Comm 308: Argumentation
Lesson 4: Composition 1
Find your place in society where you think you fit, not where others say you have to go. That is the message Barbara Bush delivered in the commencement speech to the 1990 graduating class at Wellesley College in Massachusetts.
Wellesley College, an all-women’s college, is more than a college, it is an idea. These women were leaving with a first class education from a first class school. They thrived in an environment where diversity was embraced. Each woman is at the beginning of a personal expedition to search for their own true colors.
Mrs. Bush offers three goals for the graduating class. She urges the women to believe in something larger than themselves, to help solve the problems of our time. Joy is the second goal. Whether in their education, career or personal life, life moves quickly, we must find the time to find the joy in it. Lastly is to remember to cherish human connections. Relationships with friends and family are the most important investments one will ever make.
Wellesley has an annual tradition of a hoop race. The winner was once said to be the first to marry, which has evolved to becoming the first CEO. Mrs. Bush offered a new tradition, that the winner would be the first to realize her own personal dreams, not the ones society presses upon her.
Mrs. Bush capped off her speech by suggesting that someone in the audience may follower her footsteps and may one day preside over the White House as the President’s spouse. “I wish him well,” she added. Mrs. Bush encouraged these young ladies to balance their careers with their commitments to friends and family. Her hope for them was that their future would be worthy of their dreams.
Word Count: 291