Audience

The target audience of Bernie Sanders’ commencement address are the students in the “graduating class of 2017” (l. 1) from Brooklyn College. The introductory video attached to the assignments shows a big crowd of students and their families and teachers welcoming Bernie Sanders.

While the live audience at Brooklyn College formed by students, teachers, and “family and friends” (l. 4) represent the direct receivers of the speech, the fact that the video recording is available online suggests that any English-speaking person can be a potential receiver.

The content of the speech offers more insight into target and potential receivers of Bernie Sanders’ address. For example, the speaker mentions “Michelle Anderson, Nicole Haas, the Brooklyn College Administration, faculty and staff” (ll. 4-5). These are people who are present at the ceremony and who invited him to be a guest speaker.

When Sanders mentions “Flatbush and Bed-Stuy” (l. 9), which are areas in Brooklyn, New York, he appeals to members of the audience who also grew up there.

As the speech is focused on economic inequality, there are many references to “families who don’t have a lot of money” (l. 16) or the “millions of people throughout this country who struggle to put food on the table” (ll. 17-18). This implies that potential receivers of the speech are poor Americans and their families – both those living in New York and across the US.

This is further suggested by references to “43 million Americans [who] live in poverty” (l. 46), “older workers” (l. 47), “inner cities and rural communities” (l. 48), or “people experience drug addiction, alcoholism and suicide” (l. 50). These are all people suffering the consequences of economic inequality.

Other categories of people mentioned in the speech are “the middle class” (l. 40), “young peop...