Rhetorical Analysis Of The Speech The Graduates Didn T Hear

Infuriating Insult In “The Speech The Graduates Didn’t Hear,” Dr. Neusner attempted to sway his audience (the American student) into the unpleasant realization that life after college isn’t as simple as they had anticipated. Acknowledging that a majority of his audience won’t see him again, he utilized a strict, rational appeal rather than a typical inspirational speech. Despite verbally insulting his audience, his intention was to motivate and trigger a response that would yield a more industrious group of graduates. Dr. Neusner established his persona as an authoritative college professor that does not care whether his audience condemns him. He supported his manipulative speech by appealing to his audience’s emotions. Dr.

This also leaves Dr. Neusner as a hypocrite and a liar because he stated, “Confronting difficulty by quitting leaves you changed” (Neusner), and his “pretense” was his way of avoiding responsibility. He also suggested that the students were irresponsible by stating, “When you did not keep appointments, we made new ones. When your work came in beyond the deadline, we pretended not to care” (Neusner). Despite his scolding assertions, Dr. Neusner’s persona and criticism were effective in pressuring some students to work harder than they had in the past. In his speech, Dr. Neuster employed various appeals to support his argument and to effectively produce his intended result. He appealed to guilt by assuming that his audience were not completely efficient all semester, and could have achieved greater accomplishments. This was evident in the statement: “When you tossed on our desks writing upon which you had not labored, we read it and even responded, as though you earned a response.” He also applied guilt to the students who demanded for a better grade and defended their errors by stating, “You will be ill-advised to demand praise for what does not deserve it, and abuse those who do not give it” (Neusner). He questioned the student’s values by addressing them as “Peer pressured adolescents” (Neusner) that are easily manipulated by the interests of their peers. Using his appeals, Dr. Neusner was able to mentally motivate the students to prove him