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A Rhetorical Analysis Of Ellen Degeneres

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Ellen DeGeneres, an internationally known talk show host and comedian was asked to give a commencement speech for the students of Tulane University on May 16th, 2009. She spoke to the students about the benefits of being true and accepting of yourself, as well as the rocky path that leads to success. Ellen also referenced to her own personal struggles in dealing with the public’s opinion of her sexual orientation and how she overcame this battle. Ellen uses pathos in the form of humor and sympathy as well as ethos stemming from her celebrity image and self-made success in the entertainment industry to present an argument of persuasion for these young graduates to be themselves and love themselves no matter what other people consider to be bad or a failure, and for these students to go out into the world not afraid to fail, because they can conquer anything. …show more content…

She uses her own failures to push these graduates to live their lives to the fullest as a good person. Ellen specifically wants these college students to hear her message because she has the point of view of someone who didn’t go to college at all and who has been so low and yet built herself up to the wealthy, successful person she is today. While commencement speeches are generally aimed at only the students, the jokes Ellen makes can be intended to be taken by both the parents, families, and students as a whole. Her message of being a good person with integrity can also apply to anyone at the graduation as she hopes everyone will make a

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