Rhetorical Appeals In Speech

Rhetorical appeals are three elements used in an individual act of persuasion. These are important in speech and writing because they add facts, credibility, and emotions to one’s argument. In his closing statement, President Obama builds an argument to persuade his audience that he should be re-elected by using all three rhetorical appeals - logos, ethos, and pathos.

The first appeal he used in the speech is logos. Logos is an appeal to logic and uses reasoning in an attempt to persuade. In the speech Obama’s Closing Statement, current commander-in-chief Barack Obama argues that he’s fit to be president again based on his accomplishments in his first half. In the speech he tells the American people, “Over the last four years, we’ve made real progress digging our way out of policies that

Pathos is an appeal to emotions and creates an emotionally provoked response to convince an audience. At the end of his speech, Obama assured America of a positive outcome if he gets re-elected saying “...and if I have the privilege of being your president for another four years, I promise you I will listen to your voices. I will fight for your families and I will work every single day to make sure that America continues to be the greatest nation on earth” (www.politico.com). When he mentioned this, he was implying to the American people that they would have a say in things that are going on. This signified the use of pathos because it related to people’s feelings by showing them that they have someone in charge they could instill trust into.

The use of rhetorical appeals is an important strategy used when trying to persuade an audience. In his closing statement. Obama adequately used these appeals to ultimately get re-elected as President. Effective use of rhetorical appeals can be used in writing or speech where backed-up persuasiveness is necessary. Using all three appeals adheres to audience of all sorts, strengthening one’s