For this assignment, you are required to review Conan O‘Brien’s 2011 commencement speech at Dartmouth College, which you can find through the following link (along with the transcript):
http://teamcoco.com/content/watch-conan-give-dartmouth-college-commencement-address
Consider the following as you view the speech and write your critical analysis:
Reasoning and emotional appeals (section 1):
- What type of reasoning does the speaker use? Is it appropriate to the topic? Support your answer.
- Does the speaker use any emotional appeals in his speech? Which emotions does the speaker most prominently address? Examples.
- Which strategy does the speaker use in order to generate emotional appeals? Emotional language, vivid examples, or personal conviction? Offer examples.
Language (section 2):
- Does the speaker use words/linguistic expressions that carry strong connotations in this speech? Offer specific examples to support your position.
- Does the speaker use familiar words that any audience would understand? Or, does the speaker use a lot of jargon and/or complicated terms? Examples.
- Does the speaker use abstract or concrete language? Examples.
- Does the speaker use metaphors or similes to enhance the speech? Examples.
- Discuss the rhythm that the language creates. Are there any examples of repetition(anaphora), alliteration, allusion, or antithesis?
- Is the language used appropriate to the occasion, the audience, and the speaker? Provide support for your argument.
Nonverbal Codes/Delivery (section 3):
- What method of delivery does the speaker use? Is eye contact used effectively during delivery?
- How do you evaluate the speaker’s voice qualities? Discuss such qualities as volume, pitch, rate, pauses, vocal variety, pronunciation, articulation and offer specific examples to support your position.
- How do you evaluate the speaker’s bodily action and use of gestures during the delivery of the speech? Offer examples.
- Based on the above analysis, what is your overall evaluation of the delivery of the speech?
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