Rhetorical Analysis Of Lou Gehrig's Farewell Speech

Imagine that one of the greatest baseball players ever had to retire due to a life threatening condition, later to be named after him. That was what happened to the legendary Lou Gehrig. Lou Gehrig was a renowned baseball player for the New York Yankees in the early 1920’s. The “Iron Horse” as he was known, was forced to retire at a young age due to a life threatening disease called ALS and often known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Gehrig was a slugger and was loved by fans for not only for his ability to hit the ball out of the park, but also for his social influence in baseball. His social impact was seen the most at the end of his career when he delivered a speech, changing the lives of everyone at the ballpark that day. Gehrig appeals to pathos, ethos and uses repetition in order to thank the fans and convince the public that he is not to be pitied.

Imagine how devastating it would be to be unable to play the sport you love because of an illness. For professional baseball player Lou Gehrig, that is exactly what happened. Gehrig played baseball for the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1939 (“Biography”). At the end of his baseball career he was diagnosed with a disease called Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as ALS. ALS is a neurological disease that attacks the body’s neurons that control voluntary muscle movement (“Amyotrophic”). In this heartfelt speech, Lou Gehrig expresses his gratitude for all of the positive things that have occured in his life, despite his recent diagnosis of ALS, in order to convey that he is still lucky even though he is now unable to play baseball.

In Lou Gehrig's "Farewell to Baseball Address," his main goal is to make the claim that is "the luckiest man on the face of the earth" by using multiple techniques. The fist technique that Lou Gehrig uses is repitition of key phrases. As he is orally speaking to many insprired fans, he repeatedly uses the phrase, "Sure I am lucky." This phrase shows us how he had many people playing as jey roles in his life to make him feel lucky. One of them are his parents who Lou Gehrig says "When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body -- it’s a blessing." This shows that he is thankful for his parents for investing in his life and making him became s famous legend in baseball history. Another

Despite his recent diagnosis with ALS, a neurological disorder with no cure, Lou Gehrig is able to maintain a positive and inspirational tone through his use of positive diction in order to stop his fans from pitying him because he still has so much to live for. Gehrig uses many words with a positive connotation, which help create his positive tone. When describing his encounters with “these grand men,” Gehrig uses phrases such as “the highlight of his career” and “honor” to show how lucky he has been. These phrases emphasize his wonderful experiences meeting such famous figures and help him prove, to the audience, that he has lived an incredible life, which he uses to deflect pity from the audience. Gehrig’s word choice has a large impact

Diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Lou Gehrig (Under the yankees baseball organization) continued on to deliver one of the most famous speeches in sports history, and aimed himself towards his fans and family. Gehrig's mom pushed her son hard and is the reason he was such a gifted athlete not only in baseball but in football as well. Although not the main star gehrig pushed himself to be one of the greats and on of the most well respected men in the MLB in his quote "Let's face it. I'm not a headline guy. I always knew that as long as I was following Babe to the plate I could have gone up there and stood on my head.

Some people are great athletes; others are great humanitarians, but Roberto Clemente combined both characteristics in one, dynamic package. From his early years as a poor child in Puerto Rico to dizzying heights as a pro baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Clemente’s life is one of inspiration and admiration. “If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don 't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth”. (Roberto Clemente) Roberto Clemente came from a very humble beginning.

Throughout the course of his life and baseball career, he overcame many obstacles, unthinkable to others, and went on to not only gain the respect of blacks and whites; he went on to become one of the greatest and most admired baseball players of all time. In an interview after a game, Branch Rickey was quoted saying “He’s the indispensable man that can carry a team by himself.” Jackie will be remembered for generations to come as a role model to

He wasn’t only responsible for possibly the greatest baseball era this world has ever seen, he is responsible for paving a way for new African Americans to join the league. Barry Bonds, a former African American player, said he wouldn’t have had even the slightest bit of courage if it weren’t for Jackie Robinson’s amazing legacy. Jackie even showed his sense of courage to people off the field. Becoming a great roll model to kids around the world,”Little kids loved me so I gave them something to watch.” (Jackie Robinson Interviewed.)

Jackie Robinson was determined to play baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He faced many forms of racism. He was yelled at by other teams, threatened by people, and yelled at by crowds. He was determined to play, so he continued to play, even though he faced this. I was determined to get all A’s, and even though I struggled sometimes, I was determined, just like Jackie Robinson was.

Ever since he was little he was involved in many sports but his favorite one was baseball. “I have memories. I remember standing alone at first base-the only black man on the field. I had to fight hard against my loneliness, abuse, and the knowledge that any mistake I made would be magnified because I was the only black man out there.” (Robison 287).

Baseball to Jackie Robinson was gateway to freedom, he was inspired by his older brother to pursue a career for what he had a talent and a love for athletics and Baseball. Jackie was arrested and court-martialed for refusing to give up his seat and move to the back of a segregated bus, but because of his reputation he received an honorable discharge. His courage and moral objection to segregation were precursors to the impact Robinson would have in major league baseball. Jackie Robinson broke the ‘’color barrier’’ by becoming the first African American to play Major League Baseball and inspired young black men to follow in his path and follow their dreams. Not only did he break the color barrier but he changed the society of America itself.

Robert Kennedy’s speech was given during a campaign rally in 1968, he broke the news to a crowd of supporters that MLK had been killed. This speech was analyzed through a PDF copy of the text.

5. Identify an example of logos in the speech. Explain why it fits the parameters of logos.

After a long and accomplished life, Jackie Robinson passed away in 1942 a little over a week after his toss at the world series. Robinson collapsed in his home and died later that day, at Robinson's funeral there were over 2,500 people from everywhere around the country who honored and looked up to Robinson. Robinson had a remarkable life that impacted all the people around him. Jackie Robinson is most known for his outstanding achievements in baseball, but what most people don't know is his achievements in all other aspects of life. Jackie was harassed, picked on, and beaten up for playing the game he loved; Robinson did what he did because he believed that life was bigger than the color of your skin or the number on your back.

tis not so difficult to die.” (Byron 53) Manfred gets what he had wanted all along, he has committed the act that is looked down upon by many, but he