Keily Marrero
February 9/2020
Michelle Obama Rhetorical Analysis
Former first lady Michelle Obama came to New York City and gave a speech on the campus of City College of New York. The medium and genre was a speech that was motivational and inspiring that talked about the challenges people of all races have to overcome to succeed. This rhetorical analysis will explain her speech and how she was able to effectively deliver her message.
The rhetorical situation in this speech is that Michelle Obama wanted to congratulate the students for graduating that year and how hard they had work to achieve their success. She also wanted to acknowledge the fact that she could’ve went to any college she wanted but ended up deciding in City College. This is because she sees this school as a place where people from all different nationalities can come together and put in their hard work to achieve something greater. This is shown where she says: “at this school you represent more than 150 nationalities. You speak more than 100 different languages. You represent just about every possible color and culture” (Obama,1). Since this her last commencement address, she wanted this one be meaningful, something that people would remember and apply it to their daily lives. Michelle was the author and highly addresses the need to push on through obstacle despite how hard they might be at that moment. All the student at CCNY can and will relate to this even after they graduate, they will still face obstacles along their journey. Her purpose was to give them motivation to all the students, that despite your race or culture you can’t let that get in the way of achieving your goals. The reason this is so motivational and impactful is because Michelle Obama is a credible person and highly liked across the country. She has done many charitable things during her husband’s presidency and has always been well spoken. She has shared her life with the public and made herself vulnerable in that way. This only makes her appear more friendly and relatable the public eye. Her language is very toned done in a way where she doesn’t sound like she’s making a political speech but is still getting her point across.
The students present on that day will know that this speech was read to them but what they might not realize was that her audience was to everyone who is a minority. She puts a high emphasis on minorities and the struggle people have to face in their day to day lives. Race has nothing to do with how successful you can become if you apply yourself and make sacrifices. An example of is said: “founded on the fundamental truth that talent and ambition know on distinctions of race, nationality, wealth, or fame, and dedicated to the ideals that our founding fathers put forth more than two centuries ago.” (Obama,2). The tone or attitude towards the audience is motivational and powerful. She wants this to be impactful and for that she needs to be relatable and inspiring. Many of the students look up to her that day and she did this by not putting others below her or showing she’s better than anyone. The whole purpose of this speech is to inspire young students and people all across the country to work hard and not put and emphasis on race and the color of your skin. Everyone has problems in their lives and by dividing ourselves we create this environment that is toxic and even more difficult to achieve things. Her stance is that in order to progress and move on we have to work together, and that’s why she talks a lot about the importance of coming together and embracing our differences. She says: “this dynamic, inclusive place where you all have had the chance to really get to know each other, to listen to each other’s languages. Pushing each other to question old assumptions and consider new perspectives” (Obama,2).
To sum up, Michelle Obama’s speech was beautifully inspirational and when you examine it, there’s many possible audiences and tones she’s addressing. The most prominent is the racial issue we have in the United States. To this day with our current president there’s more to see. This was as memorable for the staff and students as it is for anyone who watches the video at home thinking they can do anything. This is why her speech was highly affective in conveying her message.
Work Cited
“Commencement Address by First Lady Michelle Obama.” The City College of New York, www.ccny.cuny.edu/commencement/commencement-address-first-lady-michelle-obama
