Forms of appeal

The dominant forms of appeal in Tim Minchin’s speech “Occasional Address” are ethos and pathos. 

Ethos 

To build ethos, Minchin describes his own academic background to the audience: “… but I didn’t make the bit of me that works hard, any more than I made the bit of me that ate too many burgers instead of going to lectures while I was here at UWA” (ll. 51-53). Minchin’s academic background makes him a reliable speaker, as he delivers his speech to “science and arts grads” (l. 80) like himself. However, his suggestion that he did not take his studies all that seriously also gives his statement humor and self-irony, which further helps establish his ethos as a person who does not take himself too seriously. 

Minchin also appeals to ethos by mentioning his successful artistic career. ...