos, pathos, and ethos, he allows the students to be experience to his story and allows them to go down a blank path in life. Steve Jobs is a household name, at least in most parts of America. He was both the head of one of the most influential companies in the emerging computer field, while also pushing for innovation in both Apple, and Pixar. He starts his speech by saying that he has “three stories from my life”, then goes on to tell the story of how he dropped out of college. By utilizing the technique of ethos, he influences the audience to be able to both trust and respect him. …show more content…

“from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company”, which is conveys to the rhetorical appeal of pathos. This is also seen in “our visions of the future began to diverge”, which also utilizes pathos by inspiring the audience, and engaging them in his story. The second story Jobs tells is about “love and loss”, as Jobs put it. This mostly appeals to the pathos side of rhetoric, because it encompasses the audiences emotions by allowing them to relate to the story, while still learning and trusting the

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