While William Deresiewicz is known as an essayist, “Solitude and Leadership” was originally delivered orally as a persuasive speech. As such, it is composed of short, direct sentences. Statements that would likely be written as complex sentences in an essay are broken up by periods, and many sentences begin with conjunctions. This allows for verbal pauses, and phrases often stand alone for emphasis. 

Similarly, although the speech shares many concepts with Deresiewicz’s earlier critique of the Ivy League, “Solitude and Leadership” is tailored for his audience of first-year cadets at the US Military Academy. He begins with the premise that his listeners are at West Point to become leaders. He then promises insight into how this can be achieved. His arguments eventually reached a wider audience, but Deresiewicz speaks directly to the cadets, referencing their training regimen and supporting his claims using military examples. Along with the writing style mentioned above, Deresiewicz connects with his audience by showing that he understands them and their unique challenges.

Deresiewicz divides his speech in half, first establishing the attributes of leadership and then discussing how they can be developed.