Intention

Michelle Obama’s main intention in her “Dear Class of 2020” graduation speech is to convince her young audience to take responsibility for making their society better. She structures her message in the form of four life lessons that she shares with the graduates. 

For example, she tries to reassure students that it is possible to push through despite uncertain times, and she encourages them to treat each other with respect. She also tells them to speak up and to try to make a difference in any way they can. She also tries to push any anger they might feel in positive directions by giving examples of the way historical civil rights activists used their anger to create positive changes. She tries to make her point more convincing through strategic use of rhetorical d...