rhetorical analysis
Life After Graduation
Does anyone truly know if they are ready for life after graduation? Is that concept easy to prepare for? Cheryl Strayed does a great job capturing the attention of prospective graduates getting ready to indulge in the “real world.” Throughout her essay, “The Future Has an Ancient Heart”, she focuses on emotionally connecting with her audience by sharing her own collegiate testimony, while also sharing her failures and successes. While emotions play a large part in her writing, she also tributes to her credibility and gives attention to how she became such a successful author.
Emotions and graduation tend to go hand in hand. Strayed tugs at the heart strings of many when she dove into an excerpt about her mother, who too graduated from college later in life. “She spent the last years of her life as a college student, though she didn’t know they were her last. She thought she was at the beginning of the next era of her life. She died a couple of months before we were supposed to graduate from different schools. At her memorial service, my mother’s favorite professor stood up and granted her an honorary PhD.” Strayed’s life was quite a journey, but she had a great role model. Despite hardships, education was instilled in her, even though her father may not have agreed. “One time she [Strayed’s mother] took a night class when I was very young and my father became enraged with her and cut her textbook with a pair of scissors. She dropped the class. I think it was biology.” After lying for many years about having her English degree, Cheryl Strayed decided enough was enough and it was time to take the one class that was keeping her from having her degree. She truly makes her audience feel for her when she shares, “At times it seemed instead I had squandered by education and dishonored my dead mother by becoming a waitress like her. Sometimes I would think of this as I went from table to table with my tray, and I’d have to think of something else so I wouldn’t cry.” We have all undergone that fear of disappointing someone, and the heartache of losing your mother is unlike any other, so for Strayed to feel as if she let her mother down can make an audience wake up to the sense of urgency that is our lives.
To say that Cheryl Strayed is realistic is an understatement – she is an open book when it comes to her educational journey. She really tries to put herself into the same shoes as the graduates she is speaking to when she says, “When I say you don’t have to explain what you’re going to do with your life, I’m not suggesting you lounge around whining about how difficult it is. I’m suggesting you apply yourself in directions for which we have no accurate measurement. I’m talking about work. And love.” It is very refreshing to hear that wanting to whine about being overwhelmed is normal because it makes me feel as if we are all going through the same journey, regardless of socioeconomic background, race, or gender. While it is normal, Strayed also is sure to emphasize that it should not be ogled for a long period of time because our time and energy should be focused on doing the important things that make us who we are.
A lot goes into planning a future, and oftentimes, it does not come together the way some intend for it to be. Cheryl Strayed is a prime example of that, “I was an English major too. As it happens, I lied for six years about having an English degree, though I didn’t exactly mean to lie…” “… On that paper it said a bachelor’s degree would be mine once I finished one final class. It seemed like such an easy thing to do, but it wasn’t. And so I didn’t do it.” In sharing, she gains the audience’s trust and proves her credibility to being a normal person and to show that she has faced hardships. “You have to do what you have to do. There is absolutely nothing wrong with law school, but don’t go unless you want to be a lawyer. You can’t take a class if taking a class feels like it’s going to kill you. Faking it never works. If you don’t believe me, read Richard Wright.” Here, Strayed backs up her words with another credible author, who too will advocate for bumpy life journeys.
“The Future Has an Ancient Heart” focuses on the creation of author Cheryl Strayed and the parting words she has for prospective college graduates. Throughout her piece, she pours emotion and dives into the harsh realities of what life is like post-grad with the intent to shine the light onto those who feel hopeless or stuck.
Does anyone truly know if they are ready for life after graduation? Is that concept easy to prepare for? Cheryl Strayed does a great job capturing the attention of prospective graduates getting ready to indulge in the “real world.” Throughout her essay, “The Future Has an Ancient Heart”, she focuses on emotionally connecting with her audience by sharing her own collegiate testimony, while also sharing her failures and successes. While emotions play a large part in her writing, she also tributes to her credibility and gives attention to how she became such a successful author.
Emotions and graduation tend to go hand in hand. Strayed tugs at the heart strings of many when she dove into an excerpt about her mother, who too graduated from college later in life. “She spent the last years of her life as a college student, though she didn’t know they were her last. She thought she was at the beginning of the next era of her life. She died a couple of months before we were supposed to graduate from different schools. At her memorial service, my mother’s favorite professor stood up and granted her an honorary PhD.” Strayed’s life was quite a journey, but she had a great role model. Despite hardships, education was instilled in her, even though her father may not have agreed. “One time she [Strayed’s mother] took a night class when I was very young and my father became enraged with her and cut her textbook with a pair of scissors. She dropped the class. I think it was biology.” After lying for many years about having her English degree, Cheryl Strayed decided enough was enough and it was time to take the one class that was keeping her from having her degree. She truly makes her audience feel for her when she shares, “At times it seemed instead I had squandered by education and dishonored my dead mother by becoming a waitress like her. Sometimes I would think of this as I went from table to table with my tray, and I’d have to think of something else so I wouldn’t cry.” We have all undergone that fear of disappointing someone, and the heartache of losing your mother is unlike any other, so for Strayed to feel as if she let her mother down can make an audience wake up to the sense of urgency that is our lives.
To say that Cheryl Strayed is realistic is an understatement – she is an open book when it comes to her educational journey. She really tries to put herself into the same shoes as the graduates she is speaking to when she says, “When I say you don’t have to explain what you’re going to do with your life, I’m not suggesting you lounge around whining about how difficult it is. I’m suggesting you apply yourself in directions for which we have no accurate measurement. I’m talking about work. And love.” It is very refreshing to hear that wanting to whine about being overwhelmed is normal because it makes me feel as if we are all going through the same journey, regardless of socioeconomic background, race, or gender. While it is normal, Strayed also is sure to emphasize that it should not be ogled for a long period of time because our time and energy should be focused on doing the important things that make us who we are.
A lot goes into planning a future, and oftentimes, it does not come together the way some intend for it to be. Cheryl Strayed is a prime example of that, “I was an English major too. As it happens, I lied for six years about having an English degree, though I didn’t exactly mean to lie…” “… On that paper it said a bachelor’s degree would be mine once I finished one final class. It seemed like such an easy thing to do, but it wasn’t. And so I didn’t do it.” In sharing, she gains the audience’s trust and proves her credibility to being a normal person and to show that she has faced hardships. “You have to do what you have to do. There is absolutely nothing wrong with law school, but don’t go unless you want to be a lawyer. You can’t take a class if taking a class feels like it’s going to kill you. Faking it never works. If you don’t believe me, read Richard Wright.” Here, Strayed backs up her words with another credible author, who too will advocate for bumpy life journeys.
“The Future Has an Ancient Heart” focuses on the creation of author Cheryl Strayed and the parting words she has for prospective college graduates. Throughout her piece, she pours emotion and dives into the harsh realities of what life is like post-grad with the intent to shine the light onto those who feel hopeless or stuck.
reflection
As I've said before...
planning is kind of my thing.
I always try to have a plan for my plan.
When writing my Rhetorical Analysis, I began by creating an outline for each paragraph, even my thesis sentence. This seems to be the best way for me to work efficiently.
I found myself stumped a few times over forming my perspective on the piece. Once I had an understanding, words were flowing and my thoughts began to make sense on the screen.
Two weeks ago I would have told myself:
"You're going to critique every last word you write, so you might want to start this now."
And also:
"High school AP English can't save you!!!" --> This one mainly because I thought I knew all there is to know about Ethos, Pathos, and Logos.... ha ha ha at me.
Generally, I remain very productive when I am doing school work because I have other things I would rather be doing; as does everyone. However, in writing this, I've realized that productivity is a gradual thing, and each time I sit down to write a paper I need to remember that it isn't going to be finished and sparkling. Good things take time, and it's okay to revise multiple times.
Feedback from my student conference encouraged me to be vulnerable with my writing, and that I don't have to hide my work due to the fear of it not being perfect.
From that interaction, I was able to walk away with useful tools such as de-fluffing, a general understanding to Kairos, and the confidence to properly form an opening paragraph (thesis included).
Overall, this assignment was a great introduction to what the rest of the semester would look like, and it makes me happy to know that I was be able to be creative and personable with [most of] my work.
planning is kind of my thing.
I always try to have a plan for my plan.
When writing my Rhetorical Analysis, I began by creating an outline for each paragraph, even my thesis sentence. This seems to be the best way for me to work efficiently.
I found myself stumped a few times over forming my perspective on the piece. Once I had an understanding, words were flowing and my thoughts began to make sense on the screen.
Two weeks ago I would have told myself:
"You're going to critique every last word you write, so you might want to start this now."
And also:
"High school AP English can't save you!!!" --> This one mainly because I thought I knew all there is to know about Ethos, Pathos, and Logos.... ha ha ha at me.
Generally, I remain very productive when I am doing school work because I have other things I would rather be doing; as does everyone. However, in writing this, I've realized that productivity is a gradual thing, and each time I sit down to write a paper I need to remember that it isn't going to be finished and sparkling. Good things take time, and it's okay to revise multiple times.
Feedback from my student conference encouraged me to be vulnerable with my writing, and that I don't have to hide my work due to the fear of it not being perfect.
From that interaction, I was able to walk away with useful tools such as de-fluffing, a general understanding to Kairos, and the confidence to properly form an opening paragraph (thesis included).
Overall, this assignment was a great introduction to what the rest of the semester would look like, and it makes me happy to know that I was be able to be creative and personable with [most of] my work.