Education
What did Tom Hanks & Oprah told recent graduates? These are the words they chose
Truth, right, advice, American... were among the most frequent words used in some of the most popular comencement speeches of 2023.
Some of 2023's most inspiring commencement speeches painted a world full of challenges, a very scary world indeed. At the same time, speakers expressed their confidence in this generation. They said there is hope because the graduates in front of them could find solutions to our most pressing problems.
I analyzed three popular commencement speeches, featured in The Guardian, Forbes, and other media outlets. These were the words most frequently used by each speaker. You can find the code in my Github repository.
Tom Hanks and everyday superheroes
In his speech to Harvard University's newest graduates, the actor Tom Hanks referred to them as “newly incorporated members of the Justice League of Avengers,” everyday superheroes who can fight the “agents of intolerance.”
“We'd like to look up in the sky and see not a bird, not a plane, but, well, someone young, strong, and super, who'll fight the never-ending battle for Truth, for Justice and for the American way --someone who will take on that work,” the actor said.
Two of his 10 most frequently used words were Way and American, often mentioned together: the “American Way.” Hanks said it is rooted in telling the truth but warned about its opposites: “Omission. (You don't need to know that!) Distraction (That's not the real story! This is!) Opinion masquerading as clairvoyance (Here's what is going to happen!) and influence peddling (you know, a lot of people are saying…).”
But of all of them, the nemesis of truth is indifference, Hanks urged. He asked graduates to never stop caring and embrace “liberty and freedom for ALL.”
Oprah Winfrey: on going back home
Winfrey told graduates at Tennessee State University about her journey as a student in that same institution. She recalled how she was living with her stritct father, when she had her first big break in television. He always pushed her to finish college, Oprah said.
She also invited the students to have compassion: "Everybody always thinks you got to go do something big and grand. I'll tell you where you start—you start by being good to at least one other person every single day. Just start there. That's how you begin to change the world—by just being good to one other person."
Patton Oswalt: "You poor bastards"
Comedian and actor Patton Oswalt, a graduate of William & Mary, began his commencement address at his alma mater by telling students: “You poor bastards.
Oswalt asked graduates to imagine he was their shift manager at a Walmart. In 2013 his speech would have been the equivalent of an ordinary day at the store, full of “normal tasks” like mopping or restocking shelves; but 2023 is different, he said.
“Today's pre-shift pep talk it's going to be a little different because first off, a tornado has ripped the roof off the store and right after that an 18-wheeler full of rabid possums crashed through the wall in the sporting goods section and now there are rabid possums with hockey sticks and air rifles and for some reason, all the possums are white nationalists I don't know how this is happening, but that's what's going on all right?”, the actor told them.
Oswalt said graduates face “massive” issues as they enter the workforce: “Democracy is crumbling. Truth is up for grabs. The planet's trying to kill us, and loneliness is driving everyone insane.” But he also congratulated them for rebelling against “every bad habit of mine and every generation that came before me.”
His advice? To work hard but also “wander easy.”
“Everything extraordinary in my life came from the wandering and that's not to say I didn't work hard and that you shouldn't work hard but don't work hard to acquire things. Work hard so that you can buy yourself the time to wander easy, use whatever skills you have to carve out days of randomness and adventure…”