KEN JPN
Junior Member
- Joined
- May 27, 2012
- Member Type
- Retired English Teacher
- Native Language
- Japanese
- Home Country
- Japan
- Current Location
- Philippines
Hi, I am now learning through the speech of David McCullough, Jr. - You Are Not Special Commencement Speech - Wellesley High School.
This is a very nice speech, having a great reputation now.
The second paragraph:
So here we are… commencement… life’s great forward-looking ceremony. And don’t say, “What about weddings?” Weddings are one-sided and insufficiently effective. Weddings are bride-centric pageantry. Other than conceding to a list of unreasonable demands, the groom just stands there. No stately, hey-everybody-look-at-me procession. No being given away. No identity-changing pronouncement.
I would like to know what "Other than conceding to a list of unreasonable demands" means here.
I roughly understand he is joking with a wedding ceremony but not really clear with this part.
Could anyone paraphrase this part so that I can deeply understand what he means here?
Thank you in advance.
This is a very nice speech, having a great reputation now.
The second paragraph:
So here we are… commencement… life’s great forward-looking ceremony. And don’t say, “What about weddings?” Weddings are one-sided and insufficiently effective. Weddings are bride-centric pageantry. Other than conceding to a list of unreasonable demands, the groom just stands there. No stately, hey-everybody-look-at-me procession. No being given away. No identity-changing pronouncement.
I would like to know what "Other than conceding to a list of unreasonable demands" means here.
I roughly understand he is joking with a wedding ceremony but not really clear with this part.
Could anyone paraphrase this part so that I can deeply understand what he means here?
Thank you in advance.