Rhetorical Analysis of Randy Pausch's Last Lecture Essay

You would think a man dying of cancer would not be so happy and willing to spend the last few months of his life giving a lecture. But, Randy Pausch, who has 10 tumors in his liver, does not want people to pity him for having cancer. Rather, he wants to teach people how to follow their childhood dreams. Looking at the seven elements of communication we see how he is so effective in his last lecture.

In paragraphs 29-31, Swift mentions several expedients, such as taxes, wearing homemade clothes, rejecting foreign luxury, curing vices among women, instilling the virtues of patriotism, taxing the absentees, and rejecting divisiveness while promoting honest, industry, and skill. Swift’s speaker stated at the end of all his expending, “How preceptors!” Swift’s rhetorical purpose is to make the reader realize that he is ironic as well as understand what he actually stands for. The reader learns that Swift is forced to resort to ironic tone to reveal his true intention, which would otherwise go unnoticed. Swift is ironic because there is no way his expedients could succeed in a time that Ireland was in, he was mainly trying to highly the economic problems affecting the county at the time.

He also includes a lot of emotional parts throughout the speech this is effective as it may get an emotional response from the audience this happens when he says “Your loved ones were daring and brave” and “It is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen” this is a good use of pathos as it does connect to the emotional feelings of the viewer.

Are too many people going to college? This question has been contemplated over for years. The increased cost of college throughout the years has caused the question to become even more relevant. Charles Murray, an author from the American Enterprise Institute, wrote the essay entitled “Are Too Many People Going to College?” Murray’s essay sought ought to explain that universities are being filled with students who are either not prepared for higher education or who are compelled into attending college and are unable to succeed because the lack of inherent abilities. While Murray makes many pertinent points about America’s infatuation with the B.A as a standard into a class of intellectual elite the essay does not take

In the novel, The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow, Pausch recalls painting his bedroom walls after the permission of his parents. If my parents gave me permission to paint my bedroom walls, I would first paint on my favorite quotes on one wall. They could be quotes from my favorite books, movies, or important historical figures. For example, Mahatma Gandhi’s quote, “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” is a quote that I have to remember to follow when I am afraid to become a leader and change what needs to be changed in life. Basically, the quotes would be up on the wall just so I can look at them everyday for inspiration, or when I need them when I hit rock bottom. In addition, I would paint on all the ideas and hobbies

Randy Pausch’s “The Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” was given on September 18th, 2007, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. Randy made his goal of the speech not more than five minutes in, stating the importance of achieving your childhood dreams. The language he is using is very formal, and he appeals to the audience by making several references to common things such as movies, and a humorous quote after he states his current condition, “I’m in better shape than most of you!” as he proceeds doing pushups on stage. In various points in his speech, he is speaking to certain individuals in the audience about things pertaining to his story, and how he achieved some of his childhood dreams with the help of others. Randy really hit it off with everybody, and made the speech untimely, so that anybody at any point in time can view his speech and wonder “is this still relevant?” Near the closing of his speech, he states that he wasn’t giving to speech for everybody in the audience; he was giving the speech for his children, as he wouldn’t be around for them growing up. At several points in his speech he makes references to common things and statistics, such as MacBook’s and how few people have one. At other points he referenced things such as Steve Jobs + Wozniak in their garage, as him and his team build his VR setup for under $5,000.

A seminar series titled “The Last Lecture” took place at Carnegie Mellon University. Professors were prompted to deliver lectures as if it was their last, while containing a “message of a lifetime”. Professor Randy Pausch delivered his speech titled “Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” as a part of this seminar on September 18th, 2007, a time in which had just been given life-threatening news. It had recently been estimated by doctors that this was the last three to six months of his life. Instead of speaking as if he was hypothetically dying like his fellow professors, Pausch was in an extremely ironic situation, as for in his case he really was dying, of pancreatic

Jonathan Edwards is one of the leaders of the “Great Awakening.” Before reading the text, determine the historical context through online research. In one or two sentences, briefly define the historical context of Edward's’ speech. What does Edwards hope to accomplish with this sermon? Define his purpose.

“We have, in this country, two million children under the age of sixteen years who are earning their bread” (1-3). Throughout Florence Kelley’s speech to the convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, she emphasizes the injustice of child labor laws and the need for women to take a stand by fighting for the right to vote. Kelley is one of many inspirational leaders who fought for women’s rights. She reaches out to a group of women so that they might call to mind their right to petition. In doing so, Kelley is persuading the audience to fight for their right to vote to change child labor laws. Kelley uses several rhetorical devices such as imagery, diction, and pathos

Every individual has traditions passed down from their ancestors. This is important because it influences how families share their historical background to preserve certain values to teach succeeding generation. N. Scott Momaday has Native American roots inspiring him to write about his indigenous history and Maxine Hong Kingston, a first-generation Chinese American who was inspired by the struggles of her emigrant family. Kingston and Momaday manipulate language by using, metaphors, similes, and a unique style of writing to reflect on oral traditions. The purpose of Kingston’s passage is to reflect upon her ancestor’s mistake to establish her values as an American

Well known president, Ronald Reagan, in his address to the nation, “Explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger,” expresses grief for the explosion of the Challenger. Reagan’s purpose is to commemorate the seven men and women, who lost their lives and offer hope to those who will continue to explore space. He creates a sad, yet hopeful tone in order to convey to America, we all mourn the loss of the Challenger Seven, but our space program will continue.

Alan Weisman’s diction is formal, neutral, and even informal. He includes no personal anecdotes, irony, metaphors, comedic relief, or anything throughout the entire book. Weisman has one distinct opinion on saving the earth, which is saving the earth, and remains neutral throughout the entire piece. His diction comes off as informal for he addresses the readers as “you” multiple times (Weisman). Right at the beginning, Weisman says, “You may never…,” which makes an instant, more personal connection with the audience (Weisman 9). To help his readers better interpret the world without us, Alan Weisman chooses to apply imagery and describe every detail mentioned. In doing so, he acquires a complex language to make his argument more concise. This may be due to his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science degree and being culturally diverse from his previous travels (Author).

The Last Lecture began as a good-bye speech, made by Randy Pausch, a 47 year old professor diagnosed with terminal cancer. His speech at Carnegie Melon University became an Internet phenomenon. It has also been published as a book. I really thoroughly enjoyed his Last Lecture speech. He had a lot of good talking points and brought up some new perspectives, or ways of looking at life situations that got me thinking. He talked a lot about his dreams when he was a child and was very humorous and inspirational throughout his speech. He also had a lot of quotes that I really enjoyed and they are what I want to focus on.

In the text of the commencement speech he had made at Stanford University in 2005, it states, “I slept on the floor in friends’ rooms, I returned Coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week” (Jobs). Steve Jobs was left with nothing. He had spared each and every penny for he was truly left on his own with nothing. Pathos is most effectively used in Jobs’s commencement speech because it lets the reader know and feel what he feels. Another use of the rhetorical device, pathos, was the idea of death which was brought up by Jobs when he had shared his experience of being the closest to death he had ever been. Steve Jobs was diagnosed with cancer, and was told he had only months to live. At this point of his life, Jobs realized how precious time can be. Following the previous quote, the commencement speech said by Steve Jobs at Stanford University, states “This was the closest I’ve been to facing death, and I hope it’s the closest I get for a few more decades. I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept”(Jobs). Death was certainly a topic many feel desolation towards. It makes you realize how precious time is and how it has to be treasured. Steve Jobs uses pathos, here, by making the reader feel anxious and sad. The audience feels anxious or stressed out, for thinking about the time they have left on

This to me is the thesis of this entire lecture. Death is a scary thing to go through, whether a person is hit by a bus or dying from a terminal illness. It is hard on the induvial as well as their families. My mother had a heart attack two years ago in April and went into a coma. We spent two days in the hospital talking with her and hoping she would wake up, but one by one her organs shut down and she was on a ventilator. It did not take us long to realize she was leaving this world. She was young, 52 years old, we could have put her on life support, but we knew it was futile. Even though my parents are divorced and have been since I was 11 I am so proud of my family for how we handled her last days with respect and dignity.