Rhetoric is the art of speaking or writing persuasively.It is often referred to as the stylistic devices an author uses to appeal successfully to a specific audience and is usually persuasive in nature.Commencement address is a type of public speaking on university graduation ceremony.The speakers mainly focus on expressing their blessings to the graduates and share their insights into life，and at the same time contains the speaker's requirements and expectations for the graduates.Therefore，speakers carefully organize their thoughts in a rational manner and use language cleverly to inspire，motivate，and influence their audience.Public speaking relies heavily on the art of rhetoric.However， there is a lack of concrete analyses of these speeches from a rhetorical perspective.This paper analyzes the rhetorical choices poet Rita Dove makes in her 2016 commencement speech at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville to convey her messages about what she wishes for her audience of graduating students.