Analysis

The rhetorical situation shows that “Stop Searching For Your Passion” is an extract from the transcript of a TED Talk given by Terri Trespicio in 2015. The topic of the text is career and passion, and the importance of success determining your passion, not the other way around. The intended audience consists of the people who attended Trespicio’s TED Talk in 2015, as well as the people who watch her talk online. 

In terms of composition, the text only consists of an extract from Trespicio’s TED Talk. The text lacks a conclusion and only contains some ideas about the importance of people focusing on building a successful career instead of focusing on their passions. 

The style of language used by Trespicio is a mixture of formal and informal. While the context of the TED Talk is formal, Trespicio uses plenty of informal language that helps her seem more approachable to the audience. 

When it comes to rhetorical devices, Trespicio mainly relies on irony, rhetorical questions, direct address, and anecdotes, which help her present her attitude towards passion and career.

The modes of appeal used in the text are ethos and pathos. Trespicio appeals to ethos when she refers to her own successful careers, but also when she talks about overcoming her failures. She appeals to pathos through self-irony and humor, which helps the audience see her as an ordinary person to whom they can relate. 

The text intention of the text is to make people realize that they do not need to find their passion before starting their careers. According to Trespicio, passions emerge after people start focusing on their job and their job-related satisfactions. 

You can read a full analysis of the text on the following pages. 

Further help

Do you want additional help with the analysis of non-fiction? See our general guide to non-fiction analysis.