Rhetorical Analysis Of Commencement Address By Rita Dove

In her commencement address at the University of Virginia, Professor Rita Dove - Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and former US poet laureate - expresses her wishes for the graduating students on how to be fulfilled in life by lightening the mood with light-hearted quips and giving credibility to her advice with accomplished figures as examples. Dove includes small quips and jokes to keep the audience engaged and lighten the otherwise serious tone. Instances of this include early in the speech when Dove calls herself a “contrary fairy godmother” and a “wily genie”. This allows the audience of nervous graduating students to feel more relaxed throughout the rest of the speech so they are more likely to pay attention. When someone is stressed or anxious

Toward the end, she also includes a bit saying that the students can not wait for revelation to come in a “cloud of gossamer and angelic sighs”. Dove does all of this to make her audience more relaxed and engaged through laughter. Another reason is that it makes what she says more memorable because it’s interesting and funny instead of bland and monotonous. These are people who will no doubt be listening to a dozen different speeches throughout the night, so Dove has to find a way to stand out from the rest, and she does that through these quips. Therefore, the students are more likely to take what she says to heart and less likely to forget it in a matter of days. By including these jokes and lighthearted tones, Rita Dove has a more engaged audience and memorable speech. Moreover, Dove increases the credibility of her advice by giving accomplished figures as examples. When speaking about why she wishes the students hard work, Dove cites actress Lupita Nyong’o, classical flautist James Galway, and her father, who was the first African-American research chemist to cross the color barrier in the tire and rubber