I chose to analyze Will Ferrell’s commencement speech that was given at USC on May 12, 2017. Ferrell is a USC alumni and a very well-known comedian and actor who has starred in many films and shows, including one of my favorites, Saturday Night Live, which he mentions in his speech. As he mentions in his speech, he has performed many degrading acts for the movies he has been in, but he is able to laugh at himself which I appreciate. While at USC he was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. He also received an honorary doctorate for presenting the speech. Other recipients of honorary doctorates include Helen Mirren, Mark Ridley-Thomas, and Gary Michelson. The speech puts an emphasis on facing fears and being true to oneself. Ferrell uses his humor and personal experiences to get his point across. Most of his speech is full of jokes which I find very intriguing. His approach to rhetoric is unlike other commencement speeches due to his witty humor throughout his speech, making him appealing, which in return, gets the audience’s trust and attention. I find his speech entertaining and engaging. Toward the end of his speech, he says that it is okay if some of the graduates do not have their futures figured out. He relates his struggle with starting his acting career to the uncertainty that the graduates are probably feeling. His empathetic rhetoric style is heartwarming and sweet. Will Ferrell is completely humble about his fame and shares real stories of struggle which reels the audience’s trust in. I want to write my paper on this speech because I think it will be a challenge to dissect comedic rhetoric. The speech is very light hearted which is different from the texts we have been reading in class. I am looking forward to exploring the tactics of comedic rhetoric.
Rachel's RWS Blog 