Analysis

Here are the elements which will help with your analysis of Neil Gaiman’s “Make Good Art” speech. 

The rhetorical situation is that the speaker is Neil Gaiman, a famous novelist and short story writer. He is giving his speech as a commencement address at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. His main audience consists of the graduates of the class of 2012 and the university staff attending the graduation. 

The speech has a clear composition, in which the arguments are separated into six main parts. Each part of Gaiman’s speech focuses on one piece of advice he wishes to share with his audience. 

The style of language Gaiman uses is informal, and the speech has an overall conversational tone. In lines 128-145, Gaiman uses figurative language associated with emotions which highlights the importance of creativity in the art-making process.

The speech includes rhetorical devices such as repetition and direct address which help capture the audience’s attention and make the main points of Gaiman’s speech more memorable. Humor is used throughout the speech in a similar way. 

The main forms of appeal which Gaiman uses in his speech are pathos and ethos. Ethos helps Gaiman appear knowledgeable and capable as a speaker, while pathos makes his arguments more impactful. 

Further help

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