“Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real, they are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this America: They will be met” (Obama). On January 20, 2009, former President Barack Obama stood at Capitol Hill and delivered his inaugural speech, in front of 1.8 million citizens, beginning his stint as the 44th President of the United States. During his speech, Obama claims the problems facing Americans as well as setting a notion explaining how he will solve the problems. Obama builds his credibility with personal facts and reputable history, making Americans trust his approach. President Obama uses a fine mix of ethos, pathos, and logos to not only speak to the citizens of America, but leaders and residents of other abiding nations that there is an assortment of challenges in America that can and will be resolved due to the determination, persistent dedication, and morale of Americans. Instead of individualism, Obama focuses on emphasizing the unity of the nation being one again. He does this by refraining from using words like ‘me’, ‘myself’, …show more content…
Obama strikes the audience’s attention as well as emotion by grasping this concept through his use of pathos. With his understanding of knowledge on the history of America, Obama knows the hardships and struggles that Americans faced to achieve the American Dream. America is the place people live out their dreams and have the freedom to do what they want. A place people have life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and Obama recognizes this. “…to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.” Obama recognizes these liberties and achievements that Americans hold so dearly—so close to their
He later says that the journey is an incomplete one. This too is similar to what Lincoln and Kennedy did in their speeches. Lincoln had “high hope” and Kennedy spoke about progressiveness as a nation. Obama rarely used the words you and I, but utilized "we" and "we the people". This goes to show that he thinks that there is no individual person, but we are one nation and must stay united.
(Obama, 2015, p.1) Explanation: Obama clearly states throughout his speech that he is here to celebrate America and Selma. A way to say look how far we have come. He feels that this was a stepping stone, a big moment in history that he admires.
“Nobody cares how tough your upbringing was. Nobody cares if you suffered some discrimination. And moreover, you have to remember that whatever you 've gone through, it pales in comparison to the hardships previous generations endured - and they overcame them.” (Obama 6) In the speech Obama had presented at the graduation class of 2013 at Morehouse College, he wants them to remember their struggles and be able to overcome them to do what is right.
Obama’s use of ethos and pathos in his “A More Perfect Union” speech further helps to persuade his voters to stick with him because he does not have the same views as Reverend Wright. It gives some context as to why some African-Americans feel the way they do towards the government and other races. In his speech Obama also uses irony by noting the old truism that the “most segregated hour in American life occurs on sunday morning” meaning that on a day that's supposed to be dedicated to love and God, the American people are still segregated and racially divided whether it be Black and White or Latino and Asian(Obama). The combined use of ethos, pathos, and irony strengthen Obama's message of unity and equality.
Obama’s use of repetition in his speech makes his praise of John Kerry more powerful and by using the same words in different contexts, he shows that his ideas are important and relevant to all people. For example, “It’s the hope of slaves sitting around a fire [...] the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant [...] the hope of a millworker’s son [...] the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name [...].” In this passage, the repetition of “the hope” applied to descriptions of different situations conveys the idea that everyone needs hope, and that America is a country built on hope. Obama also uses anaphora to drill certain ideas into the audience’s minds.
That we are a nation of immigrant and we are only here because America allowed it. Obama is reminding everyone here within the United States are immigrants. Their origin are from all parts of the world yet, all of them decided to come to America. The differences between each other are what makes them similar as well as their love of the American ideals. The ideals that anyone regardless of their standing, ethnicity, or religion can succeed with a new life.
During a funeral for Reverend Clementa Pinckney, a Charleston shooting victim, President Obama delivered an influential eulogy. This eulogy turned out to be so powerful that it traveled throughout the internet and became known as one of Obama’s best speeches from the duration of his presidency. The speech resonated so well with many citizens because of its relatable content and connections to passionate issues in today’s society. The delivery of the eulogy played a gigantic part in its effectiveness to Americans as well. President Obama’s eulogy contained beyond relatable content and various connections to the issues racking society’s bones today.
Rhetorical Analysis Obama Throught President Obama’s speech addressing gun control, Obama effectively uses both the appeal of ethos and repetition in order to persuade individuals into agreeing with him on the topic of tightening gun control. To begin with, in order to increase his credibility on the affair and in hopes of persuading his audience, Obama resorted to the use of ethos. This is seen when he states, ”I’m not on the ballot again. I’m not looking to score some points” (Obama 2). This line refers to the 2016 presidential campaign, and more importantly the fact that Obama will not be, and cannot run again.
Obama instills this message into his audience of the American nation within his address, which begins to develop his final message later on.
In his inaugural speech given on January 20, 2001, George W. Bush address the country for the first time after being sworn in as the 43rd president of the United States. Millions of people from around the world tuned in to watch the president give his address. The people who voted for and against him are both wanting to hear what the president has to say. George W. Bush gives an effective inaugural address by using biblical allusions, collaborative language, and an anaphora in order to unite the country after a contentious election. Bush used biblical allusions to appeal mostly to the evangelicals who were listening to his speech.
Have you heard of the quote “The future rewards those who press on. I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself. I don’t have time to complain. I’m going to press on”? Most would have not, but you most definitely heard of the name Barack Obama.
The 44th and first African American President, Barack Obama, in his Inaugural Address, promotes a call to action. Obama’s purpose is to express his gratitude for his opportunity to become president and discuss his plans for economic advancement. In order to reach the American people of the U.S., Obama adopts a serious and thought-provoking tone to urge them to support his plans for advancement. During this time of economic crisis, Obama clearly conveys to the American people through his use of metaphor, allusion, and anaphora, that it is time to take a stand and make a change in America.
Name: Ngan Thu Bui SID#: 0860066 Class: Introduction to Argumentation (COMS-40) SPEECH ANALYSIS Every four years, American media and its people pay close attention to every speech within the U.S. presidential campaign. Last year, Hilary Clinton from Democratic and Donald Trump from Republican were two final candidates running for the U.S. presidency. The former First Lady, Michelle Obama showed her support for the Democratic presidential candidate by giving an emotional speech on Clinton’s campaign rally.
Barack Obama’s win for President in 2009 was a historical moment for the United States. His inaugural speech was much anticipated, because this was going to set the tone for his presidency. His speech told the American people that improving the economy is one of his priorities, but there were also other areas he would like to improve like healthcare and the education system. This was a speech that was meant to persuade the American public to take action for them to rise as a nation again, and for them to put their trust into him. His message addressed a couple of specific points like his gratefulness to the American people, the different crises America is facing, how America will overcome these crises, replying to his cynics, addressing the world, and then he reminded America again to be brave like they’ve always been to overcome the hard times (5 Speechwriting Lessons from Obama's Inaugural Speech, (n.d.).
Rhetorical Analysis of Obama’s Victory Speech Barack Obama was re-elected as the president of the US on November 6, 2012 from Chicago, Illinois. This paper will throw light and analyse various elements Barrack Obama is using to portray his political ideology to audiences through his speech. I intend to focus on the rhetorical effects of the speech. By using various form of rhetorical tools such as Tautology or Anaphora, President Obama gives a speech which focuses on the idea of American life such as the American dream, American promise and the future.