Commencement Speeches, Essay Example

The genre of commencement speeches is special in such a way that it is probably the most authentic form of public communication that exists in text communications. This is due to the authenticity and meaning behind commencement speeches. The following will take a deeper look at Steve Job’s 2005 Stanford University commencement speech and Barbara Kingsolver’s 2008 Duke University commencement speeches to get a better understanding of the Rhetorical tools used in the process of delivering an effective speech. The rhetorical strategies seen employed by these commencement speakers involve the use of elements from their own lives and conveying this information to the audience in a way that is easily relatable. The common theme both pieces share is creativity; to be even more specific, creativity in leadership.

Creativity has been a concentration for academic disciplines in fields extending from literature to medical sciences and it has as intrigued business management scholars. This makes creativity convenient an intellectual interest and imperative concern for many.  The change to an economy more driven by innovation has been sudden. Currently, execution abilities are generally shared while the life spans of any new offerings are limited. As competition changes into a race of who can create the best and most number of new concepts, creativity academics are starting to be asked direct questions concerning their research. This may offer guidance regarding the choices that those in a position of leadership—within businesses that are dependent on creativity—have to make. Barbara Kingslover opens her speech by stating that, “the very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for, and the most you can do is live inside that hope running down its hallways touching the wall on both sides” (“Kingsolver 2008 Commencement”). This opening statement sets the tone for the theme of how one can capture their own creativity within this hectically evolving economic world, one that requires more innovation from its participants. In Steve Jobs’s speech, he mentioned that everybody should do something that they love as far as their career because they have to love it in order to be creative with it (“Jobs 2005 Commencement”). Both speakers focus on creativity as the byproduct of their true purpose. Both speakers dismiss money as the primary goal of life, and they dismiss money as the main proof of success. This creates an environment where the listener is permitted to consider their true passions about life.

Steve Jobs opens his commencement speech by admitting he never graduated from college and then he tells a story about what he calls “connecting the dots.” He talks about being adopted. He talks about going to college and it being too expensive for him to attend without truly knowing his purpose. He eventually chose to drop out of college, and states that once he was free from the course he was forced to take, he was able  then says that “much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on” (“Jobs 2005 Commencement”). Here, once again Steve Jobs emphasizes the same concept Kingslover is promotes in her opening statement, the idea of freedom and following one’s hopes or true aspirations. He makes the argument that if he had not left the structured system, he would not have been able to “stumble upon” his true calling. The rhetoric in itself, the use of phrases like curiosity, intuition, stumble upon, and priceless, these are all words that imply natural wisdom and divine knowledge. These present a comforting idea to the audience that is unsure about their future that the answer is already present within them.

The main focus of both speakers is to provide their audience with wise insights on how to get the most out of their lives. Underlying within the speech is the elephant in the room, the fact that they all want to be successful. Both speakers confront the idea of success and challenge the common view of it. Kingslover says sarcastically, that, “success if making a bunch of money” (“Kingsolver 2008 Commencement”). She then goes on to point out that believing that and going down that path can lead to isolation. She tells the audience the only way to find one’s true creativity is to find their hopes, and “live within that hope” (“Kingsolver 2008 Commencement”).

Steve Jobs takes an even more in depth and detailed approach at telling people how to “find their hope”, as Kingslover puts it. He refers to the process as connecting dots, but states,

You can’t connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backwards. You have to trust in something, your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever; because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well-worn path and that will make all the difference. (“Jobs 2005 Commencement”)

The main theme of his argument is that you have find what you love through constantly seeking what you were born to do. This freethinking concept is consistent within both speeches. Both speakers attack complex and frustrating social constraints. Both speakers attack tradition and make a comfortable environment for the audience that welcomes them to be themselves and question what their true desires are in life.

The main goal of both speeches is to make the audience more comfortable and it is implied, or understood that this in turn will help think freely and creatively enough to find, what Jobs referred to as the“ unworn path” (“Jobs 2005 Commencement”). Creativity is frequently regarded as the driving force of innovation. Barbara Kingsolver also mentions in her commencement speech about how leadership in courage is required for economic growth (Kingsolver 2008). She is more historical in her context than Steve Jobs. Many of her speech entries can be attributed to historical context (“Jobs 2005 Commencement”). Steve Jobs does use a very powerful quote that he once read, but he does not state where he read it. He says, “if you live each day as if it’s your last, some day you will most certainly be right” (“Jobs 2005 Commencement”). The rhetoric used here is motivational rhetoric, Kingslover is inspiring the audience to think creatively for economic gain, and Jobs is putting the audience’s life in perspective to motivate them not to waste it on mundane activities.

Steve Jobs does an excellent job in imprinting his own style on the genre of commencement speeches. Creativity can be defined or described in various ways depending on its context and interpretations. Since the introduction of the scientific studies of creativity, various definitions of the multi-cut sensation have been addressed.  Although exhaustive confluence on a singular definition has not yet materialized, there is a characterization of creativity that has been widely adopted.  Many contemporary creativity scholars currently define creativity as having the ability to create original ideas that solve certain problems or deliver value to circumstances (“Jobs 2005 Commencement”).

Steve Jobs was great at problem solving in his career and in his life as he mentioned in his speech. A problem is defined as a discrepancy between an existing situation and a desired state of affairs. Also, in categorizing certain types of problems, problems extend along a sequence ranging from well-structured to ill-structured (“Jobs 2005 Commencement”). Three definite features are symbolic of the ill-structured problems. These features are complexity, novelty, and ambiguity. Complexity concerns the number of parts, variables, and factors that are required to be managed in the process of resolving a given situation. Novelty concerns the lack of understanding of the given situation, a goal, or any challenges. Ambiguity is prompted when there is a significant degree of doubt or uncertainty regarding what goals, solutions, or outcomes are considered correct or desirable. Well-structured problems however, do not necessarily require the role of creative thinking. However, when a certain problem is presented as novel, complex, and ambiguous, creative thinking is then required to discover a route that will bridge the gap between the resentment of the current situation and the desirable future circumstance (“Jobs 2005 Commencement”).

Steve Jobs told a story about his problem solving strategies as he was fired from Apple. He claimed that although he did not see it at the time, this was the greatest thing that could have ever happened to his career because it caused him to become more creative. This enabled him to create Pixar (“Jobs 2005 Commencement”). Barbara Kingsolver leans more towards innovation in her commencement speech. Innovation can be regarded as another type of economic change, which is a change attributed to creative thinking that occurs in the market place, certain industries, or within a business establishment. Innovation can be regarded as the acquirement of a new and valuable idea such as intellectual property. Such new and valuable ideas can lead to new business models, management practices, and services or products. A significant consideration here is that creativity and innovation are not necessarily interchangeable or synonymous terms. Rather, these terms are inter-connected where creativity—which is the reciprocal of a person, a process, and an environment— will result in innovation (“Kingsolver 2008 Commencement”).

Work Cited

Steve Jobs, “Jobs 2005 Commencement Speech,” Stanford University http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html

Barbara Kingsolver, “Kingslover 2008 Commencement Speech,” Duke University
http://www.humanity.org/voices/commencements/barbara-kingsolver-duke-university-speech-2008