So I just got an email about a competition to speak at my college's commencement (which is May 21st, on the National Mall...and the speech will be followed by a keynote address from George and Barbara Bush).
The competition is April 3, 4, and 5th (! so soon!), and I'm trying to decide whether or not to go for it. I'm drawing a blank on potential speech topics, though...according to the message, it has to be something relevant to the entire university, of interest to students, faculty and staff, and related to graduation, etc etc etc...
If you were going to do something like this, what would you talk about?
I'm not asking for you to do my homework here, I'm just looking for some creative juice.
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
Don't give the cliche "college was just the begginning" or anything about how many hours were spent drunk (I actually saw this given at a small christian college, my uncle then told his younger daughter she was not going there).
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
Also, don't do the 'road less travelled' speech.
Posted by Kasie H (Member # 2120) on :
I wonder how many hours I *have* spent drunk...
Far fewer than the average audience member, I'm sure.
Posted by Brian J. Hill (Member # 5346) on :
I gave a high school graduation speech, and though my memory of the details are foggy, I remember quoting an abridgement of the following speech from Dead Poet's Society (text thanks to imdb.com)
quote: We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life!... of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless... of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?" Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?
I tied it in with the idea that it is our choices that control our destinies, not anyone else's, and the words "you can contribute a verse" are something truly powerful. I remember saying something to the effect that when we die--and we all will, make no mistake--the speakers at our funeral won't mention that much what things we accomplished, but what kind of people we were, and what our relationships with others were. That's what "contributing a verse" really means.
I also used the popular tradition of throwing your graduation cap in the air as a metaphor. The idea was, when that hat goes up, you're a graduate, full of excitement and relief and eagerness and optimism all at one time, but when that hat comes down, you're just another person seeking to make some kind of difference in the so-called "real" world.
Hope this helps.
Posted by Chungwa (Member # 6421) on :
I actually don't plan to ever die.
Posted by prolixshore (Member # 4496) on :
I wrote a speech for a friend of mine for his high school graduation. It was about luck, timing, and networking being the keys to success far more often than hard work and talent. The school, not surprisingly, said he couldn't give that speech. We replaced it with a speech titled "Life Is Like A Bean Burrito." It went over well enough, but I don't think it would be of much help to you.
--ApostleRadio
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Likely, no matter what you do, it'll have been done by someone else before. Graduation speeches are inherently cliched, because they've been done for decades, and there've been thousands of them.
You can either buy into the norm, and do a speech that has most likely been done before, something about the future, and how your class fits into that future. Or you can do something wildly unconventional. Something that stands out, and probably acts as a metaphor for a larger message.
Good luck.
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
"Some of you may go out tomorrow and march against the war. Others will go out and join the army, offering your bodies and lives for what you believe. Both choices are better than the disinterested and self-involved decision not to care...."
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
Or the best graduation speech I ever heard.
"I asked the administration what I should talk about. They said about 2 minutes. I'll do better than that. Good night and good luck."
Posted by Princess Leah (Member # 6026) on :
I say take a leaf from the Dada book and go Graham Chapman on them. Just show up in a carrot (or other strange object of your choice) costume, then go onstage and do nothing until someone stops you. Seriously. No one listens to those things. And like they all said, it's all been done. So make 'em listen- make 'em laugh.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Deliver the speech using a George HW Bush "Dana Carvey" like impression.