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Matthew Jacobs

Dr. Arini

ENG-102

11/3/2019

Comparative Rhetorical Analysis

Two powerful motivational speakers are a former wrestler and actor Dwayne “The Rock”

Johnson and long-distance swimmer and journalist Diana Nyad. These two speakers have

athletic backgrounds. I chose a female and male speaker in order to observe their differences in

techniques despite their similar backgrounds. I will be examining the tactics used by both

speakers and how they benefit their speeches.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has

an impressive career as an athlete, actor,

and producer. Dwayne Johnson’s moment

of exigency happened at the 2000

Democratic National Convention. Johnson

was a part of the non-partisan

“Smackdown Your Vote” campaign aimed at encouraging young adults to vote. This campaign

sparked Johnson’s involvement in motivational speaking by giving him the opportunity to share

his inspiring story. When Johnson speaks, he uses lots of ethos and pathos that you would expect

from a manly wrestler. The way he speaks is friendly and calm as if he is a close friend sharing a

story. Johnson raises his volume and inflection whenever he talks about the gym and adversity in

his life. With every talking point, Johnson speaks about adversity and his unbeatable hard work
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ethic. Johnson frequently uses the word “anchor” a term commonly used to describe a way in

which someone supports themselves in times of stress. He goes on to say that he uses that anchor

every day. The analogy of comparing everything in life to the gym is reused by Johnson

frequently because the gym is his anchor. Johnson stresses that he needs his anchor every day

because of the “haters” and adversity he faces. Using pathos, Johnson relates to his listeners by

showing the problems he faces today at the height of his success.

Dwayne Johnson’s audience is mostly young men who are aspiring athletes. This works

very well for Johnson because he is a successful athlete and man young men look up to him. This

strength in the target audience is also a weakness. The limited focus of being strong and athletic

leaves many listeners uninspired. Most listeners won’t find their anchor in the gym or sports and

won’t relate to the pathos used by Johnson. The strength in Johnson’s speeches comes from his

progress and how he only had “seven dollars” and he rose back up. Every listener can relate to

being at a low point in their life and knowing they can always come back from that is inspiring.

Diana Nyad has an extraordinary career as a

swimmer, accomplishing feats most think impossible.

Diana Nyad’s moment of exigency is described as a later-

life existential crisis. At around the age of 60, Nyad

realized she was closer to the end of her life than the

beginning. This opener is powerful because it relates to

everybody by talking about getting older in a pathos logos

appeal. Nyad uses a very professional tone that puts the

audience at ease rather than excite them. She talks about her time as a long-distance swimmer

and how big of a commitment it is to swim such long distances shocking the audience with
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logos. When Nyad completed what she thought was her last swim she “moved on with the rest of

her life” appealing to the audience's ethos as it is common in our culture to constantly moving

forward. After Nyad completed her last swim she was never as committed to anything as she was

swimming.

Diana Nyad speaks towards a more mature audience of adults who better relate with the

concepts she covers. The greatest strength is the inevitable relatability to getting old and not

being committed. The downfall of this tactic is the age and maturity required to relate to the

topics. Often times older individuals don’t need or want motivational speakers because they have

been through life’s experiences and don’t believe there is something to be learned.

There are many rhetorical devices shared by Dwayne Johnson and Diana Nyad in their

speeches. The most prominent technique repeated by both speakers are anecdotes. Both speakers

use stories from their life experiences to build credibility and a relationship with the audience.

Another tactic used is a combination of logos and pathos. This tactic is raising the bar or trail

blazing. The Rock talks about working the hardest and reaching for what your heart desires.

Nyad talks about doing more than just breaking the 59-mile record, she is going to go the full

100. The Rock and Nyad use these techniques because they have the greatest effect on the

audience through the combination of ethos, pathos, and logos.

Diana Nyad and Dwayne Johnson differ in many ways when they speak to the audience.

The Rock speaks about his hands and his body and how it is a tool he uses to fight against his

daily adversity. Diana Nyad speaks about being committed to something and that thing needing a

great amount of passion to achieve. The speaking points are very clearly different. The reason

both speakers are different in these ways is because of their background. The influencing points

in each speaker’s lives where different leading to different philosophies.

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Diana Nyad and Dwayne Johnson’s motivational speeches affect me in different ways. I

relate to both speakers as an athlete. When I hear The Rock, his ideals inspire raw emotions. The

Rock appeals to a more emotionally driven and exciting outcome while Nyad learns towards a

more logical thought process. I value both ways of thinking as they are valuable in their own

respects. Nyad encourages in depth thinking that would benefit me in the long run of my life.

The Rock encourages everyday thinking of “finding your anchor” and working the hardest that

would benefit me in the short run. I believe that there needs to be a balance of both these

concepts in everyone's life and without a balance you can’t effectively reach your goals.

In conclusion I chose Diana Nyad and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson because of their

athletic backgrounds. Dwayne Johnson and Diana Nyad where similar and different in many

ways. Each speaker had their own strengths and weaknesses that stemmed from their target

audience and rhetorical techniques. I found personal value in both of their speeches.

Works Cited

“Extreme Swimming with the World's Most Dangerous Jellyfish.” Ted.com, TEDMED, 11 Oct.

2011,
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https://www.ted.com/talks/diana_nyad_extreme_swimming_with_the_world_s_most_dangerous

_jellyfish.

Nyad, Diana. “No Shortcuts to Victory.” TEDMED, Tedmed.com, 2014,

https://www.tedmed.com/talks/show?id=292958.

“Dare to Dream.” Dare to Dream, TEDx, 18 Dec. 2012,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhjU7VVr9io.

“Wayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson's Eye Opening Speech - Best MOTIVATION Ever 2019.” "The

Rock", Alpha Leaders, 21 July 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5tlGJwvmCQ.

“Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson's Top 10 Rules For Success (@TheRock).” "The Rock", Evan

Carmichael, 20 Apr. 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYzBxqYum6I.

“Seven Bucks Moment: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.” "The Rock", The Rock, 6 Dec. 2016,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjATMi9yNd0&t=18s.