Ellen DeGeneres' Tulane Commencement Speech: Is She Getting Through to Anybody?

Item

Title
Ellen DeGeneres' Tulane Commencement Speech: Is She Getting Through to Anybody?
Author
Ashley V. Sigl
Faculty Sponsor
Emily Plec
Abstract
In this paper, I analyze the commencement speech given by Ellen DeGeneres at Tulane University in 2009. I argue that through identifying with her audience and employing a rhetorical style consisting of a careful balance between humor and tragedy as an additional factor to her use of the commencement genre style presented in Margaret LaWare’s essay, "Redefining The 'Good Life': Life Lessons And Virtues In Commencement Speeches By Women,” DeGeneres is able to establish enough ethos to be seen as a highly credible source on the subject of life, and is able to resonate with her audience and make a point they perceive to be widely reasonable and sound.
Subject
Gender
Race
Sexuality
and Ethnicity in Communication
Rhetoric
Ellen DeGeneres
Commencement speech
epideictic rhetoric
commencement genre
humor
tragedy
constraints
identification
ethos
Rights
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Type
Text
volume
4
Date Published
5/29/2015
Note
Emily Plec
Alternative Title
Ellen DeGeneres' Tulane Commencement Speech: Is She Getting Through to Anybody?
Identifier
pure/vol4/iss1/6
Language
eng