How To Write A Rhetorical Analysis Of Neil Gaiman Speech

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.

The rhetorical essay has been a tradition in public speaking since Ancient Greece. Meant to persuade an audience to believe an idea or to embrace a way of thinking, public speakers have utilized this technique for centuries to inspire change in those who listen to it. Carrie Chapman Catt's commencement speech to the 1936 graduating class at Sweet Briar College is a speech that exemplifies the key devices and methods of persuasion in rhetoric, as well as inspiring her audience, a girls-only institution of higher learning, to work hard not only to improve their own lives, but to create a world greater than their own for generations to come. Carrie Chapman Catt delivered a highly effective commencement speech using the rhetorical devices logos,

In his speech, “Remarks by the President in a National Address to America’s Schoolchildren,” Obama effectively argues his claim, that kids should go to school and try very hard to succeed to schoolchildren around the U.S. He effectively argues his claim because he uses supporting details and stories of students that have undergone tough situations, but still overcame those obstacles to succeed and school. Also, he is trying to tell kids that they should do well in school to get a good job and make a difference. He also uses rhetorical appeals to help with the supporting details. One of supporting evidence that he brought up was that if someone wants to become something such as a doctor, or lawyer you will need a good education to do

In this paper I am going to discuss the rhetorical appeals, as well as the argumentative structure, audience and purpose set forth by George W. Bush in his September 27 speech in Flagstaff, Arizona. More specifically I will refer to the rhetorical appeals of ethos, pathos and logos, and explain how they are used to gain the support and attention of the audience and further the further the purpose of the speech. As I explain these appeals I will also give an insight into the argumentative structure and why it is apparent in this particular speech.

Another rhetorical appeal that was used in the speech were logos, to make the speech more credible, logical, and

President Barack Obama spoke his remarks at Howard University commencement ceremony for the class of 2016. This special moment in the speech is honoring people of color, especially African Americans and made history at this University, having the president to present his speech (Donnella). Obama explained how America was different when he graduated college and society is now accepting new cultures and backgrounds within today’s workforce and education. Obama wants the audience to take opportunities and learning new skills to expand their education.

Neil Gaiman is a renowned British author, screenwriter, comic book creator as well as a voice actor. Using his position as a professional who never attended a university, he uses his experience to pass the fire of excellence to the new graduates. As tradition entails, a commencement address is often used to mark the beginning of something new. The commencement speaker, in this case, having never achieved university education, uses his freedom to address the audience, unlike other formal speeches to relate well with the graduates and pass the intended message.

Move over, parents and teachers. Someone with even more authority wants to tell kids to work harder in school: the president of the United States of America. In 2009, in the first year of his presidency, Barack Obama opened the school year with a speech to students, asking them to take charge of their own education. His speech, which he filled with many anecdotes meant to establish credibility and create inspiration, sent students an important message about their education. However, Obama could have made his speech stronger if he had avoided several missteps in the content and delivery of his message.

Alfred M. Green’s speech, declared in Pennsylvania in April 1861, attempts to galvanize fellow African Americans to take action and join the Union army. In order to firmly appeal to those within his audience, Green initially starts his speech off with an appeal to ethos that is founded upon multiple allusions which later segues into a metaphors and an appeal to pathos which prompts an anaphora and a cumulative sentence laced with powerful, emotionally charged diction.

Hydrogen bombs are an exceedingly controversial subject; they enable humans to act as a pseudo god, giving us the ability to destroy all life in a matter of hours. In May 1982 in St.John’s cathedral Kurt Vonnegut gave a unique speech on hydrogen bombs explaining America needs them to protect from fates worse than death. Instead of a traditional and delicate speech about the atrocities of hydrogen bombs Kurt breaks formal etiquette almost immediately with jokes, humor and lightheartedness. By analyzing the diction and syntax Kurt uses in his speech a reader can see how Kurt overcomes controversy, gains his audience’s respect through ethos, and persuades them with logos and pathos.

Following the 9/11 attack in America, Bush declares Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda as the enemy. Bush clearly states that the 9/11 attacks were an initiative action of war and coins the term, “War on Terror” which has developed and is also adaptable with other terms, such as “War on Drugs”. His speech also educates his people about Islamic terrorism alongside their practices and mentality. Bush seems extremely patriotic and expresses great anger and almost thinks for his citizens by saying, “our grief has turned to anger”. Nonetheless, Bush feels strongly about defending America’s freedom and won’t back down to this violence. Furthermore, Bush’s speech was extremely effective as the crowd was very dense, actively involved through cheers and claps. This however, may have induces a mob mentality as an individual action of support such as a cheer could easily ripple through the crowd and suddenly everyone

I consider Steve Jobs’ commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005 to be one of the most effective speeches. He uses mechanics of speech to craft a well-rounded speech that is crowned by his use of rhetorical devices. Jobs gives relevant and fundamental knowledge of his life and experiences with his rhetorical approach. In his speech to the Stanford’s graduation class, he tells different stories of love, loss, discovery and difficulty he faced in his life to encourage new graduates as they continue to mature in life. He encourages students to pursue their dreams and not be discouraged by failures they might experience in life.

Washington starts off his speech with pathos. Pathos is appealing to the emotional side of the audience and trying to get an emotional response from them. Washington begins his speech on why he is doing the speech in the first place. His son went to Penn U, so he was already officiated with the school. Him sharing his information about his past with the school makes the crowd feel more relax and less anxious. Knowing the person who is speaking, understands what you are going through helps a lot in building a connection with the Washington. With a smooth beginning, Washington begins to tell jokes about the staff and how everyone here hates the Yankees. Washington, first establishing baseline with the audience, was key to conveyance his message to the spectators. Washington evens tells the people, that he is nervous and uncomfortable for he has not done this kind of speech before. The feeling of knowing this man in front of you is speaking to thousands of people is afraid, even though he is such a famous actor makes you feel empathy for him. This connection is strong for even though he is famous, he can still get nervous like all the graduates. Washington brings up ideas he had for this speech, making jokes about his co-workers and stories of them. He did not decide to use one of those because he wanted to leave a message worth leaving for the graduates that will last a lifetime. Washington even connects with the parents, by saying “I always like to check how my money is getting used, am I right parents?”. (Penn's 2011

Senator Obama is altering the language. Christians did not exist in the Old Testament story of Ezekiel, but Senator Obama is effectively connecting with every major religion. Simultaneously, he is reaching out to the secular world as well. Being cognizant that everyone does not actively practice a religious faith, Obama chooses stories that

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.