Comments and discussion

In this part of the study guide, we will give you some advice on things you might want to discuss and comment upon in George Saunders’ commencement address.

One interesting issue you might want to comment upon is the way in which Saunders includes personal stories in his speech. For instance, he talks about his job in a slaughterhouse, his time in Sumatra, and getting humiliated in front of the girl he used to like. Do you think these personal stories are relevant to his speech? Do you think they help the audience relate to Saunders or do they add an unnecessary informal touch to the speech?

Then, you could comment upon Saunders’ use of slang in his speech. As you have noticed, he uses words such as “old fart” (l. 3), “pooping” (l. 29), “corny” (l. 85), “butts” (l. 162), or “poop” (l. 234) which give an informal note to ...