Question

Analyze Craft and Structure—from Remarks at the Michigan State Commencement, May 7, 2004, Condoleezza Rice, Former United States Secretary of State

Condoleezza Rice delivered this speech to graduating students at Michigan State University. At the time of the speech, she was National Security Advisor to President George W. Bush. Read this excerpt from the speech. Then, answer the question(s) that follow.

(1) I first learned about the transforming power of education from stories about my paternal grandfather. Granddaddy Rice was a poor farmer’s son in Ewtah, Alabama. One day, he decided to get book-learning. And so he asked, in the language of the day, where a colored man could go to school. They said that a little Presbyterian school, Stillman College, was only about 50 miles away. So he saved up his cotton to pay for the first year’s tuition. After the first year, he ran out of cotton and he needed a way to pay. Granddaddy asked the school administrators how those other boys were staying in school, and he was told that they had what was called a scholarship. And, they said, “if you wanted to be a Presbyterian minister, you could have a scholarship too.” My grandfather said, “That’s just what I had in mind.”

(2) Despite all my grandfather had to endure—including poverty and segregation—he understood that education is a privilege. And with privilege comes responsibility.

(3) The first responsibility of the educated person is to be optimistic. Cynicism and pessimism are too often the companions of learning. There have indeed been dark chapters in the human story—and the more we learn about history’s failures and cruelties, the more our minds can be tempted to despair. But for all of our problems today, and by just about every measure, the world is a better, more hopeful place than it ever has been.

(4) The advances that have been made during your lifetimes alone—from breakthroughs in health care, to the spread of prosperity, to the progress of democracy—have been pushed by optimists, not pessimists. America’s founders were not pessimists. Nor were the Wright Brothers, or Jonas Salk, or Martin Luther King.* Nor is any man or woman of real accomplishment. The reason is simple—pessimism is the easy way out. It is characteristic of those content to stand on the side lines and watch the march of history. Optimism requires work.

(5) It requires examination and objective thought. Optimists move and shape history because those with a vision of a better world have the energy and discipline required to make those visions real. With all that you now know, you have no excuse not to be optimists. You should know that progress is not only possible, but an unfolding story in which you have an obligation to play a part.
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* Wright Brothers ... Martin Luther King Orville and Wilbur Wright invented the airplane. Jonas Salk invented a vaccine for polio, a crippling disease. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a central leader in the American Civil Rights movement.


Evaluate Rice’s use of persuasive appeals in the speech. Begin by identifying her main claim. Then, in one or two sentences, explain whether the appeals she makes are sufficient to support that claim.

Answer 1

Answer:Condoleezza Rice's speech to graduating students at Michigan State University focuses on the power of education,

Explanation: the responsibility it brings, and the importance of being optimistic. Her main claim is that education is a privilege that comes with responsibility, and the first responsibility of an educated person is to be optimistic.

Rice uses multiple persuasive appeals in her speech to support her claim. She begins by using a personal anecdote about her grandfather to appeal to the audience's emotions. By sharing her grandfather's story, Rice creates a sense of empathy and connection with the audience, making them more receptive to her message.

Rice also uses logos, or logical appeal, to support her claim. She argues that the world is a better, more hopeful place than it has ever been, and that progress is possible. She supports this claim by pointing to specific examples of breakthroughs in healthcare, the spread of prosperity, and progress in democracy. By using these examples, Rice appeals to the audience's sense of reason and logic.

Finally, Rice uses pathos, or emotional appeal, to further support her claim. She suggests that being pessimistic is the easy way out and that optimism requires work, examination, and objective thought. By framing optimism as a virtue and pessimism as a character flaw, Rice appeals to the audience's desire to be good and responsible citizens.

Overall, Rice's use of persuasive appeals is sufficient to support her main claim. By using personal anecdotes, logical arguments, and emotional appeals, she presents a compelling case for the importance of education and optimism.

Answer 2

Analyzing Craft and Structure in Condoleezza Rice's Remarks at Michigan State Commencement

Condoleezza Rice's speech to graduating students at Michigan State University focuses on the power of education, the responsibility it brings, and the importance of being optimistic. Her main claim is that education is a privilege that comes with responsibility, and the first responsibility of an educated person is to be optimistic.

Rice uses multiple persuasive appeals in her speech to support her claim. She begins by using a personal anecdote about her grandfather to appeal to the audience's emotions. By sharing her grandfather's story, Rice creates a sense of empathy and connection with the audience, making them more receptive to her message.

Rice also uses logos, or logical appeal, to support her claim. She argues that the world is a better, more hopeful place than it has ever been, and that progress is possible. She supports this claim by pointing to specific examples of breakthroughs in healthcare, the spread of prosperity, and progress in democracy. By using these examples, Rice appeals to the audience's sense of reason and logic.

Finally, Rice uses pathos, or emotional appeal, to further support her claim. She suggests that being pessimistic is the easy way out and that optimism requires work, examination, and objective thought. By framing optimism as a virtue and pessimism as a character flaw, Rice appeals to the audience's desire to be good and responsible citizens.

Overall, Rice's use of persuasive appeals is sufficient to support her main claim. By using personal anecdotes, logical arguments, and emotional appeals, she presents a compelling case for the importance of education and optimism.

Step-by-step explanation: