A Left-Handed Commencement Address Themes
Power
Ursula Le Guin would make a terrible despot, because she really doesn't think power is a good thing. We're not talking electricity (we're pretty sure she's a fan…), we're talking about the abilit...
Women and Femininity
Le Guin was one of the more outspoken feminists at the time she was asked to give what would become "A Left-Handed Commencement," so it's no surprise that her address would touch on the topics of f...
Dreams, Hopes and Plans
It wouldn't be a commencement address without some mention of the hopes and dreams the speaker has for the recent graduates. Well, okay, it could be…but it'd be pretty dismal. So Le Guin framed "...
Men and Masculinity
Although Le Guin didn't set out to attack men, she doesn't have a ton of nice things to say about men in general. It's her belief that many of society's ills can be blamed on the aggressive, compet...
Language and Communication
Ursula Le Guin is a master wordsmith, so its not surprising that much of "A Left-Handed Commencement" focuses on the differences between the language of men and women. Not literally, of course, bec...