“The two most important days in life is the day you are born and the day you discover why.” This quote is by Mark Twain. This quote means everyone that is born has a purpose. This quote is really similar to the philosophy Bono showed in his commencement speech, Because we can, We must, which he gave at Penn State University, in 2004. In the excerpt from Because We can, We Must, by Bono, he develops his philosophy that everyone should look for a cause that they are passionate about and fight for it by using rhetorical devices.
One of the rhetorical devices he used in his speech is syntax. In the beginning of his speech, Bono says, “What are the ideas right now worth betraying? What are the lies we tell ourselves now? What are the blind …show more content…
A figurative language technique he uses is shown when he says, ““Wishing for the end to AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa is like wishing that gravity didn’t make things so damn heavy. We can wish it but what the hell can we do about it?” (50-51). In this part of the commencement speech, he uses a simile and compares AIDs and poverty to gravity. Gravity is something that people cannot change; on the other hand, ending AIDs and poverty is something that can be changed. He uses “wish” because he wants people to see that wishing does not change anything, and it works effectively at this part of the speech because it shows the audience that taking action to solve a problem is better than just wishing for to end. Towards the middle of his commencement speech, he tells a story about Benjamin Franklin stay in Ireland, and says, “Franklin was deeply, deeply distressed by what he saw. In Ireland he saw how England had put a stranglehold on Irish trade,...So instead of Ireland becoming a model for America, America became a model for Ireland in our own struggle for independence.” (100-104). In this part of the speech, he uses an allusion and talks about Benjamin Franklin’s experiences in Ireland and because Franklin did not like how the Ireland colonies were being treated, he came into conclusion that America should be independent from Great Britain. He uses this allusion because it shows how willingly …show more content…
He also chooses his words carefully to be able to urge and inspire the audience to put their into the cause that they are passionate about. He also compares the world to a sheet of metal, and that the college degree the graduate will be receiving that graduation day will be their hammer to mold the world into the shape they see fit.Bono’s philosophy is seen throughout his commencement speech, and he uses Africa as his example, and helping Africa is the cause he has found in his life. His speech shows that he cares deeply about ending AIDs and extreme poverty in Africa, and that it is something he is very passionate about, which is why he urges the audience to find something they are really passionate about and fight for