Jason Reynolds Rhetorical Analysis - Honors

Jason Reynolds’ Graduation Speech Rhetorical Analysis
Directions: Identify one example of the following rhetorical devices from Reynolds’ speech
(you may copy and paste the text from the speech transcript). Then write what effect that part
of the speech had on you (how did it make you feel). Following this, please respond to the
questions at the bottom of the page:
Logos:
Effect: Using these facts he is able to tell the truth and relate to the audience
Ethos: The first thing I would like to say is, thank you. Thank you for inviting me, of all people,
to come tell you what you’ve already been told at multiple commencement ceremonies
throughout your academic lives.
Effect: This shows his modesty and he tells the audience the truth about what he is about to
say, establishing credibility.
Pathos: “The first thing I would like to say is, thank you. Thank you for inviting me, of all people,
to come...”
Effect: This quote gives the audience a sense of awe, and makes them more interested in what
the speaker has to say. While watching the speech, I imagined myself in the audience. When he
was thanking the audience, his strong tone and influential voice also made me feel a sense of
awe and admiration.
Rhetorical Analysis Questions
1. At the beginning of his speech, what bit of humor helps Jason Reynolds charm his
audience?
He tells about how our different graduations might have gone, with many saying “We
made it”, or “You made it”. He uses these clichés to formulate humor and open the first
part of his speech with strong, humorous words.
2. Reynolds tells the audience that this day in Mr. Williams’ class was “the single most
important day in my entire academic experience and one of the most transformative
moments in my life. It has haunted me ever since.” Why, do you suppose, Reynolds is
haunted by this memory?
He is haunted by the memory because it was unexpected and traumatizing, and how the
good people got punished.
3. Mr. Williams taught global studies, a class designed to give students a view of life
beyond the United States. Thinking globally, what group of people might be represented
by the birds flying far overhead and what group of people might be represented by
“those of us whose wings have been clipped” or “those of us who dwell in unknown
spaces, those of us who are beautiful beyond belief but that sometimes exist in environs
too deep and murky to be seen from any stable surface.”
The birds flying over our heads are 1st world countries where poverty is low, and the
people are satisfied such as the Scandinavian countries and some parts of North America. Those
“of us whose wings have been clipped” would be much of India, many countries surrounding
India, and North/South Korea. The fact that so many countries are so poverty stricken is sad to
me. Us as a civilization have so many problems on our hands (poverty, climate change, etc.)
that it’s hard to believe that we don’t do something about it. Instead we argue about whose
beliefs are correct about a virus that has killed millions of people (this hits me especially hard
because my grandmother died from COVID).
4. Reynolds concludes his speech by imploring the graduates to not only spread their
beautiful wings, but also stay close to the ground and “ask if anyone could use a feather
or two.” What does he mean by this?
He means you should ask if others need help getting off of their feet and getting back to
work. Sometimes people fall down (figuratively) and have a hard time getting back up.
This is where you can come in and help them (giving them a “feather or two” to help
them fly again).
5. Is Reynolds an effective speaker? If yes, what specific techniques make this speech work
for you? If no, how could he improve?
Jason Reynolds is an effective speaker because he knows how to relate to the audience
in a funny/sarcastic way. He had a very good narrative writing style when he was telling
the story about the fish.
6. How did the speech make you feel? What emotions did the speech evoke?
The speech made me feel a few different emotions. For one, the speech made me
grateful for what I have and that I have people to catch me if I fall. Many others don’t have that;
and if they fall, they don’t get back up.
7. Do you believe that the audience was receptive and open to Reynolds’ speech? Why or
why not?
The audience was receptive and open to Reynolds’ speech. They laughed at his jokes
and you could hear a few people cheer at times through the speech. As expressed in question 5,
he helps for his speech to relate to the audience.
8. As the two girls who rescued Confucius leave the classroom, Mr. Williams tells them to
“pick your heads up...you, in fact, did the right thing, but sometimes doing the right
thing has consequences.” Relate this idea to a real-life incident or a work of fiction
you’ve read where someone had to pay a price for doing the right thing.
Alek: In middle school, I was in P.E. one day playing basketball as our class activity for
the day. The coach split us up into groups and I had a group of ill-tempered guys. When
playing another team, one of my players and one of theirs got into a scuffle over
practically nothing. I intervened and got hit in the back by a stray basketball aimed at
one of the two I was trying to calm down. The coach then gave me a check (given if ill
behavior is demonstrated. Three checks was detention.) for trying to intervene and
because she thought that I was a part of the fight. I argued my case, but her ruling stood
in the end. This is a personal story, not fiction.

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