ipl-logo

Rhetorical Analysis Of The Poem 'We Are Virginia Tech' By Nikki Giovanni

500 Words2 Pages

Tanner Romig Dr. Chose ENGL 15 17 January 2023 Rhetorical Analysis On April 17, 2007, well-known professor and poet Nikki Giovanni gave an exceptionally memorable and inspiring speech. The exigence in her writing and speaking this poem was a tragic shooting at Virginia Tech, which left 32 dead. She wrote this to address the heartbroken university where she taught at. The text overall has an underlying message that tragedy happens, and no one deserves it, but together they must persevere through the pain and sadness. Through the poem, Giovanni reiterates the phrase, “We are Virginia Tech,” and that is a representation of how if nothing else they all have each other. That phrase brings unity to every single Virginia Tech student and alumni. Nikki Giovanni uses strong rhetorical appeals such as …show more content…

She uses pathos throughout the entire poem in not only the words, but also how she articulated them in the speech. Already at the beginning of the poem, she declares, “We are sad today and we will be sad for quite awhile. We are not moving on; we are embracing our mourning,” in which Giovanni essentially tells the colossus crowd to not run away from the feelings of sadness. This prepares them for the rest of the speech, as the purpose of it was to inspire perseverance from tragedy. The author also uses logos in her speech when she expresses, “and sad enough to know we must laugh again.” There comes a point when the bar cannot go any lower, you cannot possibly be sadder or grief-stricken than you already are. The only logical point to conceivably go from there is up, and that is what Nikki Giovanni is trying to represent. Pathos and logos are essential rhetorical appeals to this speech, as they simultaneously draw on the emotions of the audience while also helping them to see that there are brighter times

Show More
Related

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Anna Howard Shaw's Speech

    364 Words  | 2 Pages

    At Susan B. Anthony's funeral in 1906, Anna Howard Shaw delivered a eulogy that paid tribute to Anthony's life and legacy as a champion for women's rights. In her speech, Shaw employs a variety of rhetorical devices to convey the message that Anthony's cause of women's rights is a universal cause. One of the rhetorical devices Shaw uses is metaphor. She begins the eulogy by describing the grief and gratitude felt by those in attendance. Shaw says, "Your flags at half-mast tell of a nation's loss, but there are no symbols and no words which can tell the love and sorrow which fill our hearts.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis For Autumn For America

    329 Words  | 2 Pages

    On October 24th, 1952 Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered an address in Detroit , Michigan as the republican nominee for the president of the united states. He delivered this speech in hope to gain votes of the Democratic Party and to become president. While Eisenhower uses pathos to gain the emotion of autumn of America, he uses anaphora to better convey how there is in need of a new administration. This can be evidenced by him gaining the trust of the American people.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis On Florence Kelley

    1020 Words  | 5 Pages

    Analysis on: Florence Kelley on Child Labor Florence Kelly was a social worker who was passionate about restricting child labor laws, her work inspired her to fight for children. In 1905 Florence Kelly spoke to the National American Woman Suffrage Association, an audience that expected her to speak about women's suffrage. Surprisingly, Florence Kelley spoke to her audience about Child Labor laws, a strategy which captured their attention and evoked confusion and anger. As she continues into her speech the Women's Suffrage Association realizes that her message of Child Labor laws also reveals reasons for women's right to vote. Despite her semi-relevant topic, Florence Kelly is purposeful in the structure of her speech as she begins with confusion,

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis On Florence Kelley

    936 Words  | 4 Pages

    In her 1905 speech to Philadelphia convention of the National American Women's Suffrage Movement, Florence Kelley successfully conveys the much needed reforms and changes to the child labor force, and offers a solution by letting women vote. Highlighting the horrendous conditions these child workers undergo, repeating her key concepts, she appeals to the maternal side of these women. Kelley captivates her audience with a highly effective argument against the conditions child workers undergo, building up empathy before creating a rallying cry and attesting that, in order to solve this, women should be able to take to the ballots. Right out of the gate, Florence Kelley manages to use forceful, emotional appeals to pull her audience in. At the

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of We Are Virginia By Nikki Giovanni

    521 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nikki Giovanni, in his speech , “We are Virginia” tells the audience people that during a tragedy like this one they are going to need people to lift them and persevere through it. The author uses a sympathetic tone throughout the speech to show the audience that it was a day to not forget. “We are Virginia Tech Speech”, Giovanni claims that everyone needs to stay positive, strong, and have each other’s back through this tragedy and look toward the future by using pathos and logos appeals. Giovanni uplifts the audience with repetition in his speech to demonstrate a sense of togetherness with audience. In Giovanni’s first sentence of the speech he says that “We are Virginia Tech” to show the audience that they are a big family and he uses “We” a lot throughout the speech to show that the tragedy is not affecting just one person, but affecting the entire school and towards the end of the speech he says

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis On Florence Kelley

    569 Words  | 3 Pages

    In America’s history, child labor was fiercely criticized. Many activists of child labor laws and women’s suffrage strived to introduce their own viewpoints to the country. Florence Kelley was a reformer who successfully changed the mindset of many Americans through her powerful and persuading arguments. Florence Kelley’s carefully crafted rhetoric strategies such as pathos, repetition, and sarcasm generates an effective and thought provoking tone that was in favor of women’s suffrage and child labor laws. Florence Kelley uses pathos continuously throughout her speech.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Columbia Tragedy Speech

    564 Words  | 3 Pages

    Multi-Paragraph Essay On February 1, 2008, the Columbia Space Shuttle disintegrated while re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, resulting in the fatalities of all seven crew members. The families of these members, as well as all of America, were struck with anguish and heartbreak. With these feelings, the nation looked for a leader to guide them with understanding and authority.

    Read More

  • Nike Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    1846 Words  | 8 Pages

    Nike is one of the most respected brands out there. "Nike is so widespread across so many apparel and footwear categories, that right now I think their biggest competition is themselves," said by Ralph Parks who is the president of the 450-store Footaction chain. He also added that, "The brand is becoming bigger than life itself. " Nike has been around for over 50 years, and according the Nike website, they got their name from the Greek goddess of victory, and it is pronounced "ny'-kee." Nike, like many other companies, uses forms of elements like ethos, pathos and logos to manipulate viewers in there advertisements and commercials.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Telemachus Speech In The Odyssey

    555 Words  | 3 Pages

    In lines (86-87), an example of Pathos is after Telemakos finishes his speech. He throws the sword on the ground and bursts in to tears. All hushed; wave of sympathy ran through the crowd. The persona that Telemachus adopts in his speech is honesty and bravery.

    Read More

  • A Rhetorical Analysis Of Robert May's A Voice From Richmond

    769 Words  | 4 Pages

    Robert May, a preacher in the 1800’s wrote a sermon titled, “A Voice from Richmond” trying to persuade people to not go to the theatre because he believed it made people wicked and tempted too easily. He wrote this sermon right after the Richmond Theatre caught on fire, and after many people had died from it. When the theatre caught on fire, most people stayed in their seats thinking of the fire as part of the play. Consequently, many people died from this misunderstanding, which made the situation far worse and deadlier than had they realized the danger sooner. Through his deep descriptions and compelling logic throughout the sermon, he used various ways to grab his audience’s attention.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Susan B. Anthony's Speech

    991 Words  | 4 Pages

    For example Anthony says, “but this oligarchy of sex, which makes father, brothers, husband, sons, the oligarchs over the mother and sisters, the wife and daughters, of every household” This is very sad since women and girls should not be ruled or told what to do because they are thought of to be less than man. The constitution is in place to have a unified country not to have an oligarchy of men lead households. The pathos appeal is used to show what suffering women are going through due to men ruling them, and not knowing how to fight back. Susan B. Anthony in her speech also says, “Are women persons?.....and no state has the right to make a law, or to enforce an old law, that shall abridge their privileges and immunities.”, which also connects with the emotions of the audience. She is trying to make people feel bad that women are treated less even though they are just as righteous as men to have the same privileges.

    Read More

  • Use Of Pathos In Julius Caesar

    671 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the play Julius Caesar by William shakespeare, Caesar is murdered by the senators of rome, to prevent his power hungry ego from destroying their beloved city. During Caesar's funeral, both Marc Antony and brutus give speeches. Both speeches contain athos, which appeals to emotions, and rhetorical questions, these emphasize both of the speeches in different ways. Although Brutus is a convincing orator, Antony's uses a more effective form of rhetorical questions and pathos, which evokes feelings in the audience.. Pathos is a technique used in writing in order to appeal to the reader's emotions.

    Read More

  • Ethos Pathos Logos In Julius Caesar

    437 Words  | 2 Pages

    Antony uses pathos he communicates to the people in a way that Brutus did not. Since, Antony is not allowed to say anything bad at the funeral he discretely criticizes Brutus and Cassius because he feels that what they did was wrong. For example, when Antony makes a comment that is contrary to what he means, he says “But Brutus is an honourable man”. Antony uses a lot of pathos because he wants the citizens to feel the way he is feeling. For example, he says he wants to read them the letter but he does not want to make them weep because of how much Caesar loved them.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Devices In Lou Gehrig's Farewell Address

    1173 Words  | 5 Pages

    Pathos is when the speech appeals to the audience’s emotions. President Abraham Lincoln uses pathos is this speech to console the audience for the losses that the country has endured during the Civil War. Lincoln uses pathos to convey sadness when he says, “The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.” When saying this Lincoln appeals to the people’s emotions by explaining that their loved ones struggled there and he also appeals to the feeling of pride they feel for their loved ones who dedicated their lives to their cause. Another example of pathos in this speech is, “...that from these honored dead we take increased devotion-that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain…”

    Read More

  • Ethical Appeal In Julius Caesar

    818 Words  | 4 Pages

    Using pathos in this way was very insightful because it reminds the citizens that they were the ones who elected him as emperor of Rome and they loved him and now they don't. Now they would feel guilty since they would feel like it was their fault that Caesar is dead because their love for him turned him emperor in the first

    Read More

More about Rhetorical Analysis Of The Poem 'We Are Virginia Tech' By Nikki Giovanni

Open Document