De La Cruz, Matt Judson M.
Prof. Dulce Maria V. Deriada
ENG262: Problems in Rhetoric
February 26, 2018
A Rhetorical Analysis of Steve Job’s Commencement Speech
Steve Jobs is truly a visionary and an artistic genius in leading Apple to where it is now. My profound passion of his products was a result of his exceptional prowess in blending art and technology. Apple products were not just functional but were also absolutely beautifully made by a magnificent artist. He remains a personal inspiration so selecting one of the four speeches was not a difficult task. The speech was the commencement address delivered by Steve Jobs, Apple Chief Executive Office, on June 12, 2005 at Stanford University. Aside from reading the transcript, I actually had the opportunity of watching the video as he delivered his commencement speech as it was posted on Stanford University’s website.
Steve Jobs was able to successfully integrate rhetorical aspects and concepts into his commencement speech before Stanford graduates. Steve Jobs was able to associate with his audience as he shared his valuable personal experiences and heartfelt reflections that truly moved his listeners. He effectively used three kinds of appeal altogether including logos (rational appeal), pathos (emotional appeal), and ethos (ethical appeal) based on three stories that shape his credibility and arouse emotions mainly focusing on realization, love, loss, and death in order to thoughtfully inspire Standford graduates to truly pursue their personal desires or follow one’s passions in life.
Steve Jobs effectively appealed to the emotions (pathos) of his audience even as he stated the introductory line of his speech when he stated “I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation” (Jobs). These statements manifest a great sense of humility given his paramount level of success as an entrepreneur and inventor despite the fact that Jobs was not able to graduate from college, which also displayed an ethical appeal (ethos). This fact did not affect his credibility as a commencement speaker and Jobs’ position is considered as one of the most distingushed personalities and renowned technological innovators of our time even though he was not successful from an academic standpoint was what made him one of the best commencement speakers.
Subsequent to his forceful introduction (exordium), Jobs indicated his desire to share three stories about his life in which many people in his audience not just limited to Stanford graduates can profoundly relate to. Based on the speech transcript, Jobs used a simple sentence structure and his concise sentences made sense both lexically and structurally. Examples include the following statements from Jobs:
“Today I want to tell you three stories.”
“The first story is about connecting the dots.”
“My second story is about love and loss.”
“My third story is about death.
He also Jobs’ speech initially revolved around on “connecting the dots,” which is the first story he shared about his life that centered on his early years coming from an underprivileged family. He shared by stating the reason why he dropped out of college based on the following statements:
“It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college. And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK.” (Jobs)
Jobs then professed that dropping out of college was one of the best decisions he ever made in his life. This provided him with the golden opportunity to cease taking classes that did not entice him and focus on taking classes that were interesting. The outcome of his decisions led him to uncover his passion for calligraphy that helped him design the first Mac computer after a decade. Jobs then stated with humor, “If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it's likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do” (Jobs).
I can personally relate to the concept of “connecting the dots” and now makes sense because had I not resigned as a banker in an international bank and enrolled in a second course in special education, I would not have been given the opportunity to work in the United States as well as travel to different countries around the world. It was not an easy transition and I had waited three years prior to getting a job overseas. I actually thought I would never get the job and then thought about starting all over again by working in the banking industry. However, I really love my new profession as a teacher and decided to continue teaching in the Philippines until the golden opportunity arrived. I was very happy that I waited and persevered.
Based on the first story, Jobs was able to successfully appeal to the emotions (pathos) of his audience giving them the gist that one can be successful as long as you seize the moment and discover your passions in life regardless of your background or status in life. Moreover, Jobs also made a rational appeal (logos) when he said, “It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned Coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on” (Jobs). This statement exemplifies how Jobs was able to successfully win over setbacks he experienced in life. On another note, Jobs was able to include two examples of antithesis, which refers to the juxtaposition of opposing ideas, often in parallel structures (Corbett and Connors) based on the first story. The examples include the following statements: “If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in…” and “Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward” (Jobs). Moreover, Jobs stated a meaningful ending on his first story when he said, “So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life” (Jobs).
Thereafter, Jobs’ second story dealt with love and loss. He was able to showcase a part of history consisting of defeat and triumph allowing the audience to reflect on taking the pathway to success while overcoming various hardships in life. Jobs narrated that he discovered his passion at an early stage in his life and continued to do that for a decade. Jobs considered his several misfortunes as a blessing as it was through his failures that led him to start anew with the creation of two very successful companies and paved the way for him to meet the love of his life. Jobs realized that all these wonderful turn of events would not have been possible if he was not fired from Apple and said that “I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love” (Jobs). He never gave up when he was at his lowest point in his career and had the willingness to start all over again, which truly inspired the audience when he was able to persevere instead of completely abandoning everything including what he truly loved to do. All these events were able to boost his credibility, as he is one of our inspirational leaders who achieved great triumph over adversity.
Jobs also employed antithesis when he said, “The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again…” (Jobs). Moreover, alliteration, which is defined as the repetition of initial consonants in two or more adjacent words (Corbett and Connors), can be observed in “being a beginner” and Anadiplosis, which is the repetition of the last word of one clause a the beginning of the following clause (Corbett and Connors) was evident when Jobs said, “…the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. Jobs commendably employs repetition to reinforce his key arguments with the phrase “Don’t settle.” Jobs stated, “Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.” Jobs’ application of repetition and metaphors support the strategic rhetorical features of his speech. These not only allow Jobs to reinforce his key arguments but provide him with the opportunity to effectively engage his audience. The execution of the three kinds of appeal altogether including logos (rational appeal), pathos (emotional appeal), and ethos (ethical appeal) coupled with the rhetorical devices is very evident in the final episode of his speech, which elicited feelings of sympathy from his audience. Jobs stated the following:
“Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.”
Jobs successfully used pathos when he narrated that he was diagnosed with cancer and applied ethos that he experienced moments of misery given his health condition. He did not waste any time and made the most of his life when the doctors’ advised him that he will only live no longer than three to six months and that is what he also wants to share with the Stanford graduates that they need to focus on doing things that they truly love as his near death episode signifies that life is indeed fleeting. As Jobs said, “Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” This is also related to the subsequent statements below and Jobs also illustrated his effective use of both pathos and logos when he gave his point of view on death when he said the following:
“Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” (Jobs)
Jobs’ use of anaphora, which is the repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses (Corbett and Connors), was evident when he repeated the following words: “all”, “It means to,” and “don’t” at the start of three sequential clauses – “…all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure.” “It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.” “…don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice.” These examples were used to produce a strong emotional effect and show a marked rhythm. Jobs also used assonance, which is the repetition of similar vowel sounds, preceded and followed by different consonants, in stressed syllables of adjacent words (Corbett and Connors) when he said, “And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”
At the end of the third story, Jobs shared the words “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish” from an American counterculture magazine and product catalog published by Stewart Brand, The Whole Earth Catalog. These words had a lasting impact on his life that enables an ethical appeal (ethos) as the statement implies that one should never be satisfied, and always push yourself as well as be ready to step out of your comfort zone to try new things. Repetition of “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” deepens scope and magnifies strength to his key arguments and effectively summarizes his thoughts with the audience.
Jobs’ commencement speech effectively used rhetorical concepts of ethos, logos, and pathos that made it truly inspiring and definitely made a huge impact to Stanford graduates as they embark on new adventures ahead. Jobs’ sentimental anecdotes provided the audience with an opportunity to somehow experience a rich assortment of emotions throughout his discourse. As a result, the Stanford graduates were able to capture the key points presented and may relate to struggles in life such as accepting rejections in job applications or accepting failures for first-time employees. It is how a person truly copes with or overcomes any obstacles or challenges that make all the difference. Jobs connected exceptionally well with his audience who learned so many things based on his inspiring life stories alone. He does not speak down to the students, but rather he levels out the playing field. They students can relate to Jobs because everyone encounters struggles in life
Jobs’ employed structural repetition to highlight his argument that need to chase their passions in life. Jobs’ excellent yet sincere and simple discourse delivery strengthened the rhetorical value and made him truly credible as a commencement speaker in a very prestigious educational institution.
References
Jobs, Steve. “Find What You Love.” 2005. PDF file.
Jobs, Steve. “You’ve Got to Find What You Love,’ Jobs Says.” Stanford University, 14 June
2005. http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html. Accessed 16 February 2018.
Salonga, A. (2004). Problems in Rhetoric. Diliman, Quezon City: UP Open University Office of
Academic Support and Instructional Services.