Note to the Teacher Thanks for purchasing this one-hour lesson on applying Aristotle’s tools of rhetoric to the well-known commencement address given by Steve Jobs to Stanford University’s Class of 2005. Directions: 1. If you haven’t already covered ethos, pathos, and logos with your class, start with the two-slide Rhetoric mini-lecture. The materials in this package are in both Notebook software (for SMARTBoard users) and Powerpoint (for all users), but the content is the same in both formats. After students have taken notes on the slide material, you’re ready for the next step. (about 5 minutes) I also prepared a lecturer prep video to show how I use the slides in class, which you can access here: http://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/rhetoric-overview/10552065/?s=O4wVss&ref=link 2. Ask students what they know about Steve Jobs. Students, of course, will be familiar with Apple products and most know about his cancer-related death. After students have shared their knowledge of the man, I tell them that he was also a genius who understood how to tap the power of Aristotle’s rhetorical devices, which he used masterfully in the 2005 speech he delivered to Stanford’s graduating class. (about 5 minutes) 3. Hand out copies of the speech and show the 14-minute video. See directions on the next page for accessing the transcript of the speech and video. 4. Once the video is finished, hand out the question sheets. I usually allow students to work in teams of two as they complete the questions, though you may prefer to have students complete this as a solo activity. Depending on your class, some students may need to finish these questions for homework. (15-25 minutes) 5. Once the students have completed their answers, launch a full-class discussion as you review the answers for each question. Expect lively discussions to rise from these questions, particularly on numbers 5 and 9. Depending on the personality mix and size of your class, you may want to have students share their answers in small groups instead of full groups for those two questions. This review of the answers/class discussion may need to happen on Day 2, if students were not able to finish the questions on the first day with enough time left in the class period for the discussion. (15-20 minutes) That’s it! As we work through other speeches and non-fiction materials, I encourage students to continue to pause as they find examples of ethos, pathos, and logos, noticing if the techniques are being effectively used. If you want to extend the lesson, you could also have students use three different highlighters to isolate the three different rhetorical appeals as they re-read the work. This, of course, will definitely turn this activity into two full days of materials. If you like the style and substance of this lesson, be sure to check out other Common Core-aligned English/Language Arts materials at my store: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Laura-Randazzo Thanks! Laura Randazzo Stanford University Commencement Address By Steve Jobs, June 12, 2005 Due to copyright law, I am unable to offer a full transcript of the speech here. You have purchased my lesson materials to use with the Steve Jobs speech, not the speech itself. The transcript is available via numerous websites. If you enter “Steve Jobs Stanford speech” into any search engine, you will find numerous copies of the speech available for you to print and use in class. During my last product update, these were three websites that were hosting full-text versions of the speech. Just copy-and-paste any of the addresses below to access a copy to print and use in class: Text and video: http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html Text only: http://tinyurl.com/k7zeoqp http://betweendrafts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/SteveJobs_StandfordConvocationSpeech.pdf http://asset-5.soup.io/asset/1473/1528_55f4.pdf Video only: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc&list=PL097BC8F060164B47&index=4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHWUCX6osgM http://vimeo.com/7976699 Stanford Commencement Questions Stanford Commencement Questions Record your answers on a separate sheet of paper. You must answer in complete, thoughtful sentences. Record your answers on a separate sheet of paper. You must answer in complete, thoughtful sentences. 1. In his speech, Steve Jobs presents several elements of pathos. Write down five of the examples that involve Jobs’ use of pathos and explain why he shares these elements with the audience. 1. In his speech, Steve Jobs presents several elements of pathos. Write down five of the examples that involve Jobs’ use of pathos and explain why he shares these elements with the audience. 2. Look back over the speech and find a line that is filled with ethos. Write it down. What does this fact show us about Jobs? 2. Look back over the speech and find a line that is filled with ethos. Write it down. What does this fact show us about Jobs? 3. Explain how a random calligraphy class that Jobs took at Reed College in the 1970s impacted the way you create documents today. What is Jobs’ larger point in telling the audience about the calligraphy class? 3. Explain how a random calligraphy class that Jobs took at Reed College in the 1970s impacted the way you create documents today. What is Jobs’ larger point in telling the audience about the calligraphy class? 4. Jobs says that getting fired from his own company at age 30 was the best thing to happen to him. Why? 4. Jobs says that getting fired from his own company at age 30 was the best thing to happen to him. Why? 5. Describe one of your own failures and explain what you learned from that experience. 5. Describe one of your own failures and explain what you learned from that experience. 6. Explain what Jobs means when he says that death is the single best invention of Life. Also, why do you suppose he capitalizes the word, “Life,” in that part of his speech? 6. Explain what Jobs means when he says that death is the single best invention of Life. Also, why do you suppose he capitalizes the word, “Life,” in that part of his speech? 7. At the time of this speech in 2005, Jobs said that his cancer was in remission and he believed he had beaten the disease. Later, the cancer returned and Jobs died on Oct. 5, 2011, from complications connected to his pancreatic cancer. How does knowing that Jobs would ultimately lose his battle against cancer change the meaning/impact of his words for today’s audience? 7. At the time of this speech in 2005, Jobs said that his cancer was in remission and he believed he had beaten the disease. Later, the cancer returned and Jobs died on Oct. 5, 2011, from complications connected to his pancreatic cancer. How does knowing that Jobs would ultimately lose his battle against cancer change the meaning/impact of his words for today’s audience? 8. After re-reading Jobs’ speech, write down three pieces of his advice to the audience. Use your own words. Do these messages seem to hold more logos or pathos for you? Explain which of the two (logos or pathos) is more powerful to you. Why? 8. After re-reading Jobs’ speech, write down three pieces of his advice to the audience. Use your own words. Do these messages seem to hold more logos or pathos for you? Explain which of the two (logos or pathos) is more powerful to you. Why? 9. Jobs concludes his speech with the words, “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” Explain why this is a good epitaph for this man. Summarize your own life philosophy in a few words or short sentence/s. Then, explain why these words are a good guiding principle for you. 9. Jobs concludes his speech with the words, “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” Explain why this is a good epitaph for this man. Summarize your own life philosophy in a few words or short sentence/s. Then, explain why these words are a good guiding principle for you. Stanford Univ. Commencement Address 1. In his speech, Steve Jobs presents several elements of pathos. Write down five of the examples that involve Jobs’ use of pathos and explain why he shares these elements with the audience. There are numerous examples of pathos in this speech, including: 1. The fact that he was born to a single mother who put him up for adoption. 2. The first college-educated couple decided they didn’t want him. 3. His working-class parents wanted to give him the best education, but they couldn’t really afford the high tuition costs of Reed College. 4. He was impoverished as a college drop-out and homeless, sleeping on a friend’s floor. 5. To make money, he had to collect Coke bottles for the 5-cent redemption value. 6. His only hearty meal of the week was at a soup kitchen run by the Hari Krishnas. 7. He was fired from his own company at age 30 and had to start over. 8. He was diagnosed with cancer and given only 3-to-6 months to live. He uses these bits of his life story to help the audience connect to him. At first glance, most people would figure that they have little in common with multi-billionaire Steve Jobs, yet his humble beginnings make him much more relatable and interesting. 2. Look back over the speech and find a line that is filled with ethos. Write it down. What does this fact show us about Jobs? The best line from the speech that shows ethos, or credibility, is: “We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4,000 employees.” This fact shows us that Jobs and his partner were incredibly talented and dedicated. This type of growth is nearly impossible to imagine, let alone duplicate. 3. Explain how a random calligraphy class that Jobs took at Reed College in the 1970s impacted the way you create documents today. What is Jobs’ larger point in telling the audience about the calligraphy class? In that class, Jobs learned about serif and sans serif fonts, spacing, and design of text. He built those elements into his Apple computer and those formatting elements were also incorporated into Microsoft’s products. He’s trying to make the point here that when we follow our passions, those skills we build will become useful to us later, even if we don’t see the immediate connection. He’s talking about having faith that your intuition will lead you down a fruitful path, even if the ultimate destination isn’t clear to you at the time. 4. Jobs says that getting fired from his own company at age 30 was the best thing to happen to him. Why? He explains that getting fired allowed him to be a beginner again and removed the pressure of expectations. It also showed him that he loved what he was doing. Finally, the “do over” allowed for the success of his companies, NeXT and Pixar, and that was the time of his life when he met and married his wife. KEY 5. Describe one of your own failures and explain what you learned from that experience. Students’ answers will vary, but will be very interesting. This question makes for a compelling class discussion. I always begin with a story from my own life. 6. Explain what Jobs means when he says that death is the single best invention of Life. Also, why do you suppose he capitalizes the word, “Life,” in that part of his speech? He says that death is “Life’s change agent,” meaning that death ensures that the older ways/ideas/people leave so that new ways/ideas/people can help humanity to evolve. This change is natural and good; it’s a way for the world to clear away the old and make way for the new. It isn’t sad. It’s Life. By capitalizing the “L” in “Life,” Jobs is using personification to show that Life is a powerful force with motivations and desires. He’s showing here that Life is like a wise parent, knowing what’s best for us. 7. At the time of this speech in 2005, Jobs said that his cancer was in remission and he believed he had beaten the disease. Later, the cancer returned and Jobs died on Oct. 5, 2011, from complications connected to his pancreatic cancer. How does knowing that Jobs would ultimately lose his battle against cancer change the meaning/impact of his words for today’s audience? Knowing that he is now deceased makes his words have even more weight/power because we give reverence to the dead. We will all face the same fate and the wisdom of those who walked the path ahead of us should be noted. Jobs was a legendary pioneer in the worlds of technology and business. He changed the way many of us interact with the world and each other, so it’s reasonable that we pause and think deeply about his important message. 8. After re-reading Jobs’ speech, write down three pieces of his advice to the audience. Use your own words. Do these messages seem to hold more logos or pathos for you? Explain which of the two (logos or pathos) is more powerful to you. Why? Students’ answers will vary and I give credit for all reasonable answers. 9. Jobs concludes his speech with the words, “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.” Explain why this is a good epitaph for this man. Summarize your own life philosophy in a few words or short sentence/s. Then, explain why these words are a good guiding principle for you. This is a good epitaph for Jobs because he worked tirelessly to bring his vision to the world, even when he was among the world’s richest people and didn’t need to work any longer. He also took many risks and unconventional paths to fulfill his dreams. Students’ answers will vary on the last question and make for interesting group discussions.
