In today's society, children are being exposed to bullying at an earlier and earlier age.
There are many programs being created and advertised through schools and the media to help
eliminate the vast majority of bullying. In George Saunders's 'Advice to Graduates', he uses
Kairos and the Stasis Theory to argue that the issue of bullying, or just the lack of respect and
kindness, can be improved through having more people speak positively to each other. He does a
great job of convincing his audience of this argument through the way he uses Kairos, the key
components of Stasis Theory, and the way that he speaks on the same level of his audience.
Through this, he is able to reach them, and make his topic relatable so that they are more likely
to agree with his argument.

Saunders uses the Stasis Theory to say that there is, in fact, an issue with a lack of
kindness. Saunders makes it clear that he believes that people should be nicer to each other every
second that they can; this will do away with the selfishness in society, making it a better
experience for everybody. He uses conjecture to inform his audience that there is not enough
kindness in the world, and that people should be kinder to one another. He claims that this
problem comes from people's selfish mindsets by stating his opinion that we are all born with
three a 'series of built-in confusions' that control us: '(1) we're central to the universe' (2)
we're separate from the universe' and (3) we're permanent'. Saunders tells his
audience that it's innate to think that the world revolves around them, and that this is only
natural. However, this is not all that is stated. He goes on to say that this is a problem that can be
fixed with time and effort. All that we have to do is simply be nice.

Saunders chose a timely topic to speak about in this graduation speech. Bullying is
definitely a modern day issue. There are many forms of bullying: cyber bullying, physical
bullying, emotional bullying, and mental bullying. He uses a personal story to stress the urgency
of the matter; his story emphasizes how he did not intervene with 'Ellen's' bullying and
mistreatment, and stresses his ultimate regret for not doing so. By saying 'One day she was
there, next day she wasn't. End of story', Saunders further emphasizes the urgency of being kind
to one another and/or intervening with their mistreatment because we never know when our last
chance to make somebody smile will be.

This urgency also stresses the quality of this topic. It shows that this matter is important
to the orator and should be to the audience. Saunders tries to tell his audience that we do not need
to wait to be nice to other people; in fact, we need to speak positively every moment that
becomes available to us. This quote shows that we will not always have a second chance to be
nice to someone and emphasizes the 'do something now' attitude that he has throughout his
speech for the graduates.

When giving this speech, Saunders is addressing a group of graduates. Being that
bullying takes place mostly in a school setting, this makes it easier for his message to be
received. If he were to give this speech to a group of adults, there is a great possibility that his
message would not get through to his audience. His audience is more likely to agree with, or at
least be able to understand, what he is trying to say. He tells his tale of 'Ellen', adding in that all
of his encounters with her took place in school; this gives the students a sense of connection and
makes his argument more relatable. This also brings back the anti-bullying aspect of his speech;
most incidents dealing with bullying takes place in school. Since, he mentions that he only
interacted with 'Ellen' at school, he helps his audience make a connection between his
argument, bullying, and what takes place at school. Also, the manner in which Saunders talks to
the graduates (using modern day language, giving hilarious examples of things he has done as a
teen, etc.) sets up a sense of rapport with them, and makes it easier for them to understand what
he is trying to say. By doing this, he is able to get his point across more clearly to his audience,
and will also most likely keep their attention.

Saunders addresses policy when he asks the group 'How might we DO this? How might
we become more loving, more open, less selfish, more present, less delusional, etc., etc.?'
He goes on to explain that everyone has the potential to be kinder to others
because they have done it before. He is not asking people to do something that is impossible,
which also makes his argument valid. There should be nothing stopping them from being nicer to
other people because, at some point in their lives already, they have been kind to somebody in
some way'people are more likely to do something if they have done it before.. Saunders is
saying that everybody can and should be involved in this movement of kindness. In fact, that is
the only way that it will come to pass. He tells the group that there are ways to do this, and that
they already know what they are because we have all experienced 'High kindness periods' in
our lifetime, whether it be ourselves being the kind one, or the person receiving the kind gesture.
He gives the group of graduates a sense of hope when he says that ''becoming kinder happens
naturally, with age.' He goes on to say 'as we get older, we come to see how useless it is to be
selfish', meaning that the older we get, the more mature we get (hopefully).
Saunders is saying that we will eventually grow out of our need to be selfish and have the world
revolve around us. This will in turn cause us to be nicer to others, and will result in a decrease of
'Low Kindness periods'. He is trying to show his audience that his argument is
not only valid, but also attainable.

Saunders educates his audience that this goal can be reached if they use the sense of
urgency and just be kinder now. He expresses that it will not be the easiest thing in the world to
do when he says 'Because kindness, it turns out, is hard'it starts out all rainbows and puppy
dogs, and expands to include ' well, everything.' By saying this, he tells his audience that it
will not always be easy because life gets hard. Also, being kind is not always so easy. Saunders
uses pathos by appealing to their feelings, letting them know that it is okay to fail, or have a hard
time with something. However, he doesn't leave them with a negative thought. He says that
being kind to others more often is definitely attainable, and will get easier as we get older. Also,
by doing this, he shows that there may be some people who do not think that his argument is
valid; he, himself, says that it will be difficult, but that it is possible simply through effort.

