Intention

Inspiring graduates to take risks

To achieve the goal of inspiring the graduates to follows their dreams and take risks to get there, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie uses an anecdote about her own background. She recounts how she gave up medical school in Nigeria to follow her dream of becoming a writer in the US: “I might not have been given an American scholarship. My writing might not have ended up being successful. But the point is that I tried” (ll. 183-187). In other words, Adichie uses the ethos of her success to inspire the audience to follow into her footsteps and follow their dreams instead of giving in to social or family pressure. Another anecdote that helps achieve this goal is the story of her mother who became “the first female registrar of the University of Nigeria” (ll. 102-104).

Additionally, the speaker uses ethos to present the graduates as trustworthy and capable of achieving great things: “Minister to the world in a way that can ...