Excerpts on Anna Quindlen's Commencement Speech

       "The speech is focused primarily on the concept of perfection and how it is not always the happiest or most suitable option in life. Anna Quindlen knows her audience well. They are over achievers who work a ifetime and then some in the pursuit of perfection. This is why Quindlen  focuses on the idea of perfection, future happiness, and what you can and can not do in life. She understands that these students are at a great crossroads n their lives; they have worked their entire lives to climb the mountain of success and perfection, only to find that there isn't a straight path onto their lives after that point. It is now in their lives that they must choose where they will go from the top of that mountain.
        Now on rhetorical strategies present in the speech, the most obvious to me is the constant relation between the speaker and the audience. This can be see in Quindlen's frequent use of "I" and "we" to form a connection with the audience and show that she understands them. That she once sat in that very same seat, that she too once stood atop that mountain contemplating where to go next."
        
         "....Quindlen details her shortcomings and uncertainties she experienced when first arriving at Barnard. This shows that she is human and a more relatable figure for the audience. Maybe by showing that she has already "dropped the backpack" she could be seen as a model to the audience. She wants the students to "give up the nonsensical and punishing quest for perfection." Stop trying to achieve perfection and honestly evaluate yourself. Do not define your life and happiness on a social expectation but rather by what you want and expect of yourself. It is about you, not them."