Notably, both speeches are persuasive and inspirational; they aim to evoke listeners’ thoughts and motivate them to change in life. Hence, the rhetorical mode of both videos is persuasion, which is a style of reasoning that includes a call to action aimed at the audience (Beqiri). The first speech by Jim Carrey concentrated on explaining how fear and ego place obstacles on the way to living a happy life and doing beautiful things (After Skool). People must choose between love and fear, and Jim Carrey attempts to inspire listeners to choose love and be open to new opportunities with faith. In the second video, Chris Do describes the concept of a mirror mask, which symbolizes the fake identity that we want to create (The Futur). Nonetheless, he persuades listeners of how vital self-acceptance and confidence are.
Both speeches use comparison and contrast via metaphors. Essentially, a metaphor is a rhetorical device in which one item is explicitly likened to another (Beqiri). For instance, Jim Carrey describes life with fear and without; he uses many metaphors, such as “I am here to plant a seed,” meaning giving listeners a fresh start in life (After Skool 00:00:10-00:00:12). The second example is “Your job is to open the door in your head,” which refers to being ready for new opportunities (After Skool 00:04:05-00:04:07). Chris Do’s description of a mirror mask is a metaphor as well; he argues, “We all walk around with a mask that we think is a mirror and then reflects the world, and we have a completed vision of who we are” (The Futur 00:00:09-00:01:15). Chris Do adds that the mirror masks people that take a lot of work and effort. Nonetheless, the world already sees each individual for who they are; thus, self-acceptance and confidence are crucial for happiness.
The fundamental difference between the two speeches is that one describes a more personal experience of the speaker for listeners’ persuasion while the other one is more abstract. When discussing the concept of self-acceptance, Chis Do tells a story to make it personal (The Futur). He mentioned the period when he started doing YouTube videos and how he was very reluctant and scared. On the contrary, Jim Carrey, in his speech, does not provide stories but instead discusses ideas philosophically and abstractly (After Skool). He claims that hope is the beggar, and people should focus more on faith in their strengths.
Works Cited
After Skool. “The Need for Acceptance Will Make You Invisible – Jim Carrey.” YouTube, uploaded by After Skool, 2017.
Beqiri, Gini. “Rhetoric: How to Inform, Persuade, or Motivate your Audience.” VirtualSpeech, 2018.
The Futur. “Learn Self-Acceptance Self-Confidence by Letting Go of Ego & Being Yourself.” YouTube, uploaded by The Futur, 2018.