A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Commencement Speech By Steve Jobs

Dreams, we are told to follow them, but is it really that easy? Billionaire, entrepreneur, founder of Apple, Next, and Pixar, Steve Jobs in his commencement speech "You've got to find what you love." He implements that you have to follow your dreams and don't settle for any less than your dreams. Jobs purpose was to inspire college graduates to follow their dreams.He also adopts an convincing tone in order to convey the importance of following your dreams. Jobs uses ethos, pathos, and anecdotes to tell you don't settle for things less than your dreams.
Jobs begins his speech by providing you have to start some where to reach your full potential. He uses emotional anecdote's to show his character and history. He starts off with an account of how his "Biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student" that decided to give him up for adoption. Jobs goes to explain that it doesn't matter how you are brought up in life, what matters is the choices you make, and proves this idea by admitting that he dropped out of the college." He uses his personal experience in order to inspire the graduates to move forward in the adversity. This inspirational lesson conveys a hopeful tone that reassure that graduates they can beat all odds.

Jobs moves to his second emotional anecdote by suggesting that you can never lose faith because of your failures.

"What has been the focus of my entire adult life was gone." Jobs lost the company that he built form the ground up. Through the use of pathos, he uses the loss of Apple as a door way to "the Most creative period" of his life where he went on to become co- owner of two new companies and to fall in love with the women who would become his wife. He uses this experience in order to encourage the graduates to never "lose faith." This story of love and loss helps to set a compelling tone that motivates the audience to keep

going.
Jobs emphasizes the importance of life when close to death in his third exceedingly emotional anecdote. "All external expectation, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important." Jobs then address when he was diagnosed with cancer and was giving six months to live. He stresses the importance of living life to the fullest in order to provide helpful tips to the graduates. This emotional anecdote helps the audience see that you can survive your struggles.
Steve Jobs followed his dream, so why can't you. In his commencement speech Jobs uses ethos, pathos, and anecdotes to explain not settling for things less than your dreams. He tells this through experience he has had through out his life. He starts with the biological mother that wants the best for her son.Then talks about losing the company that he built from the ground up. Finally, the speech talks about is life is to short and you should live it to the fullest. Steve Jobs wanted the class of 2005 to know that we must follow are dreams and don't settle for less because you are worth more.