Analysis of Ethos, Pathos and Logos in Steve Jobs’ Commencement Speech

Introduction

Steve Jobs composed three unique stories inside his commencement speech 'You must discover what you love'. A story that discusses cherishing something you love doing but then losing it simultaneously and finding your way back to it. Another story looks at connecting the dots to discover what you truly need to do and how to begin. Once you've discovered what you need to do, the next step is determining how you are going to start. The last story is about death and how passing can inspire some to start doing what they truly love before they die, leaving an imprint regarding what they have achieved.

Analysis of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in Steve Jobs’ Commencement Speech

The primary story 'drawing an obvious conclusion' is presented after Steve tells the audience that this was the closest he's ever been to a graduation. Steve works superbly at utilizing ethos, pathos, and logos in each of his stories. Ethos is the appeal to convince the audience that he merits being listened to and is credible. In this case, Steve Jobs draws attention by explaining how this was the closest graduation he's ever been to. When he's said that, the audience starts to listen to what he has to say and perceive how someone who's never been close to graduating made a big name for himself. He then starts by explaining that he had never been a fan of the school he was attending when he first started going to school. We then move on to the strategy that he uses pathos when he discusses how his mother had put him up for adoption because she wanted him to have a better future and she knew she couldn't provide that. Discussing his own life and how his childhood went appeals to the audience emotionally because no one ever wants to know or even say that they were put up for adoption. He then discusses how the family that was supposed to adopt him never wanted to finalize the papers because they found out that his mother never graduated from college. That causes the audience to connect with the emotions he was experiencing at the time, making them realize what he had to endure to be as successful as him. Logos is used here when Steve Jobs states, 'you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward,' which is a logical perspective that emphasizes the importance of trusting your instincts when the path ahead is unclear.

The second story discusses love and loss. He uses pathos in this story because he knows everyone has been in a situation where they have lost something they loved. He understands what it's like to lose something you love deeply, and he connects with the audience in that way. He is essentially telling them to never lose faith and to keep moving forward. Ethos is used in this story because he speaks about the success he had when he became the CEO of Apple, discussing how he became the CEO and where it all started. As the speaker, he is credible because he was the one who went through the experience and can share why keeping faith is a better idea than giving up on what you love. Logos in this story is used when he says, “As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it,' Steve logically believes that everyone will be lost before they find what they love, and once you've found what you love doing, only your heart will feel it. Logically, that makes sense, and he says that with the hope that the audience will feel the same and understand what it truly means to know when you've found what you love to do.

The last story discusses death. Steve Jobs was diagnosed with cancer and explains that this was the closest he came to death. This is where pathos is used; by discussing the moment in his life when he was suddenly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he connects with the audience's emotions by letting them know he was told he had cancer. He uses logos when he starts to talk about following your heart, which will always matter more than thinking you have something to lose. This is more logical because, at the end of the day, when you die, you'll think about all the risks you didn't take, wishing one day you did. The fact that he says to live your life and not someone else's is a strong way of using Ethos because everyone should consider this when they think they need to live others' lives. You are not born to live other people's lives but to live your own, as at any given moment, it can be taken away without knowing it.

Conclusion

Steve Jobs uses numerous words and phrases to apply ethos, pathos, and logos to engage the audience and hold their attention. In all of his stories, he provides excellent examples of all three, from finding your way to what you love to losing it, then finding it again and enjoying it while living your own life, to discussing death. It was an outstanding commencement speech that still inspires many people today. The speech not only communicates powerful personal experiences but also offers universal lessons on resilience and authenticity.

References: Jobs, S. (2005). Stanford commencement speech. Stanford University.