Response to a different type of speech

For my second outside speech, I thought that it would be interesting to use a movie speech that most people would in no way consider to be rhetorically useful. I chose the 2004 graduation speech given by Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) in the movie, Legally Blond. It is a short speech that is given at Harvard’s Law School graduation. In the film, Elle was a misguided student who entered Harvard’s Law School only to get back her boyfriend, who, thought that she was pretty, but not acceptable to be a Senator’s wife. Throughout the film, Elle realizes that she is very intelligent and does not need her boyfriend justify her life. She also realizes that passion creates the ability to become a great lawyer or speaker. Since I plan to go to law school and am very passionate about what I want to do, I felt that this speech was actually useful.

Elle has a great deal of ethos with the audience to which she is giving the speech because they have watched her grow into a bright, successful lawyer. They know of the many failures and successes that she has had; therefore she is credible in giving a speech about passion. Also, her passion allows her to be seen as more sincere. She also must be given some deal of ethos simply for being a Harvard Law School graduate and for being chosen to speak at the ceremony.

The speech contains logos which is tied up with pathos. First, her logic that Aristotle was wrong is backed by her audience’s experience in law school (it takes a great deal of passion). She also denies that cliché of first impressions with a more logical argument that first impressions are not always right (logically, this has also been backed by the film). Throughout the logos is a running pathos of courage and passion. Elle is encouraging everyone to enter the law world with confidence in themselves and others. This is a very moving speech to her audience.

This speech is mostly epideictic in its nature. It also has some deliberative qualities because it is giving advice and hope for the future. I felt that the speech was epistemic in it’s example that one should have confidence in one’s self.

This speech can be found at http://www.americanrhetoric.com/MovieSpeeches/moviespeechlegallyblonde.html