Introduction An eloquent speech can tackle the challenges posed by flying time and shine in various social contexts. Severn Cullis-Suzuki’s speech in 1992 hit the world by its appeal and eloquence. Nowadays, Severn is still remembered as “The Girl Who Silenced the World for 5 Minutes”, and during important international environmental conferences, journalists still turn to Severn for comments and advice. How does the speech stand out from numerous environmental speeches in the history?
Amy Poehler has many memorable roles, from being a recurring member on Saturday Night Live, to her award-nominated portrayal of Leslie Knope on Parks and Recreation. Poehler is an American-comedian classic. When she was chosen as the 2011 Harvard Class Day Commencement Speaker, she took on a serious and honorable role. Poehler gave the graduating class of 2011, a hilarious, engaging, and inspirational speech. Poehler was chosen to give a speech that was out of her ordinary comfort zone, to inspire a hardworking class of graduates as they headed off into the working world. Her speech is an excellent example of effective rhetoric through its use of artistic proofs, humor, and establishing common ground. Through the content of Poehler’s speech, her detailed care to the rhetorical situation, and her impressive use of rhetoric, Poehler gave one of the most memorable and moving commencement addresses in Harvard’s history.
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart was an award winning program that delivered top headline news in a more realistic way. On April 28, 2015, Jon Stewart performed an episode on the protests in Baltimore. Stewart sarcastically informed his viewers of the riots in Baltimore and the government actions that followed.
“We can leave the mountain anytime we want but those with ALS are prisoners in their own body”-Alex Williams. People with ALS start losing their ability to move as the disease goes through their body. In the Book Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom Morrie Schwartz has ALS and he tries to give away all of his wisdom before he dies. Morrie teaches people to live life through showing love to family, not hiding or being scared of aging and accepting that Death is natural.
Most graduates have a lot of stress and worry about their futures, the uncertainty of where they are going or what they will become. Ellen is relatable when she tells the graduates how she didn’t know who shes was, considering that, she was still dating men. Another use of a rhetorical question “But why am I here today?” to introduce an anecdote about her growing up in New Orleans. This question takes the audience’s attention back to her, because, consequently, they know that Ellen will explain why she is there; giving them a reason to listen to her words. Once again, Ellen asks “What else can happen to you?” in order to commend the graduates of having success after the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. She uses the hyperbole and rhetorical question, “So what I’m saying is, when you’re older, a lot of you will be gay. Anyone writing this stuff down? Parents?” this keeps everybody’s attention and loops the parents into relating the commencement speech to them as well. Rhetorical questions help Ellen by giving the crowd small moments to reflect and invites them into her speech, connecting to them and allowing them to smile during serious content.
In Barbara Ehrenreich's bold and honest book she tackles the issue of poverty in America head on, by becoming a low wage worker herself. Ehrenreich delves into the often unheard of issues relating to poverty and low wage work, providing her readers with a new perspective on America's working poor and manages to give her audience a stark emotional, yet logical and factual, look into the working class' poverty epidemic. She uses her own anecdotal evidence and supports it with statistics and facts, appeals to ethos by challenging the ethics of corporate America and it costs, finally she hits an emotional chord with readers by reminding them of what low wage workers must endure so that we can live in our America.
To keep the American tradition, President Obama signed an executive order requiring the loser of the Presidential election to leave the country. Obama stated "No Matter who that loser is".
Gail Collins, an American writer known for writing under the opinion pages for the The New York Times, has turned the recent presidential debate, into something comical. In Gail’s most recent articles, “How Could Anyone Vote for Trump”, “The Dark Days of Donald Trump”, “Don’t Take Donald Trump to Dinner”, and “The Debate in One Scary Answer”, her purpose is to show that Donald Trump is not qualified to become the next president of the United States. In these four articles, her audience is the general educated reader that will be voting in the 2016 presidential election. Gail Collins has a recurring pattern of using the rhetorical modes; illustration and description. In addition, she uses the rhetorical strategies; metaphor, dialogue, and contrast
In an essay described about Ellen Terry, the author depicts this widely talented individual by using metaphors, juxtaposition, and rhetorical questions. This author portrays Ellen Terry in a positive light as a writer, author, and actress. Ellen is not only praised for her natural talent, she is also most widely recognized as one of the first to be completely original in her endeavors. The author compares her to famous actors and writers, such as Shakespeare, to help sway her intended audience to grasp the vast range of talent that Ellen embodies. She mentions that Ellen’s talent is so great that she often surpasses the works of these well-known writers due to her ability to set herself apart from all others.
In this video Michelle Obama makes use of all three appeals, in an attempt to persuade the audience, to agree that Barak Obama was the best candidate for the Presidency. Ethos is identified first as she is introduced, as her brother presents her as a highly esteemed entity by her immediate family; thus, Americas next first lady. She also portrays herself as a person with high morals and values, she elaborates on how she and her husband were raised alike, believing that you will reach your goals if you work hard, respecting others no matter the differences; thus, delivering what you promise or say. Later in the video, she identifies herself as a lawyer that had worked at a major law firm. This elaborate presentation of herself is most
After high school, DeGeneres did not know what she wanted to do with her life. At the age of 19, one of DeGeneres’ friends was killed in a car accident and DeGeneres was living in an apartment basement with no money. She suddenly had a calling from God and realized she wanted to be the first woman on the Tonight Show and take the path of stand-up. However, this was a challenge for her to constantly hide her secret of her being gay. She was worried people wouldn’t listen to her and was living with shame and fear. Eventually, DeGeneres came to realization that she wanted to be honest with herself and she told everyone who she really was. Even though she did not receive any job offers for three years she knew she was doing the right thing due to the
While some may say that the Upper Midwest has various discouraging characteristics, Debra describes her passion and endless love for the upper Midwest plains, although some may not see her perspective of the Upper Midwest as she sees it. Debra persuades her audience by using juxtapose by describing how the upper Midwest has much more resources that can’t be found anywhere else. As well she uses analogy and tone to show how other people think of her land as a wasteful plain where no even agriculture could be grown because of how horrible it is. She describes both positions so the reader can listen to both the good reviews of the land and as well the bad ones.
Stephanie Ericsson categorizes the many ways people lie on a daily basis. She uses a mixture of facts, quotes and opinions to capture the severity of telling a lie. Her article has enabled me to understand the thought process that goes behind telling a lie. She justifies minor lies by using ethos and stating that minor lies prevents hurt feelings and that it is normal to lie. Stephanie frequently asks rhetorical questions to make readers think of the matter at hand. She also uses anaphora to seem more relatable and understanding to her readers. I tell minor lies on a daily basis but I did not realize that there is so many different types of lies. i and many other people often rationalize with ourselves to make our lies seem less harmful when
First Lady Michelle Obama has always been one known for her inspiring speeches and her commitment to women’s rights. In Manchester, New Hampshire, she is seen once again standing up for women and for this country by opening the public’s eyes to disrespect Donald Trump has shown for us. Throughout the entire speech the three rhetorical appeals of pathos, ethos, and logos, are all used effectively and powerfully to get her message across. She mainly targets the audience of empowered women but she also addresses the effect that voting for Donald Trump will have for men and women. Through the rhetorical appeals and the tone, she sets for her audience, Michelle Obama campaigns for the presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
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.