Writing Goals:
Go back to the thesis and support analysis with concise detail
Reading Goals:
Analyze a piece that has a strong appeal to its audience
When asked to name famous orators, common responses include Adolf Hitler, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan. However, one does not need to be famous political figure in order to give a memorable speech. Nick Selby, a Mechanical Engineer Major at Georgia Institute of Technology, presented the 2013-2014 freshman class with a convocation speech like none other. Rather than giving a bland and boring oration, Selby strategically employed simplicity, comedy, and music to welcome the new students to Georgia Tech and set them on the right track for college through his advice.
Beginning his speech, Selby first reminds the freshman class why they are present and then gives a quick outline as to what he will say: the 10 things most important lessons he learned in his first year. Already, his audience foreshadows that they will be provided with mini anecdotes. Throughout his speech, Selby numbered his experiences by explicitly stating "One... Two... Three..." Simplicity in his speech was a major factor that allowed Selby's audience to easily distinguish between each "lesson", thus enabling him to achieve his purpose. Formatting his speech as a list breaks up Selby's overarching message into 10 smaller and more interesting topics, making every bit of advice clear and concise. This sets Selby up to send his message later in his speech.
However, a speech as simple as a list would make it monotonous, probably putting everyone to sleep. In order to further the chances of achieving his goal, Selby includes comedy. He first advises students to call their mothers. At first, this was probably disregarded by many, but by adding, "just make sure there aren't screaming girls, loud music, and some guys yelling obscenities in the background," Selby puts smiles and laughter in the audience, subtly planting advice into the students' minds. In the middle of his speech, Selby modulated his voice and said, "I am going to build the Iron Man suit." Again bringing laughter, those words actually have a deeper meaning. His comic words encouraged students to be ambitious and to do the impossible, just as Selby sought to do at Georgia Tech.
Near the end of his speech, Selby had dramatic music play in the background as he passionately screamed, "If you want to change the world, you can do that! You're at Georgia Tech. If you want to build the Iron Man Suit, you can do that! You're at Georgia Tech. If you want to play theme music during your convocation speech like a bad***, we can do that! We're at Georgia Tech." The music, complemented with his repetition, ended his speech strong, channeling his message to the audience - anything is possible if you are visionary. By playing music during his speech, which many would not think of doing, he demonstrated that a lot can be accomplished with effort.
Nick Selby, a determined engineering student, successfully achieved his purpose of setting the 2013-2014 freshman class to be inspired and ambitious students. By exposing his audience with simplicity in his speech, Selby easily got his points across. Additionally, his comedy and music had a powerful appeal to pathos, making Selby's speech entertaining yet didactic. To conclude his speech, Nick Selby asked that students "brace [themselves] on a hell of a ride, on [their] way of becoming a hell of an engineer."
Go back to the thesis and support analysis with concise detail
Reading Goals:
Analyze a piece that has a strong appeal to its audience
When asked to name famous orators, common responses include Adolf Hitler, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan. However, one does not need to be famous political figure in order to give a memorable speech. Nick Selby, a Mechanical Engineer Major at Georgia Institute of Technology, presented the 2013-2014 freshman class with a convocation speech like none other. Rather than giving a bland and boring oration, Selby strategically employed simplicity, comedy, and music to welcome the new students to Georgia Tech and set them on the right track for college through his advice.
Beginning his speech, Selby first reminds the freshman class why they are present and then gives a quick outline as to what he will say: the 10 things most important lessons he learned in his first year. Already, his audience foreshadows that they will be provided with mini anecdotes. Throughout his speech, Selby numbered his experiences by explicitly stating "One... Two... Three..." Simplicity in his speech was a major factor that allowed Selby's audience to easily distinguish between each "lesson", thus enabling him to achieve his purpose. Formatting his speech as a list breaks up Selby's overarching message into 10 smaller and more interesting topics, making every bit of advice clear and concise. This sets Selby up to send his message later in his speech.
However, a speech as simple as a list would make it monotonous, probably putting everyone to sleep. In order to further the chances of achieving his goal, Selby includes comedy. He first advises students to call their mothers. At first, this was probably disregarded by many, but by adding, "just make sure there aren't screaming girls, loud music, and some guys yelling obscenities in the background," Selby puts smiles and laughter in the audience, subtly planting advice into the students' minds. In the middle of his speech, Selby modulated his voice and said, "I am going to build the Iron Man suit." Again bringing laughter, those words actually have a deeper meaning. His comic words encouraged students to be ambitious and to do the impossible, just as Selby sought to do at Georgia Tech.
Near the end of his speech, Selby had dramatic music play in the background as he passionately screamed, "If you want to change the world, you can do that! You're at Georgia Tech. If you want to build the Iron Man Suit, you can do that! You're at Georgia Tech. If you want to play theme music during your convocation speech like a bad***, we can do that! We're at Georgia Tech." The music, complemented with his repetition, ended his speech strong, channeling his message to the audience - anything is possible if you are visionary. By playing music during his speech, which many would not think of doing, he demonstrated that a lot can be accomplished with effort.
Nick Selby, a determined engineering student, successfully achieved his purpose of setting the 2013-2014 freshman class to be inspired and ambitious students. By exposing his audience with simplicity in his speech, Selby easily got his points across. Additionally, his comedy and music had a powerful appeal to pathos, making Selby's speech entertaining yet didactic. To conclude his speech, Nick Selby asked that students "brace [themselves] on a hell of a ride, on [their] way of becoming a hell of an engineer."
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