Throughout high school, being valedictorian is seen as the highest honor possible. But what if giving some speech in front of your entire graduating class didn’t even matter. “Best in Class” by Margaret Talbot addresses the issue of the endangerment of traditional valedictorian ship. Talbot introduces the various perspectives of the importance and the unimportance of a traditional valedictorian by appealing to tradition and involving a multitude of strong research evidence to establish logos. In the text, Talbot describes the title of valedictorian as a fancy name given to the winners of a competition. Talbot goes on to say how this tradition of “‘healthy competition’” among the top students is giving “more negative connotations and effects …show more content…
Talbot expresses the fact that kids, who so badly want the title of valedictorian, “[work] harder” to meet the academic standards (225). Stacking up AP courses and clubs and raising G.P.A. keeps the students as qualified as they can be in order to become valedictorian. Talbot also goes on to say how single-valedictorian is “endangered” (226). Students are so hung up on wanting to be this honorary title that they are willing to attack their school. Talbot not only uses statistics such as the G.P.A. increases between 1990 and 2000 (225), she also uses personal stories from students. The students interviewed reveal how little they think of the honor now, yet they felt that valedictorian was the highest title received in their high school days. Talbot using feelings and encounters from past students allows the audience to see the main point that, to most, valedictorian doesn’t matter. Margaret Talbot refers to the title of valedictorian as an outdated honor. Students are named top of their class, and they give a speech. They later come to find out that the arguing, the extra classes, the competition overall in the end has no
Laurier had graduated at the top of his class and was chosen to give the
David McCullough Jr., delivered the commencement at Wellesley High School in Massachusetts on June 1st 2012 to staff, the 2012 graduates, and their family and friends. The speech was straightforward and supplied valuable information for their future. . McCullough’s speech at times felt harsh, offensive, and insulting. His words and examples were given to achieve insight, knowledge, and awareness for each student’s future. The commencement expressed a great deal of achievement, but conveyed that there was more work to be done. His speech was effective and appreciated through humor parallelism, repetition, and anaphora. His point of view has obtained respect and determination by all those that have been challenged and have heard his words.
In her article, Talbot makes use of contrast in order to advocate her position. She describes the GPA of students today and compares it to the GPA of students twenty years ago; the grades of today’s students are about 0.26
Margaret Talbot rhetorical strategy is Narrating she starts her story off by telling the story of a person named Daniel Kennedy she explained to us how Daniel though valedictorians was a good thing. Margaret subject is not the school nor a student it examining the valedictorian position students try to get in high school.
In her ,“Harvard”, address, actress, comedian and producer Amy Poehler speaks to the graduating class of 2011. Her speech is filled with her uplifting sense of humor and her down-to-earth personality that you can’t help but enjoy. Poehler utilizes various rhetorical strategies throughout her address such as allusion, and conveying pathos in a humourous as well as an emotional way. By using these, she successfully encourages the young students and families at Harvard University to work their hardest and take on the world.
Her purpose was to state the thought that a valedictorian’s spot should be earned, not just something that’s easily given out to people who are merely smart. She develops her logos by stating specific problems and facts within the Sarasota High School and how her personal experience was when she was in high school which allows the reader to build a better insight on what is being said. Talbot recalls George Kennedy, principal at North Port High near Sarasota stating “would be easier to just start out without valedictorians, so we wouldn’t be taking something away later on.” This means that the kids who dream their whole life to be the best, to be number one, who work harder than any other individual; sometimes end up not even being titled class valedictorian at all. So in essence instead of having a title to work for that might not even be achieved, the kids should work that hard for their future and what it holds. Also, Talbot uses examples of student G.P.A’s to show how competitive schools are becoming and how hard students are working in order to become valedictorian. “Between 1990-2000, the overall mean G.P.A. of high school students increased from 2.68 to 2.94, which is attributable in part to grade inflation and in part to the fact that students are working harder.” Through her text, Talbot develops
In 2005 David Foster Wallace was given the honor to deliver the commencement speech for Kenyon’s graduating class. Veering away from the typical commencement speech, Wallace does not try to inspire the students about the meaning of their degrees and how they will do great things, but rather informs them on the ways of thinking in a society. He gives the audience an insight into the cruel world they are about to enter and does not hold anything back. By the end of his speech we learn that Wallace is a struggling human being just like the rest us.
Class of 2012, as we sit here this evening, I would like you to take a look at the classmates sitting around you. Many students have given countless hours of time, energy, and passion to worthy cuases that they have been a part of throughout high school. However, those aren't the only students deserving of recognition this evening. We have students here tonight, who have taken a stand for what they believe in, not even hesitating to compromise their reputations.
The Shocking statement is meant to grab the reader's attention and, wonder what she meant by “meaningless diplomas.” We then discover that the meaning behind the absurd comment was directed to the attitude of the teachers, shoving students through high school no matter what their grades are.
“College is an everlasting memory that one will always cherish.” Many alumni have quoted these words to undergraduates in all different forms, whether they were speaking slang to connect to the younger folks or if they were speaking intellectually with vast vocabulary. However, any way these words were delivered, these words triggered in many minds, except mine. Howard University’s homecoming was October 22nd thru the 27th, 2013. A day after my eighteenth birthday was proclaimed to be turn up time for Howard’s students as well as graduates, celebrities, and especially local District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia residents. Everyone was thrilled for this “once in a lifetime” opportunity. Well, the 22nd thru the 27th represented this college student’s turn down time. I could not get myself excited enough to be involved in the entire melee. Homecoming is another excuse to pay Howard University money. Even though I did not attend nor pay expenses for Yardfest, the fashion shows, the R&B concerts, or gyrate at the after parties, I did bring myself to attend the annual free pep rally after Freshman Seminar on October 22, 2013. Fortunately, what made pep rally worthwhile was the music that was blasting to the pleasure of the listening audience’s ears.
Commencement speeches, which are presented in American graduation ceremonies, aim to inspire and motivate. Successfully, Nora Ephron 's commencement speech addressed to the Wellesley Class of 1996; inspired her audience to "be the heroine of [their '] li[ves], not the victim". Through anecdotes, Ephron explored the differences between her education and the graduates at Wellesley College, to remind the women graduating that whilst society was different in many ways, in particular for women, "there was still a glass ceiling".
When contemplating a high school honor student, there are three concepts that come to mind; these include being dedicated to going to college, acquiring leadership in certain situations, and acting upon what inspires them. To emphasize, a honorary high school student should be dedicated to going to college. Significantly, if someone, hypothetically, works extremely hard in their high school years, it is very likely that they would prefer to pursue a career that may include some type of college degree. Alternatively, students in honors classes would have any number of leadership skill. To illustrate, when in honors, there are many different activities that occur in honors, remarkably, the students must have learned somewhere that being a leader
Commencement is a critical juncture in our lives; it is a momentous occasion where we believe we are about to start anew. However, graduation is the bittersweet moment where the forces of past and future are simultaneously acting on us. Consequently, the past is not dead. Alfred, Lord Tennyson, suggests that our past experiences will be with us forever as he states, " [we] are a part of all that [we] have met; yet all experience is an arch where through gleams that untraveled world." That is why graduation, similar to other turning points in our lives, possesses two halves, which accentuate each other. We are looking forward, but the "arch" of experience beckons us to remember, value, and learn from our past experiences. Thus, I feel that in order to appreciate commencement fully, we must remember our own past, and in particular, the last four years:
The basic purpose of delivering this speech is to make students realize that their school and their professors have faith in their judgement, trust in their abilities and are well prepared to face the world on their own. Most of the student community would like to hear a speech of this kind. However, Jacob Neusner had a different perspective about the Commencement speech which makes it belong to the 1% of the category. His speech is very unusual and was published in the article titled as “The Commencement Speech you will never hear.” Even though I agree with few ideas presented by the author, there are quite a lot that I completely disagree
What are the characteristics of a successful student? While the definition of "successful student" is changing over the years, youth knowledge nowadays must be broaden much more than just writing, reading and mathematics in order to succeed. To get into healthcare you need endeavor the concept of studying. To me it 's more than studying, its an experience. While you pursue your academic career you can become effective in your task and time management. Academics will set you up with both the knowledge and the mindset to gain that experience. To have a desire to be successful and to be considered as intrinsically motivated,socially proficient and goal oriented is not only building your character but strengthening your perception in life. Academics is both learning like books, chemistry, biology and also