“Though some of you may see me as a celebrity, you should know that I once sat where you sit. Literally. Late last night I snuck out here and sat in every seat.”
Graduates of Dartmouth College were granted a pass from the typical clichés of commencement speeches when comedian Conan O’Brien took the podium to usher them into the next phase of their lives. Though littered with comical jabs at the college and its graduates, O’Brien’s address offered the audience candid life advice based on his successes and failures throughout his career. O’Brien employed his humor to break the ice to the class of 1,782 students, commending them for their achievements that “only 92 percent of Americans their age will ever know: a college diploma”. He
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As a prospective college student in 1980, O’Brien visited Dartmouth, “I made the trip up from Boston on a mule and, after asking the blacksmith in West Leb for directions, I came to this beautiful campus. It snowed heavily during my visit and I was trapped here for four months. I was forced to eat the mule...Still, I loved Dartmouth and I vowed to return.” O’Brien, the son of a Harvard School of Medicine Professor and an attorney, graduated from Harvard University in 1985, to which he slanted “But fate dealt a heavy blow. With no money, I was forced to enroll in a small, local commuter school, a pulsating sore on a muddy elbow of the Charles River...to this day I cannot help but wonder: What if I had gone to Dartmouth?”
He concluded that if he had gone to Dartmouth, he still wouldn't know the second verse to "Dear Old Dartmouth." to which he added “face it, none of you do. You all mumble that part” and that if he had gone to Dartmouth, he would have a liver “the size and consistency of a bean bag chair”. Applause continued as O’Brien introduced what he coined “the Conan Doctrine”. Taking inspiration from Winston Churchill and JFK’s introduction of ground-breaking policies at university commencements. Under "The Conan Doctrine":
“All bachelor degrees will be upgraded to master's degrees. All master's degrees will be upgraded to PhDs. And all MBA students will be immediately
Jacob Neusner’s commencement speech points the finger not only at the graduating students but mainly at the faculty members. He sways towards how easy-going, laid back, and forgiving the professors and other faculty members were towards their students. In that sense, Neusner clearly states that these students aren’t prepared for what’s about to come because they have always had someone hold their hand every step of the way and shown forgiveness in this fantasy called “college.” College is supposed to help you get your feet wet and aid students with preparation for the harsh so called real world. Many thoughts ran through my brain while reading this speech as did my emotions which were up and down like a rollercoaster. As much as I agree with Jacob Neusner on the fact that college and the “real world” are
In the 2005 commencement address at Kenyon College, David Foster Wallace delivered an unusual message to the graduates. He uses a unique approach to the typical conventions of a commencement speech in order to catch the attention of the graduates and to reinforce the honesty of his message. By defying their expectations, he urges them to consider their own obliviousness and to look past their own natural biases in order to see what’s truly right in front of them.
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.
David Sedaris’s commencement speech was an entirely different tone and told in a different way but still hold some of the same themes. When Sedaris’s parents wanted him to go to college for patricide he didn’t
Another challenge to The Dartmouth’s claim of being “America’s Oldest College Newspaper” is its continuity. Many claim that The Dartmouth experienced one or more periods of discontinuity. It has not been published consistently since its inception. It seems wrong to call a newspaper which has stopped and restarted over the 217 years of its supposed existence to dub itself “America’s Oldest College
For almost two centuries, the system of public education has honored the best and the brightest high school graduates with the honorable titles of valedictorian and salutatorian.Though these titles have been a valued part of graduation for what seem like the entire history of American public schooling, they are under heavy scrutiny as impassioned and angry parents, as well as their hardworking students, attack the idea of only recognizing one or two of the class’s most talented seniors. In “Best in Class”, reporter Margaret Talbot challenges the traditional system of choosing a single valedictorian by by exposing the emotional opposition to the system’s change or preservation; her use of emotional dialogue as well as far less emotional, far more objective writing style allows Talbot to emphasize specific ideas and opinions with syntax to avoid confrontation, while simultaneously establishing that it is time for the traditional system of valedictory to change.
“The two-year college has been a distinctively American creation, and nowhere else has it attained such prominence” (Brint & Karabel, 1989). Once commonly called
Graduating college is one of the most important moments in a person’s life. They get told at the ceremony how great they are and how life is just going to go their way. That would be true in most cases. However, David Foster Wallace had a different idea. He was going to make sure that these college graduates knew what they were getting into and was going to give them some advice.
A major step towards pursuing my career was deciding on a college to attend. Visiting TWU was like a breath of fresh air. Like Sotomayor with Princeton, I immediately made a firm decision to make it my school. Ironically, Sotomayor’s moment of distress when she visited Radcliffe was a lot like the one I experienced when I visited the University of Texas in Arlington. Relating my important life decisions to those of judge Sotomayor has been reassuring. I had a lot of insecurities about not being good enough at TWU. Sometimes, however, I tend to sell myself
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.
For the past half a century education has been heralded as the key to success. Parents across the country preach to their children that, providing they acquire a college education and degree, the world is their oyster. The documentary “Ivory Tower”, directed by Andrew Rossi, calls that whole notion into question. The biographical film opens at the University of Harvard, the nations oldest institution of higher learning, on move-in day. Hundreds of new students and their parents flood the campus grounds of one of America’s most prestigious universities. From there, in order to provide a complete overview of the complete college experience, several other types of colleges are shown; such as community, 2-year, and vocational schools. Each is examined in turn to determine both the positive and negative aspects.
Ohme, a professor at MC during Professor McMath’s college years, was one of the reasons why she chose to attend MC after graduating from East Central Community College (ECCC). McMath said that Dr. Ohme was an older man with many great things to say about MC. “Even though I put in an application to attend MC after graduation and received a call from Dr. Ohme saying how he thought MC was the school for me I was not so sure,” said McMath. She says she remember telling Dr. Ohme as much and all he said was that it was her choice and no one could make it for her. After the phone called ended McMath says she sat down that night and thought about what she really wanted in life. “I finally came to a conclusion that without a risk there is no success,” she said. After hard thinking and a tour of the campus, McMath finally made her
Harvard Speech Night Live Will Ferrell’s Harvard commencement speech on June 4th 2003 was a great speech due to its audience interaction and humor. The speech is great because it retains the audience’s attention the whole time whilst effectively conveying his message. The speech has a well-crafted formation and strong word choice. Will Ferrell used great care to make this speech really connect and be great. The three main tools Will Ferrell utilizes to make his speech effective are humor, audience participation, and creative language.
For the last 20 years, literally my entire adult life, I 've been a diehard fan of late night talk show host Conan O 'Brien. Not only did I watch the various iterations of his show throughout the years from Late Night, The Tonight Show, to CONAN religiously for most of that time, but I 've ventured across the country to see him live several times. In fact, just last year, I achieved one of my goals of personally meeting Conan and getting a picture with him. It happened after attending one of his tapings during a week of shows at the Apollo Theatre in New York City. I 've admired Conan for his humor, intelligence, and inspiring words of wisdom he 's given over the years (his commencement speeches at Harvard and Dartmouth are indicative of
Upon my return to Amherst College for my sophomore year, I soon came to realize that