Steve Jobs

Critique of Graduation Speech by Steve Jobs 

Steve Jobs is a very well known American entrepreneur that is esteemed and recognized all around the world. I think he was an suitable speaker for a college graduation. He used one line at the beginning of the speech that would catch the audiences interest; "I never went to college and this is as close to a college graduation as I'll ever get." and branched out from there to significant issues. I think this showed a sense of organization and significance to the issue of why he was there. 

From the beginning of the speech Steve Jobs set a personal and relaxed tone. He spoke to the graduates on a level of equality using phrases like "here I was spending all the money my parents saved their entire life", and "How can you get fired from a company you started?" Which also made the audience laugh. He was able to relate to the graduates and made it easy for the graduates to relate to him, saying " you can't connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards." Things that entrepreneurs are often faced with. He also uses the method of mentioning another famous name to catch the interest of the audience when he says "when Windows copied the Mac."

Since Steve Jobs has been so triumphant, his past experiences can be a way learning and support for the graduates. He refers back to when he was entered into a calligraphy class and explains how his career began. He spoke about sleeping on floors and recycling to buy food with. Most of the graduates are probably going through that stage in their life now. I think he referred to this as a sense of inspiration for the graduates. Throughout the speech he gives out tips and advice about making it in the real world. Since he is so esteemed as an entrepreneur this advice is precious to the graduates. 

He made life the most important thing in the world, which I think gave a lot of meaning to the graduates. He called the ability they had a gift that only...