Stephen Colbert's Speech; University of Essay

Total Length: 562 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 0

Page 1 of 2

Yet Colbert has the life experiences to back it up and the self-deprecating humor wins over the audience.

At the beginning of the speech he parodies the self-absorbed nature of society today by promoting his own Twitter account and mentions he will be tweeting during the keynote. This is both a parody of the self-absorbed nature of baby Boomers he mentions later in the speech and also shows he completely understands the mindset of students about social media. A lesser speaker would have gone down a pedantic path on this point yet Colbert uses parody and self-deprecation to make the point.

After having established credibility and a connection with the audience, Colbert transitions into the core messaging of his speech. Instead of taking the easy path of being pedantic or worse, using his celebrity as a hammer to drive the points home, he instead chooses to use humor and a keen sense of history to make the most important points of his speech.

Stuck Writing Your "Stephen Colbert's Speech; University Of" Essay?

The bottom line of the speech is that one must always make a path for oneself, as he says "decide to choose the hard path that leads to the life you want" encouraging students to throw off the expectations and constraints of others and follow their own path. These points are delivered using some of the most powerful, moving words Thomas Jefferson ever wrote, deliberately meant to encourage students to not seek others' paths but be brave and take their own. He essentially calls the students to greatness, calling them intellectual heirs to Thomas Jefferson and telling them there are no secret societies or guides to the future, they have….....

Show More ⇣


     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Stephen Colbert's Speech University Of" (2013, July 04) Retrieved May 16, 2025, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/stephen-colbert-speech-university-92846

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Stephen Colbert's Speech University Of" 04 July 2013. Web.16 May. 2025. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/stephen-colbert-speech-university-92846>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Stephen Colbert's Speech University Of", 04 July 2013, Accessed.16 May. 2025,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/stephen-colbert-speech-university-92846