The use of Kairos and Stasis Theory are essential to building a rhetorically sound
and strong argument. Kairos, which is predicated on opportunity, is the usage of time to a
rhetorician's advantage. In other words, it is how a rhetor goes about delivering his or her
argument based on the circumstances in which he or she is under. For example, George
Saunders was able to give an excellent rhetorically sound speech to graduates of Syracuse
University Class of 2013 by understanding the mind of a college student and the relaxed
but serious atmosphere. On the other hand, stasis theory is a use of questions to decipher
what an argument is really about. Through these questions, the argument can be taken
apart and the main points and motives can be deciphered. We must decipher the facts, the
meaning, seriousness, and policy of the argument. Through the use of kairos and the
stases, we are able to see the effectiveness of George Saunders's argument is in his
speech, 'Advice to Graduates,' through his ability to provide real life experiences and the
use of a diction that makes it seem as if he is having a personal conversation with each
individual listener.

'Advice to Graduates,' was a commencement speech given by George Saunders
at the commencement exercises of Syracuse University for the 2013 year and was later
reprinted in The New York Times. It was so greatly admired because through this speech,
Saunders is able to connect to his audience and reader personally. The speech not only
informs, but it challenges, checks, and places responsibility on the audience or reader.
This is an extremely rare characteristic of a speech that is limited to be just about five to
seven minutes in length. It is definitely a relative piece of literature because it would still
hold lots of sentimental value whether it was written two-hundred years ago or two-
hundred years from now. The speech will always be relevant because the ideas of
kindness combined with an awkward childhood encounter has and always will be
prevalent, especially in todays society with the use of social media.

In order for Saunders to deliver a strong argument, the time in which it is being
given has to be opportunistic. Saunders is at an advantage when giving this argument
because this is a commencement speech at a graduation and his audience is most likely
very willing to listen because graduation is such an exciting time. Saunders takes
advantage of this opportunity by incorporating a good bit of his dry sense of humor in his
speech, which acts as a narrative hook. For example, Saunders states, 'Down through the
ages, a traditional form has evolved for this type of speech, which is: Some old fart, his
best years behind him, who, over the course of his life has made a series of dreadful
mistakes (that would be me), gives heartfelt advice to a group of shining, energetic young
people, with all of their best years ahead of them (that would be you),'.
This is effective because when a speaker can connect with his or her audience on such a
level, the audience is likely to become more open-minded and conform to his or her
views and have a full understanding of the true message the speaker is trying to employ.

Saunders definitely makes his argument urgent in his speech. He even states,
'Since, according to me, your life is going to be a gradual process of becoming kinder
and more loving: Hurry up. Speed it along. Start right now,'. Saunders is a
huge advocate of kindness, and his argument here is that since humans become kinder
naturally throughout life, they need to start becoming nicer now and stop wasting their
time. His sense of urgency is his way of showing his passion for this issue, and it is
ultimately his reason for even speaking about it. This is effective because it provides
credibility to an argument that has been made humorous. By adding in several serious
and urgent notes, the audience is able to easily identify the overall message of the speech
and is likely to feel compelled to go act.

Saunders does a great job of being aware of his situation. He knows that
graduation ceremonies can be pretty uptight, and he knows his audience is a group of
young adults, so he is able to take a humorous but also serious approach in order to
lighten the mood and get away with it. Saunders is able to connect with his audience by
sharing a story of his childhood and almost anyone can relate to this because at one point,
everyone was a child and experienced the awkwardness that came with it. Being aware of
his audience is the most effective thing that Saunders did when giving his
commencement speech because he was able to use his rhetoric in a way that it seemed
like he was having a conversation with each individual person that was listening to him.
When a listener feels that way, it makes everything outside that persons mind disappear
for a little while, and great ideas and conclusions are formed. For example, he states,
'Now, the million-dollar question: What's our problem? Why aren't we kinder,'.
This forces his audience to reflect on their own lives and causes major
internal conflict. Saunders knew that if he could make each member of his audience feel
as though he was having a conversation with them, he could get them to fully understand
and jump on board with his argument. Again, this is a consideration he made based on
kairos because the situation allows him to benefit from making his audience feel this
way.

In his commencement speech, Saunders does not really acknowledge any
disagreements with his argument because he believes that those who disagree are wrong.
'One thing in our favor: Some of this 'becoming kinder' happens naturally, with age. It
might be a simple matter of attrition: As we get older, we come to see how useless it is to
be selfish ' how illogical, really. We come to love other people and are thereby counter-
instructed in our own centrality. We get our butts kicked by real life, and people come to
our defense, and help us, and we learn that we're not separate, and don't want to be. We
see people near and dear to us dropping away, and are gradually convinced that maybe
we too will drop away (someday, a long time from now). Most people, as they age,
become less selfish and more loving. I think this is true,' (Saunders). He believes that
everyone is good, and if they are not good people right now, they will become good
people in the future. Saunders knows that it is hard to disagree with him because most
elderly people are generally extremely nice individuals despite rough pasts that they may
have experienced.

Saunders doesn't necessarily ask the audience any questions, however he
reminisces on questions that others asked him, such as, 'Looking back, what do you
regret,'. He also uses these questions to challenge his audience by
motivating them to become kinder people. This makes his argument effective by getting
the audience to really think. It is almost like he is asking the audience to look in the
mirror. It is also a gut check for the audience. By holding them accountable, his audience
is likely to listen and finally become the change that they want to see. Holding them
accountable is certainly something he decided to do based on the situation because
commencement speeches are generally used as motivation. Saunders holding his
audience accountable is an excellent example of him making it seem as if he is having a
personal conversation with each member. This is rhetorically effective because he is
causing internal conflict amongst his audience. Each member could be imagining himself
or herself having this one-on-one conversation with Saunders and wrestling with how
they respond. This is also something he chose to do based on kairos.

Saunders uses a form of conjecture by speaking about the act of kindness. This is
obviously something that he feels strongly about and uses as motivation to deliver the
most effective argument that the can. He even states, 'What I regret most about my life
are failures of kindness,'. To Saunders, kindness is an extremely important
and serious. He would not be giving this speech if he did not feel that way. The main
thing that Saunders wants his audience to understand is that kindness is the willingness to
be polite to someone and help them through times when they may need a friend. His
failure to be an excellent friend led to feelings of regret and remorse. The emotion that
this speech is delivered with is intended to motivate people to not only be kind to others
but also to live life with no regrets. Despite his emphasis on kindness, Saunders does not
give an outline on how to be kind to somebody because it can be shown in plenty of
different ways. He simply wants his audience to understand the importance of being kind
in hopes that they will be inspired enough to go out and display a kind heart.

After dissecting, 'Advice to Graduates,' by George Saunders by using kairos and
the stases, it is pretty safe to say that his argument is extremely effective. He is able to
connect with his audience on an almost personal level and is also able to challenge them,
which really makes them think about their past. Saunders's unique ability to integrate his
good sense of humor into a serious argument that is very important to him really gives his
argument an immense amount of credibility and raises its overall effectiveness.

