This Land Is Your Land Jason Reynolds Rhetorical Devices

Zoey Brown

Advanced Honors

Mrs.Korey

March 20th, 2023

Rhetorical Analysis - Jason Reynolds

Even doing the right thing can lead to bad things. In his very impactful and cleverly crafted speech given to Lesley University graduates, Jason Reynolds gives them advice on how to do right but not to get too cocky. The speech emotionally engages his audience through the use of metaphors and humor to convey how important it is to stay grounded.

To emphasize Reynolds' use of emotion, he starts his speech with humor. Humor is a great way to attract an audience's attention, somehow it gives the listener something to relate to. For example, he starts the speech by mocking the “we did it” speeches everyone hears at graduation whether it's elementary school, middle school, high school, or college. He also brings comedy by commenting on how long it took to get the cap on his head and ridiculing his past teachers' appearance and ideas. The little attention to detail can gain a chuckle from the audience, and bring the speaker closer to the viewers. He also told a generalized story that felt as though everyone in the audience could connect to it.

Jason uses the song “ This Land is your Land” to evoke nostalgia. He also told the story of his senior-year global studies teacher, Mr. Williams. He showed how much the scenario had affected him which moved the way the audience listened. He made the speech personal but in some way personal to the crowd as well. Using the detail when the fish was on the ground, “it flipped, and it flopped, and it flapped, gasping, inflating, deflating, dying”, made the viewers feel as though they were there the whole time, in the classroom, Mr. Williams watching this fish slowly run out of life. He also gives advice he wished he had at the