Intention

In the speech “Occasional Address”, Tim Minchin attempts to persuade his audience that they should follow his nine lessons of life advice. In the first lesson, for instance, the use of imperatives and direct address is meant to convince the audience of the importance of focusing on short-term goals: “Be micro-ambitious. Put your head down and work with pride on whatever is in front of you… you never know where you might end up.” (ll. 34-35). Humor is used in the second story to persuade the audience to enjoy the moment: “We didn’t evolve to be constantly content. Contented Australophithecus Afarensis got eaten before passing on their genes.” (ll. 41-42)

Minchin’s intention is also to raise awareness about different issues. In his third lesson about luck, M...