Obtaining a school diploma is just one of the essential tools for a young person to succeed in life. A person endures many years of schooling, and then finally comes graduation day. This special day is one of the most significant days in a young student's life. Happiness and sadness are the two emotions that a person will feel on this special day. A student will experience happiness because of a milestone achieved in his life. Sad emotions will arise because of a terrifying new chapter in the book of life that is about to begin. Bradley Whitford and His Holiness the Dalai Lama both deliver their keynote speeches using humor to lighten the mood of the crowd, making light of their fame and giving the usual words of wisdom to the class. graduate students. During Whitford's speech, his opening speech his remarks are humorous when he shouts to the audience "What's up Mad City" (1). He uses this funny tactic to lighten the mood a little, and he hopes it will make the words a little more memorable. Humor is particularly useful in lightening the mood and making the situation less formal. Whitford compares a commencement speech to a funeral, saying, “Someone once said it was like being the body at a wake” (1). Adding a humorous touch is a way for him to get graduates to remember at least some of the words that come out of his mouth. The Dalai Lama also demonstrates humor when he says that “even the sun participates in this occasion and tries to show its glory and brilliance” (1). Obviously, the sun has no choice but to voluntarily participate in the ceremony, and the students must also participate voluntarily or pretend to listen to the speech. It also gets students to look...at the middle of a sheet......and understand that life is hard and not everything worth having is easy. Life is not handed to a person on a silver platter. Even a life of glory requires dedication and hard work. They wanted students to all feel equal. Graduates will leave the ceremony hoping to retain some of the speakers' words. Having a famous speaker will at least remind them who the speaker was. It doesn't matter who speaks at a graduation ceremony, but it doesn't matter what words are spoken and remembered. Works Cited Whitford, Bradley. “At the expense of the graduates. » UW-Madison.edu. News, U of Wisconsin-Madison, May 17, 2006. Web. December 16, 2008. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. “Emory University Commencement Address.” emory.edu.Emory University Commencement Archives, May 11, 1998. Web. June 7 2007.