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I agree with the “You Are Not Special” speech.
I agree with the “You Are Not Special” because of the facts the speaker said. He said that there are 37,000 high schools around the country. With this many high schools there are 37,000 valedictorians from each school. The speaker said if you are a valedictorian, class president and athlete you are not special. I agree with this because you may be the valedictorian of your school but there are many more valedictorians across the country.
I agree with the “You Are Not Special” speech because it is honest. I think the speech is honest because the speaker reminds listeners of things that show that we are not special. He also states that even though we are the only class president or valedictorian
She shows the perspective of many different people to show a seemingly neutral overview of the situation surrounding the status of valedictorian. Her frequent use of interviews and dialogue allows for her to show her opinion or position on the matter while still maintaining her status of neutrality; the claims simply appear to be the positions of others. The structure of her essay and positioning of her interviews also are deliberate and subtly support Talbot’s message. She grouped the interviews so that negative statements about valedictorians were positioned near the beginning and arranged the interviews with good outlooks on valedictorians near the end, separated by a chunk of historical context for the school system. The context used as a divider influences the reader to think the following interviews are stronger and more well reasoned because the audience has information to relate what the speakers are saying to. This establishes the intent behind the essay as the layout encourages the perception of the positive interviews as well written.
To regard the importance of the bigger picture, he maintains parallel structure and utilizes the repetition of words in the body of the speech. “The fulfilling life, the distinctive life, the relevant life” occurs when one seizes the day—when one finds the joys in life by realizing “you are not special”. The pauses and short sentences also adds to the conversational aspect and pace of the commencement piece. To continue, he notes how in this moment of time, every single one of them is dressed “exactly the same” and their diplomas are “exactly the same”. The unification of these prospective seniors further augments the message of settling. McCullogh further critiques the phrases that defy logic. High school students have perceived that “good is no longer good enough, where a B is the new C”. The goal into doing one’s best has been shaped into doing the capabilities of another, in which McCullogh responds metaphorically to only focus on the betterment of the self: “climb [the mountain] so you can see the world, not so the world can see you”. All of these seniors have fallen into the preconceived mindset of superiority, unifying them together but it is their personal capabilities that distinguishes one from another, successes from failures. The support and inspiration he is aiming for is clearly portrayed in proposing to the students to, “[d]ream big. Work hard. Think for yourself”. He inspires them to experience life instead of accomplish
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.
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".
I found O’ Brien’s speech to be extremely educational as well as entertaining. He used his profession as a comedian to incorporate pathos (humor), which positively affected the graduates. “When I got the call two months ago to be your speaker, I decided to prepare with the same intensity many of you have devoted to an important term paper. So late last night, I began (O’Brien, 2011)”. O’Brien is making a joke, based on the common stereotype that college students procrastinate on papers till the day before the deadline. “Behind me sits a highly admired President of the United States and decorated war hero while I, a cable television talk show host, have been chosen to stand here and impart wisdom. I pray I never witness a more damning example of what is wrong with America today (O’Brien, 2011).” O’Brien regularly uses humbling humor that supports the delivery of his speech. O’ Brien portrays himself as humble because he feels as if he isn’t worthy of giving a commencement speech due former president Bush, a decorated war hero was sitting behind him. O’Brien seems puzzled that they choose a television comedian, over a president and war hero because he is arguably much more qualified and respected. O’ Brien then jokingly states, that there’s a problem with America if the...
...tes understand that life is hard, and anything worth having does not come easy. Life is not handed to a person on a silver platter. Even a life of fame takes dedication and hard work. They wanted the students to feel like they were all on the same level of equality. The graduates will walk away from the ceremony hopefully retaining some of the words of the speakers. Having a famous speaker will at least make them remember who the speaker was. It does not matter who speaks at a graduating ceremony, but it does matter what words get spoken and remembered.
4.The speech was written in response to the U.S National Guard that was to sent protect African Americans students enrolling in the universities, to stand against discrimination, and to remind Americans that everyone is equal.
Many commencement speeches are inspiring and speak to all that graduating students that are stepping into adulthood. David Foster Wallace speech focused on the life ahead of the students, who will be day in and day out in days filled with boredom, harsh frustrations and the same routine of daily life. When I first read the quote, it showed a story behind the commencement speech. The quote speaks to the autopilot lives that we are living, where we are unknowingly tangled in a rat race that keep us from paying attention to what is most meaningful in our everyday lives.
During this unit I got to read some outstanding speeches by people who changed the US. Then speech that most appealed to me was the speech Robert Kennedy gave about Martin Luthar King Jr.s death. The central idea of this speech was that Robert Kenday persuaded us to not give up on what Dr. King did. Although most people were engaged about this we should come as one and fight for equal right for black people. That one day white boys and girls will become friends with black boys and girls. Then the speech was very compelling because at first he was going to give a speech about his political run but instead addressed the public about Dr. Kings death. Robert told us to come as one so we can make it right so black people have equal rights as white people.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words and can tell a thousand tales. Just what exactly is this saying? (Visual of a bad snap shot… finger in shot)
I consider Steve Jobs’ commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005 to be one of the most effective speeches. He uses mechanics of speech to craft a well-rounded speech that is crowned by his use of rhetorical devices. Jobs gives relevant and fundamental knowledge of his life and experiences with his rhetorical approach. In his speech to the Stanford’s graduation class, he tells different stories of love, loss, discovery and difficulty he faced in his life to encourage new graduates as they continue to mature in life. He encourages students to pursue their dreams and not be discouraged by failures they might experience in life.
It’s Justin, your beloved and most handsome grandson. How are you doing back home in California? Do you still drink your banana split smoothie in every day? Remember grandpa, it’s not good for your health if you drink it everyday, because at your age you need to watch what you eat. How’s grandma by the way grandpa? Can you tell her that I miss her alot and her delicious apple pie. I have some good news for you guys, I am coming back home really soon and I can’t wait to see you guys again. Anyway, you must be wondering how my life has been over the past few year in Texas. Well, let me tell you, it wasn’t great, but I manage to survive. Have you ever heard of the term Civil Rights? It basically mean that every citizens have the rights to political
Side-splitting, muscles aching and tears running down cheeks all the while gasping for air; this is laughter. Everyone around the world experiences this sensation, it is one of the characteristics that makes us human. In order for laughter to occur, there must first be something humorous. If only it were that simple. Just like humans, humor is not that black and white. Laughter is a result of humor, but it may not be the only one. What else, besides laughter, can result from humor? In terms of superheroes, humor rescues humanity and brings out happiness. However, just as easily as it rescues, humor causes destruction.
It was only 20 people in club from Lyman Hall and Sheehan, but in Connecticut HOSA club, I read my speech to over 100 gaping faces. Although I lost, I gained more than what I had expected. Self-confidence! In the beginning of migrating into this country, my classmates humiliated me for my lack of ability to speak English when I tried to voice my opinion. But my bravery in the platform that day, wiped out all my insecurities. In 7th grade, I read a 4th grade level books, but now I read poems and plays along with my AP English classmates. Although I might not have the highest intellectual ability or the GPA, I, however always challenge myself to attain better score or give a better service that I had done before. Through my services and leadership experiences, I have built a character that my grandfather would be proud
Prejudice is a word that is used to describe people who categorize others into groups based on their skin color, race, or religion. I am reading a book in my English class. In this book, there are many misunderstandings and stereotypes, but one of the things in it is prejudice. There are many examples of prejudice in the book that relate to how people use it in our society. Prejudice is something that everyone has and can never get rid of it. In the book called, To Kill A Mockingbird, which is the book I am reading, prejudice is all around and you have to deal with it or just not be prejudiced to anyone so they won’t say anything to you. No matter what you do, there will always be someone who is prejudice and won’t stop. The book also shows