Analysis

The rhetorical situation of Jacinda Ardern’s “Harvard Commencement Speech – Democracy, disinformation and kindness” is that the speaker is Jacinda Ardern, a member of the Labour party who was the Prime Minister of New Zealand at the time of the speech. The speaker addresses the graduates present at the commencement ceremony. 

The structure of the speech is built around the message of preserving democracy. The speech can be divided into several parts that cover various aspects of the topic. 

The style of writing in lines 135-148 is mostly formal. The style is appropriate for the occasion as Ardern addresses an educated audience. 

Ardern uses a variety of rhetorical devices to keep the audience engaged, such as repetition, humor and direct address. 

Ardern also uses her own background to illustrate the points she wants to get across. This is done to keep the audience interested and to make the ideas more relatable. 

In terms of forms of appeal¸ Ardern builds ethos in several ways in the speech. Pathos is also used, appealing to both negative and positive emotions in the listeners. 

You can read a more detailed analysis in the following pages. 

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