A RHETORICAL FAREWELL
1
A Rhetorical Farewell1
| MARIA IQBAL |
Parents, guests, teachers, and graduates,2 it is an honour to speak before you on
this glorious occasion. This honour may well have belonged to someone else, but
as it was conferred upon me by individuals far greater and wiser than I, I cannot
decline it and will do my utmost to fulfill this role with justice.3
Today, we4 have gathered to celebrate the success of our graduates, but
also the sacrifices of our parents, the dedication of our teachers, and the
1
This valedictory address has two main aims: a) to demonstrate how to use various rhetorical
devices in composition, and b) to analyze how these rhetorical devices work.
2
Salutation: a greeting to the audience. This salutation addresses the members of the audience
in order of rank. Parents are mentioned first because they are deserving of respect by virtue of being the
parents of the graduates. Guests are also important by virtue of being the guests, as opposed to the
hosts, of the ceremony. Teachers are obviously important influences on the graduates, but as they are
the hosts of the ceremony, they must be mentioned after the guests. Finally, the graduates are mentioned
last because, although they are the people for whom this ceremony is held, it would be inappropriate for
the valedictorian, who is herself a graduate, to address her own group first—she must be humble
(Principles of Letter-Writing 432). By observing the appropriate order in the salutation, the speaker puts
the audience into what Aristotle calls “the right frame of mind” (Aristotle 160), i.e., the best mood to
receive the speaker’s message.
3
Ethos: the moral character or credibility of the speaker. Aristotle writes, “There are three things
which inspire confidence in the orator’s own character…good sense [logos], good moral character [ethos],
and goodwill [pathos]” (Aristotle 161). By expressing her own humility, the valedictorian indicates that she
does not deserve this honour, but she does not have the authority to say “no” to the selection committee.
This develops her ethos and would help erase any jealousies among the graduates by the speaker’s
acknowledgment that others in the audience are just as worthy of this honour.
4
Identification: the process by which people are reminded that we are, on some level, the same
(Burke 1019-1020). The word “we” emphasizes that everyone in the ceremony is there for the same
reasons and thus allows the members of the audience to identify with one another (Burke 1019). Note the
continuous use of the pronouns “we” and “us” throughout the speech.
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MARIA IQBAL – WCCT 1:1
compassion of our guidance counselors.5 Let us, then, honour the occasion by
recounting how far we graduates have come, recognizing those who helped us
along the way, and sharing the important lessons we learned on our journey.6
Let us travel7 back four years to when we were in grade nine, 8 not
knowing what to make of this place we called ‘high school.’ We entered this
building with fears of getting ‘ninered’9 and felt lost in this large, unknown place
full of strangers. But, with each passing day, we reached out a little further to
those around us; we smiled to the quiet student sitting next to us in class, helped
our neighbour open his locker, and even waved to the young man from the
school bus who always sang loudly and off-tune to the song playing on his
iPod.10 We began to ease into this new place and decided it might not be as big or
as strange as we thought. And by encountering so many different kinds of
people from many distinct walks of life, we began to taste11 the broadness of the
world and realize that our world was not nearly as simple as we thought.
By grade ten, we were sort of getting the hang of high school.12 The more
ambitious among us might be the ones to ‘niner’ the new kids this year.13 Having
5
The speaker addresses most of the audience members here, claiming that each group has
done something to be worthy of recognition on this occasion. Again, the speaker is putting the audience
in a frame of mind favourable to receiving her message.
6
Metaphor: high school is compared to a journey. Known as middle style, this form of adorned
language delights the members of the audience by engaging their imaginations (Augustine 400).
According to the rhetor Cicero, rhetoric not only serves to delight the members of its audience, but can
also be used to teach and persuade them (Bizzell and Herzberg 382). St. Augustine’s On Christian
Doctrine further elaborates on these three purposes, explaining that people are taught through simple,
unadorned language (i.e. low style) (Augustine 394), delighted by ornamented language (i.e. middle style)
(Augustine 403), and persuaded through emotional language (i.e. high style) (Augustine 405).
7
Allegory: an extended metaphor. The speaker already established the comparison between high
school and a journey earlier in the speech (see footnote 6). The speaker’s continued use of metaphors to
further this comparison leads to the development of an allegory.
8
Narration: in classical rhetoric, the narration is an account of the events which took place, in this
case during the four years of high school (Burton). The valedictorian begins the narration here.
9
Colloquial language: “ninered.” The use of this word reflects the immaturity of the early years of
high school, allowing the audience members to better imagine themselves in grade nine.
10
Identification: these examples are somewhat specific, but general enough that most students
can relate to them.
11
Metaphor: the broadness of the world is compared to something which can be tasted. The
speaker is using middle style to delight the members of her audience by appealing to their senses (see
footnote 6 for an explanation of the three styles).
12
Colloquial language: allows the speaker to identify with the graduates, who are teenagers, and
typically use such informal phrases.
13
Humour: helps keep the audience in the right frame of mind for her speech (See footnote 2 for
an explanation of “the right frame of mind”).
A RHETORICAL FAREWELL
3
become familiar with some students, teachers, and the overall workings of high
school, some of us decided it was time to step up our game14 and join Model
United Nations, DECA, the basketball team, or Yearbook Club. Through these
activities, we started to explore our passions and sharpen our skills, meeting
many new people and opportunities.15
Just when we began to think we might get used to this place, we stepped
into grade eleven.16 I think most of us can remember the shock of seeing that first
math test.17 Any one of us who figured that we had gotten this high school thing
down, boy, were we wrong.18 Balancing tougher classes with our jobs and extracurriculars was a challenge, not to mention that we also had to begin thinking
about our futures beyond high school. But, it wasn’t quite time to worry about it
yet, so we spent our days playing cards in the cafeteria and Tweeting19 about
new haircuts, plans for the weekend, and how Edward20 broke up with Bella.21
Despite the tremendous growth we experienced during the first three
years of high school, grade twelve came with a bang.22 We were adults now. You
could smell the independence in the air.23 We pranced around flashing our G2s
14
Cliché: allows the speaker to identify with the audience, who would be familiar with the
expression.
15
Metaphor: compares opportunities to people, who can be “met” (middle style).
16
Metaphor: compares grade eleven to a physical territory, which can be “stepped into.”
17
Identification: valedictorians are generally noted for their exceptional academic success, but by
using the word “we” here, the speaker implies that she went through the same experiences and
disappointments as most of the graduates. This allows the graduates to consider the valedictorian as their
equal, or one of them, and thereby makes the graduates more likely to receive her message favourably
(See footnote 2, “right frame of mind”).
18
Colloquial language: By using informal expressions uncharacteristic for formal speeches, the
speaker strives to maintain the audience’s attention.
19
Identification: since Twitter is such a common social media network, this use of familiar
language (“Tweeting”) allows the audience members to identify with the speaker and with one another.
20
Allusion: these two fictional characters are an allusion to Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series.
Because the Twilight series is popular among teenagers, this allusion would serve to identify the
graduates with the speaker and with one another, since they would recognize the names of these
characters without any clarification from the speaker.
21
Humour: the speaker is using humour by exaggerating teenage obsessions with seemingly
minor events, such as, in this case, the break-up of a fictive couple. Humour helps maintain the
audience’s interest in the speech.
22
Colloquial language: the use of informal expressions which often do not appear in formal
speeches has the effect of surprising its audience and maintaining its attention.
23
Metaphor: independence is compared to something which has a smell. Again, the speaker is
appealing to the audience’s senses to make her descriptions more vivid (middle style).
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MARIA IQBAL – WCCT 1:1
and voter cards, feeling invincible.24 With this new freedom, however, came
much responsibility. We quickly grew tense about the future, and were forced to
ask ourselves some fundamental but exceedingly difficult questions: Who am I?
What am I passionate about? Who do I want to become? And the most
demanding one, Where do I go from here?25 Teachers were incredibly supportive
at this time, sharing their own experiences in university and offering us their
advice and mentorship. I remember when Mrs. Daycarts told me to worry less
about what people thought about a particular university and focus instead on
how I could make the most of my time there. “You make the experience,” she
said.26 With such personal gestures, we began to see our teachers in a new light—
more human, more like us. After all, they had been through the same stage of life
we were at now. With much of the guidance and support of our teachers, we
chose the path27 which would ultimately bring us to where we are today.
Oh, what a beautiful journey we travelled together! We are companions
who, together, traversed the desert.28 Like wolves, we pursued our goals as a
pack.29 We hopped on this roller-coaster a little unsure of where it would take us;
we endured its many loop-de-loops, sometimes laughing and sometimes
24
Identification: most graduates would be old enough to have experienced the joys of earning
their driver’s licenses and voting in elections. 25
Identification: these are questions most members of the audience would have asked
themselves at some point in their lives.
26
Maxim: a general truth or principle (OED Online). Although this saying is not formally
considered a maxim, it serves the same purpose, i.e. to teach a lesson to its audience. According to
Aristotle, maxims sound inappropriate and insincere when used by young speakers who do not have
enough experience to understand their truth (223). However, the valedictorian, who is not elderly, justifies
her use of the maxim by mentioning that the advice is from a teacher—who would have greater credibility
from age and experience—and not from the speaker herself.
27
Allegory: the comparison of high school to a journey is further developed here and in the
proceeding paragraph.
28
Metaphor: the speaker compares the hardships of high school to the difficulties one
experiences in the desert to emphasize the hard work and great success achieved by the graduates. This
passage is written in high style as the metaphors used by the speaker convey strong emotions to the
audience.
29
Simile: emphasizes the unity of the graduates by likening them to a pack of wolves (another
example of identification).
A RHETORICAL FAREWELL
5
screaming; we raced through its dark tunnels holding our breath;30 and we made
it. We took risks, tested our own limits, and we were successful.31
Now that we’re here, at a milestone in our journey, let’s pause and look
back at the proverbial footprints in the sand32 and thank those who helped us
reach this point in our lives. Thank you to our parents,33 for your endless
support, your love, and for picking us up from school all those cold nights when
you were tired after a long day of work.34 Your efforts and hard work are always
in our hearts and in the forefront of our minds. Thank you.
Teachers, oh dedicated teachers!35 You recognized our strengths and
helped us improve our weaknesses. Let us not forget the countless hours you
spent organizing and supervising extra-curricular activities and field trips,
making our time in high school memorable. A special thank you to those who
taught us in our final year, who were there for us when we needed their
guidance and support for that looming decision which would have such a great
impact on our lives. Thank you to Mr. Ginsberg for encouraging us to cherish
every moment of high school, but also to look forward to the adventures to
come. And a special thanks to Mr. Wiseman, who taught us that, though
30
Metaphors: compares high school to a roller-coaster, emphasizing the unpredictable and
difficult journey, as well as the obstacles the graduates would have faced. The emphasis on
‘togetherness’ in this passage is another use of identification.
31
Copia: known as “the abundant style” (Erasmus 502), Erasmus writes that this technique
involves “express[ing] one’s meaning in a variety of ways” (503). In this paragraph, the speaker rephrases
the same sentence multiple times, but with a slightly different message communicated in each sentence.
32
Cliché: borrowed from the famous poem, “Footprints in the Sand,” this expression would be
familiar to the audience and would thus serve to communicate the speaker’s message in way that would
both be understood by the audience, and also delight its members through its vivid description.
33
Arrangement: the order observed in writing the speech (Burton). The speaker expresses
gratitude on behalf of the graduates by beginning with the parents, as she did in the salutation. Parents,
as mentioned in footnote 1, are deserving of special recognition as they are the ones who raised the
graduates so that they could reach this stage of their lives.
34
Pathos: appeal to the audience’s emotions. The speaker deliberately adds greater detail in her
third example to remind the graduates of the everyday sacrifices of their parents which could have easily
been overlooked.
35
Flattery: the speaker is putting the teachers in the right frame of mind to best receive the
message of her speech.
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MARIA IQBAL – WCCT 1:1
ignorance is bliss, knowledge is power.36 Your words will help us navigate the
next steps of our journey.37
Our guidance counselors, thank you for putting every Joule38 of your
energy towards helping us achieve our diplomas. You really did everything you
could. I remember how in grade twelve, our counselors feared that one of our
courses might be cancelled due to limited enrolment. While we sat together in
the guidance office to discuss the issue, my counselor, Mrs. Monroe, mentioned
how she had not slept the previous night because she worried what would
happen if the course was cancelled and we did not earn enough credits to
graduate. Our counselors really took our problems as their own.39
While we’re looking back and remembering every individual who helped
us get this far, we should not neglect to acknowledge those students who did not
make it. Never forget the injustices of a system in which only some can gain
acceptance into post-secondary institutions, only some can afford the fees, and
only some have the resources necessary to succeed. Never forget those who
never had a chance, and perhaps never will. Never forget, no matter how
difficult a situation life throws at us,40 we are the lucky ones; we were given a
chance. It is our responsibility to ensure that others get one, too. 41
Now, as we prepare for the next leg of our journey, let us carry with us in
our travel bags42 the lessons we’ve learned so far. Yes, we are here to mark the
36
Antithesis: The speaker uses antithesis with these two opposing maxims. The speaker is again
able to use these maxims as she is crediting her teacher, an elder with greater experience than her, with
having taught her these lessons.
37
Metaphor: Mr. Wiseman’s advice is compared to a compass. This metaphor further contributes
to the allegory of education as a journey.
38
Humour: a Joule is a basic unit of energy. This is meant to be a science joke, which would
appeal to the science students in the audience. 39
Pathos: the speaker is appealing to the audience’s emotions by emphasizing the compassion
of the guidance counselors.
40
Personification: compares life to a person who “throws” difficult situations upon others. This
comparison emphasizes the injustice in the world, since no one is to blame for these hardships except
“life.” This emphasis on injustice sets up the stage for the speaker’s main point at the end of the
paragraph, i.e. that it is the graduates’ responsibility to ensure others receive the same chance they did.
41
Pathos: used in this paragraph to rile up the audience to do something about the “injustices” in
the world. This is an example of high style, which is characterized by emotional appeals and the use of
devices such as repetition (e.g. “never forget”) and personification (noted above).
42
Middle style: continuation of the allegory of high school as a journey, the luggage for which is
acquired along the way, through experience.
A RHETORICAL FAREWELL
7
end of our high school career, but this is also the commencement43 of a new
journey, with new challenges, new goals, and new rewards. Our destination may
be a thousand miles44 away from where we are now, but we must remember the
words of Confucius: “Every journey starts with a single step.”45
The step we take now is an important one, but it is not the only one we
will take. Even if we find ourselves turning back and changing directions along
the way, do not despair. It is easy to get lost in the many intertwining paths of
life, but we should never lose hope. When in doubt, remember the example of
our beloved Jack Layton; he travelled a journey of passion and resilience, and
even when he realized his journey was soon to end, he remained hopeful. He
advised our country,46 “My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than
fear. Optimism is better than despair.47 So let us be loving, hopeful, and
optimistic. And we’ll change the world.”48 Friends,49 our dear Mr. Layton wrote
these words to us50 when he had but a few hours left in his life. He spoke from a
journey of experience. He spoke as a man who was sprinting his race to the finish
line.51 And just before he crossed it, he turned back to all of us—we who are just
beginning our journey52—and passed us his torch53 so we could continue the race
43
Pun: commencement as a ceremony and commencement as ‘a beginning.’ This is an example
of middle style, as the pun would sound pleasing to the audience.
44
Middle style: further development of the allegory of high school as a journey.
45
Maxim: the speaker justifies her use of the maxim by ascribing it to Confucius (see footnote
26). 46
Identification: The audience is all part of the same country; therefore, Layton’s words apply to
the entire audience.
47
Parallelism: the repetition of similar words or phrases. This sounds pleasing to the ear;
therefore, it is middle style.
48
(Layton 2011).
49
Identification: the entire audience is unified by this term. The word “friends” suggests that,
despite their different rankings, the members of the audience can relate to one another and are thus, in
some ways, equal. Also, because Layton addresses his audience as “friends,” the speaker’s use of the
word to address her own audience allows the audience of the ceremony to identify as Layton’s audience
as well.
50
Identification: the speaker is again emphasizing that Layton’s words were written for the
audience members in the ceremony, therefore allowing them to identify as Layton’s audience as well. By
using this technique, the audience members would be more likely to value Layton’s advice as though it
were meant for them specifically.
51
Metaphor: life is compared to a race. The fact that Layton is “sprinting” indicates that his life
was quickly coming to an end and adds to the pathos of this passage. By mentioning Layton’s wealth of
experience, the speaker emphasizes Layton’s wisdom (and therefore, ethos), in order to persuade the
audience to follow his advice.
52
Identification: emphasis that the audience members in the ceremony, particularly the
graduates, are the people to whom Layton wrote his letter. This would motivate the graduates to value
Layton’s words of advice.
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MARIA IQBAL – WCCT 1:1
he was running, and take its light further than it has ever gone.54 We now have
this torch; bear it proudly and keep its flames alive throughout our travels. The
world can be a very dark place, but we are prepared, and together, we can
illuminate the globe. With this advice, and all that we have learned from our
journey thus far, graduates, together now, let us toss our caps, and celebrate our
past accomplishments, the present moment, and our bright55 futures! World, here
we come!56
WORKS CITED
Aristotle. "Rhetoric." The Rhetorical Tradition: Readings from Classical Times to the
Present. Ed. Patricia Bizzell and Bruce Herzberg. Boston: Bedford, 1990. 151-94. Print.
Augustine. "On Christian Doctrine, Book IV." The Rhetorical Tradition: Readings from
Classical times to the Present. Ed. Patricia Bizzell and Bruce Herzberg. Boston:
Bedford, 1990. 386-422. Print.
Bizzell, Patricia, and Bruce Herzberg. "Augustine, 354-430 C.E." Introduction. The
Rhetorical Tradition: Readings from Classical Times to the Present. Boston: Bedford,
1990. 381-86. Print.
Burke, Kenneth. "A Rhetoric of Motives." The Rhetorical Tradition: Readings from
Classical Times to the Present. Ed. Patricia Bizzell and Bruce Herzberg. Boston:
Bedford, 1990. 1018-033. Print.
Burton, Gideon O. "Arrangement." Silva Rhetoricae. Brigham Young University, 26 Feb.
2007. Web. 22 July 2013. <http://rhetoric.byu.edu/>.
53
Metaphor: Layton’s mission (to spread love, hope, and optimism) is compared to a torch.
High style: this passage throbs with emotion, setting up the stage for the speaker to move the
audience to action—the action of taking up the “torch” and upholding Layton’s values in their own lives.
55
Middle style: use of the contrast between light and dark (through the words, “torch,” “flames,”
“dark place,” “illuminate,” and “bright futures”) to appeal to the audience’s senses.
56
Apostrophe: an address to someone or something which is not physically present. The speaker
is addressing the “world,” although the entire world is not present at the ceremony. 54
A RHETORICAL FAREWELL
Erasmus, Desiderius. "Copia: Foundations of the Abundant Style." The Rhetorical
Tradition: Readings from Classical Times to the Present. Ed. Patricia Bizzell and Bruce
Herzberg. Boston: Bedford, 1990. 502-56. Print.
Layton, Jack. "Letter to Canadians." Letter. 20 Aug. 2011. MS. Toronto, Ontario.
"maxim, n.1." OED Online. Oxford University Press, 2013. Web. 28 Aug. 2013.
<http://www.oed.com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/>.
"The Principles of Letter Writing." The Rhetorical Tradition: Readings from Classical
Times to the Present. Ed. Patricia Bizzell and Bruce Herzberg. Boston: Bedford, 1990.
431-38. Print.
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