Ella Burns 02-22-2023 Rhetorical Analysis Essay Darren Keenan and his use of Rhetorical Devices to Further his Speech “You are Able to Break the Label” From a young age, we are all taught to never judge a book by its cover, so why do we? The speech “You are Able to Break the Label by Darren Keenan” is one that tells a story of a young boy who was born into a life he knew he didn’t want to be stuck in, so he worked hard to break the label he was assigned at birth and to become the man he knew he was. His speech is incredibly compelling and it made for a good listen. Overall, this is a powerful and moving speech, and he creates a powerful message. In his speech, he focuses on how he has been stereotyped and labeled all his life due to how …show more content…
Ethos is credibility and he brings credibility into this argument by proving himself and the experiences he has had in his life. He explains how he gained leadership experience by becoming the governor of his college, having an internship with Helen Hayes, and working in her parliamentary office, and he had the opportunity to get two activist fellowships that were competitive. By stating the many impressive opportunities he had, he is able to show that he has the experience and background to make him a credible person. Pathos is emotion and how well a person uses emotion to convey a point and make the audience feel for them. Keenan uses pathos by talking about his upbringing and how he was not born with the connections and opportunities that most people who are giving these speeches are born with. He says “By all accounts, I shouldn’t be standing here today” and I think that statement is powerful because many people can relate to being born into a life full of struggles and hardships but working hard and pulling themselves through. He speaks on his upbringing and how he was raised by parents that were drug abusers and how he was left to fend for himself, going to a gang-filled community center late at night and having them show him kindness and give him money for food. This is a great use of pathos because he brings emotion to the speech by it makes you feel for him. It is hard to hear about a kid who was born with little to no opportunities. However, it also brings pride because it is powerful and empowering to hear the story of a child who was born with no opportunities and yet created an amazing and impressive life for themselves. Keenan uses many examples of ethos and pathos in his speech and I believe that he uses these devices in a very smart way and they make his speech even more