Rhetorical Context And Analysis
In a first paragraph, complete the following based on readings from the module:
1. First, summarize the speech in a single paragraph of around five sentences, articulate the overall point of the speech. There will be no analysis here.
In a second paragraph, analyze the rhetorical context for your speech. Specifically, you might address the following points of discussion:
1. Who is the specific intended audience of the piece? Discuss everything you can discern about the audience of the piece based only on the content of the piece. How old are they? What is their worldviews? What are their education levels? Note that the intended audience extends beyond the people in the room.
2. What agenda/ message/ purpose does the writer/ speaker have? Can you locate a single sentence in which the writer/ speaker articulates their overall purpose?
3. What are the limitations of the medium of this piece? In other words, what limitations exist in the fact that this is a speech delivered with the option of including visuals?
4. What might change if the speech were, instead, a magazine article or even a podcast? In other words, what would this same message look like if it were being communicated in another medium?
Choose 1 of the 2 Speeches
“Work Is Not Your Family” (opens in new window): a speech by Gloria Chan Packer, a mental health advocate, about the dangers of blurring lines between our professional and home lives
· “My Journey to Thank All the People Responsible for my Morning Coffee” (opens in new window): a speech by A.J. Jacobs about rewiring the brain to focus on the positive things through an emphasis on gratitude
