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

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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: Western Oregon University Library has determined, as of 06/01/2023, this item is in copyright, which is held by the author. Users may use the item in accordance with copyright limitations and exceptions, including fair use. For other uses, please ask permission from the author.; http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
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