Taylor Swift Rhetorical Devices

Taylor Swift is a very well-known person. She is known for her iconic music, her outstanding concerts, and just how talented she is as a human being. A lot of people who love her music have a place for her in their hearts and now, the graduates of the class of 2022 have Taylor in their hearts after her extraordinary speech at NYU. She spoke out moving words to the graduates as well as getting a doctorate herself. Taylor gave the class some ¨life hacks¨ in her speech about moving forward in life. While some parts of her speech were funny and humorous, she talked about how it is okay to not be perfect and that everyone makes mistakes. Throughout her speech, Taylor was effective using Ethos, Pathos, and Logos along with rhetorical devices to grab

To put it another way, Taylor´s speech was outstanding and very effective. Although sometimes one can feel like people like Taylor Swift cannot be taken seriously because she is always in glittery outfits and having fun as a music artist, she really knows how to speak inspirational words to others. She incorporated analogies between her and the graduates. She had a very specific theme about not being perfect. That everyone makes mistakes and there are obstacles in everyone's life that happen for a reason. She talks about her education and how she stopped public school as a sophomore then went homeschooled so she can travel the world and make music. She explains that music was in the way of school which was her obstacle, but that did not stop Taylor from continuing her passion for music and becoming a talented artist. She made an analogy to the graduates'

Ethos was a very important appeal for her speech. People who want to make a difference or move people with their words, need ethos on their side and Taylor had just that. Taylor had confidence all throughout her speech. When she talked about serious and important topics she was not afraid to speak out about personal experiences and examples of those situations. She followed through with a strong voice so she can be heard by all and have a very cohesive speech. Her powerful voice showed personal credibility to get the audience's attention . During her speech, there were some parts where she ties in her music career or song lyrics to use credibility of her music career. For instance she said things like, ¨Last time I was in a stadium this size, I was dancing in heels and wearing a glittery leotard¨. This was her opening line to create a humorous atmosphere for the NYU graduates. The audience was also able to trust her during her speech. She would say things such as, ¨So I won’t tell you what to do because no one likes that. I will, however, give you some life hacks I wish I knew when I was starting out my dreams of a career, and navigating life, love, pressure, choices, shame, hope and friendship¨. This statement stood out to me as Taylor getting comfortable with everyone and telling them that it is okay and that they can trust her instead