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rhetorical
Aubrey Adams
Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Jolynne Berrett
June 29, 2013
Graduates
Why do we attend college? Are we striving for a better career or simply trying to gain knowledge? Everyone has their reasons for attending college. Although every student has homework, reading assignments and studying in common, every student is unique. Every student has a different personality than the next and a different lifestyle. Amy Poehler, in her graduation speech to Harvard graduates, connects all students together by using her humor and advice to communicate effectively using the rhetorical triangle. Amy Poehler graduated from Boston College before studying improvisation in Chicago at The Second City and ImprovOlympic. She later landed a much envied role on Saturday Night Live, where she was a cast member for nine years. Her work on Saturday Night Live earned her two Emmy Awards and nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy for her star role in Parks and Recreation. Amy uses ethos in her speech by using her education to connect to the current graduating students. She states, “I was worried what came next,” when graduation had come. Everyone worries and everyone has concerns. She makes the audience that it is normal to be confused and sometimes lost. Although Amy’s future in movies is most likely not what these Harvard graduates are striving for she uses ethos to make herself vulnerable. In doing so, I believe, she becomes more personable and easy to listen and connect to. While Amy uses ethos to become more connected to the audience her us of logos is almost invisible. The only true fact that she states is that Harvard is the oldest American university. There are no statistics or numbers. There is no point trying to be made by using equations or logical reasoning. Amy’s speech is in front of Harvard graduates but could easily be used for everyday people, whether a College graduate or not. There is no need for a higher knowledge

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