Amidst the Red Scare at a high school graduation ceremony, William Faulkner conveys his reasoning to high schoolers that in order to change the world they have to overcome fear. Faulkner emphasizes his purpose by using repetition and word choice. In an overall encouraging speech, the speaker displays his purpose using repeated phrases. For instance, he said, “..when you have got old..you are tired..
In life, there are decisions made by the powerful few, that effect the powerless many. Oftentimes, we find ourselves oppressed by a systematic institution designed to benefit the masses, but they end up oppressing us. Throughout American history, there have been varying degrees of enslavement and indentured servitude which oppressed African-Americans and American youth. From the plantation to the factory, these systems have had magnificent effects on the economy. Through the use of personification in her speech, Florence Kelley develops the idea of fixing today's mistakes by learning from yesterday’s failures.
William Faulkner’s quote, “...issues of the Revolution are not
Wendell Phillips, a prominent white American abolitionist, gave an empowering and reverent speech regarding his admiration for former slave and Haitian general, Toussaint-Louverture. Phillips uses the power of figurative language and rhetorical devices to reveal an unmistakable abolitionist passion for African American rights, and attempts to ignite this enthusiasm into the hearts and minds of the audience through his zealous attitude. Phillips employs hyperbole, understatement, and metaphor to persuade the audience that the support of African American soldiers will be an influencing aspect in an impending American victory. The speech is rife with parallel structure and reference to historical allusions. This technique allows him to praise Toussaint-Louverture while also influencing and inspiring onlookers.
William Faulkner came from a Southern family From Oxford Mississippi. He was part of the canadian and later the british royal air force. He flew during world war I and studied at the University of Mississippi. He worked for a bookstore and a newspaper for a short time then went to hollywood to be a scriptwriter. But he would work on his short stories and novels at a farm house in Oxford, Mississippi.
“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do” (Pele qtd. In Soccerlens). Countless people have done amazing things through perseverance. Sonny was an average boy in a mining town, but he started building rockets and learned a valuable life lesson.
William Faulkner had a faith in humanity that few possess. In his 1950 Nobel Prize acceptance speech, he proclaimed that, “man will not merely endure: he will prevail”. He felt humans contained a certain compassion in our spirits, which is very valuable. Faulkner views America as a place where people often have more compassion or intelligence than they let on, especially in the rural areas. Everyone is capable of having these traits, but not everyone uses them.
This speech given by William Faulkner unites together students at University High School in Oxford to fight against the injustice that wishes to take over. He believes the graduating class has the ability to get past the powers he refers to in the passage, even though some only see this graduating class as the youth. To show that he is truly genuine in what he is speaking about, he makes useful references from history, powerful diction to describe the opposing forces and a consistency of his style of writing. Towards the end of the speech, Faulkner mentions men in power who have used people’s fear to their advantage in order to rise in leadership.
And knowing that his audience is educated on the subject lends him credibility because
During a time when the world was still reeling from the casualties of World War II, William Faulkner, an author and a poet accepted a Nobel Prize for his phenomenal writing. In the speech, Faulkner’s purpose is to talk to the young audience members who may face the same desolation and hardship he once did. Throughout the speech he talks about how young authors battle with their fear overcoming the work they produce. He also mentions that they must learn to defeat said fear.
David Foster Wallace’s commencement speech “This is Water” at Kenyon College is often thought of as one of the most influential speeches because it calls the graduates to observe the world around them through a different lens. However, he does not accomplish that by calling the graduates to action, but instead challenges them to use their education. He also appeals to the students’ emotions through his use of ethos, logos, and pathos. Although people mostly only remember the antidotes, it is the message associated with reoccurring emotions and literary devices throughout the speech that moves the reader into action. Wallace is able to captivate his audience and persuade them to view the world without themselves at the center through his tactful use of rhetoric.
This piece connects and alludes to Langston Hughes excerpts of his life in the north to help us understand what life was like for those outside of the south as they experienced discrimination in the
Ralph Ellison shows a primary example of exactly what he is encouraging readers to do with en excerpt from his own life. This piece also serves to be a token of remembrance to past times of harsh, illogical, ill-willed, discrimination. It teaches us many valuable lessons about how we should live our lives, while also being a reminder of the past, lest we forget the horrors that were a product of people not unlike
Coughlan also refers to William Faulkner, as a successful business man, started in Ripley the Railroad Company, and was also a writer (Coughlan 34). In the journal Faulkner and the Civil War: Myth and Reality by Douglas T. Miller states, "... Faulkner 's utilization of historical fact is the fictional career of Colonel John Sartoris, which so closely parallels the career of the authors own great-grandfather, Colonel William C. Falkner ' ' (Miller). The author Miller explains also the similarities between Faulkner 's great-grandfather and of his character Colonel Sartoris with such as, "... both fought well, but were demoted in rank ..." (Miller).
It also makes it easier for listeners to believe his message, because it is
