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Rhetorical Analysis Of First Lady Barbara Bush's Speech

529 Words3 Pages

Your First and Last Name
Mrs. Dockter
American Literature
17 January 2023
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First Lady Barbara Bush was an incredible woman of American history. Bush was not only married to one of our contemporary presidents, but was also a mother to one (“Barbara Bush”). This shows me that she was a strong woman, capable of fulfilling her duties as a president’s wife, and later, mother to one. According to the article “Barbara Bush”, she was known for her quick wit and fiery personality, which she had to heavily moderate after her husband decided to run for the presidency. When I picture the first lady, I don’t picture someone who has a hard time controlling her temper, which I’m sure made things interesting at the White House. Her life …show more content…

One reason her speech was so popular was through her use of humor, and the tone that resonated with her female audience. “Somewhere out in this audience may even be someone who will one day follow in my footsteps, and preside over the White House as the President’s spouse. I wish him well!” (Commencement Address to the Wellesley College Class of 1990). As Barbara Bush was speaking at an all-female college, her tongue-in-cheek remark that one of them may be a future president by indicating a male would take her position, shows her sense of humor and ability to gain favor with her crowd. Another persuasive technique that made her speech impactful is the presence of antithesis. “Diversity is not just tolerated, but is embraced” (Commencement Address to the Wellesley College Class of 1990). Bush draws special attention to this idea of diversity and how students at the college go above and beyond to exemplify what sets their university apart by comparing them to the rest of the world in this opposition of ideas. The final reason her speech is considered persuasive is through her use of metaphor. “And so you need not, and probably cannot, live a ‘paint-by-numbers’ life” (Commencement Address to the Wellesley College Class of 1990). This metaphor is comparing the predictable and safe paint-by-numbers activity to a safe and predictable life, to which she challenges them to avoid. Because of these techniques, and many others, Bush’s speech at the commencement ceremony put her on the map as a powerful

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