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Rhetorical Analysis Of Alex Smith's Graduation Speech

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Pursuit of Happiness Alex Smith, a professional football player for the NFL, gave a speech to a graduating class at the University of Utah. With this speech I’m going to take a rhetorical analysis look at it. I’ll take a deeper look into what Smith said, and why he said it that way. The graduation speech was meant to be inspirational for the graduates and others attending the ceremony. It was also intended to congratulate them on their accomplishments. Using metaphors, a humorous and inspirational tone, Alex Smith’s “Graduation Speech” gives his audience “3 prescriptions” on how to live a great life. Alex Smith uses metaphors throughout his speech. Smith had just began his speech, thanking the director and making humorous jokes about receiving his doctorate degree. He then shares his three concepts of life for the audience. Smith then says, “I was headed to the biggest interview of my life, the NFL draft.” Smith uses a metaphor to describe how important the interview meant to him. By using this statement he is connecting and relating to his audience. He knows that most of the people in the crowd have or will have had to go to a job interview that is very important to them and their future careers. With this he allows the audience to understand what he’s saying. The tone throughout this speech is obvious, inspirational. The audience have just conquered a huge stepping stone in their lives, graduating college. This step allows them to plan their futures further and begin their careers. Smith uses an anecdote by sharing a story of his dad, who was the …show more content…

He shares “3 prescriptions” to living a successful, happy life. Smith connects with his audience and shares the ways he struggled and what he did to overcome those struggles. Opening the eyes to his audience and perhaps help them through their future

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