blog




  • Essay / Rhetorical analysis of Will Smith's speech from the movie Pursuit of Happyness

    There is a short scene in which Will Smith is playing basketball with his son and tells him that he probably won't be very good at basketball in the future. 's future, so he shouldn't spend too much time playing basketball after his son said he would turn professional. His son is upset and stops playing. Smith realizes that he should teach him to protect his dream instead of discouraging him. Afterwards, Smith gives a speech to his son that he should protect his dream no matter what anyone else says. Even though it is a short speech, it is a great life lesson for people who are chasing their dreams. In "The Pursuit of Happyness", Will Smith successfully delivers his speech using persuasive appeals such as ethos and pathos, word choice, and repetition to effectively convey the message that people must protect their dreams. it happens, and the background plays a very important role. by making the speech more powerful. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay When Smith talks to his son, he gains respect and credibility from him as an authority figure. Smith is a father and responsible for his son's life. His son is not only Smith's son in the movie but also his son in real life, which allows Smith to gain more respect and credibility. As a father, Smith teaches his son life lessons based on what he has experienced. It is a call to ethos. His son never questions what Smith says. He simply accepts it and continues even though he is upset by what he heard because he respects his father and believes what he said as credible. Additionally, Smith told his son, “Never let someone tell you you can't do something. Not even me. Okay?". Even though Smith is a father and can tell his son that he can't do something impossible, he wants his son to not even let his father tell him that he can't do something. He decides to trust his son and tells him to trust himself. When Smith tells his son that he will not be a good basketball player in the future, he is exploiting his emotions. son, which upsets him and makes him throw a basketball angrily Additionally, when Smith realizes he is wrong and feels sorry for his son, he tells his son to protect his dream with emotions. such as guilt and grief It is an appeal to pathos and it shows the emotion of Smith and his son This scene makes the audience more emotional because they know how much Smith and his son are living their lives in the. movie. They are going through tough financial times and their living conditions are terrible. They are sleeping in homeless shelters because they are being kicked out of their own homes. Additionally, Smith's wife does not respect Smith's dream and thinks it is impossible when he tells her that he wants to become a stockbroker. This gives some insight into why Smith emotionally gives his son a speech that he should pursue his dream even though other people tell him it's impossible. Smith uses effective word choice to emphasize what he wants to say to his son. His speech does not contain harsh words. It contains basic words that make the speech more effective because it is easier for the audience to understand. Even though he only uses simple words, they are very powerful in conveying the message that people should pursue their dreams. He means every word he says. He also uses lots of reinforcement words for emphasis, instead of saying "Don't let anyone tell you that you don't, 2006.