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Jk Rowling Rhetorical Analysis Essay

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Rhetorical Analysis of J.K. Rowling Harvard Speech J.K. Rowling is an author who is known worldwide for her Harry Potter series. In 2008 she was selected to be the honorary speaker at the Harvard graduation ceremony. She makes connections with the audience by mentioning her book, using strategies such as repetition and juxtaposition, and also by throwing the audience into her past where she commemorates the struggles and triumphs she has endured since her own college experiences. She uses her past as an instrument to display the things she has learned throughout her years as well as to advise students to use knowledge constructively in the future. During the introduction of her speech as well as the closing, Rowling uses her novels to relieve …show more content…

Because this piece was written to be spoken, the use of repetition has a greater impact. While the audience listens, they can detect the emphasis the speaker puts on certain words. For example, Rowling reveals a specific instance from her past, where a young man who lost everything wished happiness for Rowling’s future. Not only was this ironic considering the horrible acts this man has endured, but it was also very impactful because of the way Rowling depicted it. This highlights another main idea, that life is a gift and there are always people who have it worse. This same concept returns in the last line of her speech when Rowling finishes with, “I wish you all very good lives”. This statement is directly related to the prior words of the young man. As well as this, Rowling repeated this to her audience in hopes of keeping the cycle going. To Rowling, aiding in others happiness as well as helping those who cannot help themselves is important. The use of repetition is to emphasize the idea of maintaining one 's values and working hard to make sure this happens. By placing her wishes for the students at the end of her speech, she leaves them thinking about what their values are, and how important it is to preserve them. Also, Rowling uses juxtaposition as a form of showing that there are two sides to every situation. She wants her audience to know that depending on perspective, outcome can be affected.

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