This mini project paper analyses the approaches used by the President Barack Obama in his inauguration speech which he delivered on 21ST January 2013. The study focus solely on the approaches used by Barack Obama to deliver his ideology as the President of the United States of America to get the public to be acquainted with his administration agenda moving forward to strengthen the democrats in the inauguration speech rhetorically. The discourse analysis was carried out based on the video recording of the inauguration speech delivered by President Barack Obama in 2013 which was then uploaded in YouTube and the findings of this research will be presented in textual analysis along with review of related studies.
Keywords: Discourse analysis, Barack Obama, Inauguration speech, Rhetoric, Democrats
1.0 Introduction
Discourse
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The rhetoric style of this can be compare to a preacher where it begins slowly and gradually acknowledging the audiences to whom he or she was speaking to. This is basically what the President did at the beginning of the speech where he starts slowly and gradually acknowledging the audiences which consists of vice president, chief justice, members of the congress and lastly the fellow citizens. Through this, Barack Obama demonstrated that he fully respect the political administration offices and at the same time make it crystal clear that he is part of the citizen as well. The rhetorical presidency has embedded itself in American politics and does not seem to be going anywhere soon. Thus it is crucial to understand the influence of presidential rhetoric. Bimes (2009) also characterizes this by stating that “[p]residential rhetoric can make certain identities and self-conceptions of citizens more prominent and can shape how citizens understand the issues facing the county and the role of the presidency in the political
George Washington’s 1793 Second Inaugural Speech expresses the desire to be an upfront and honest president. He promised to show confidence and convey that he has been given a huge honor in being elected, again. He allowed for fellow Americans to scold and blame him, if he made any mistakes knowingly, or unknowingly. George did not wish for constitutional punishment to be brought, upon him, though.
Intro Growing up, we have all heard the many stories of George Washington. While many recognize him as one of the most important figures in U.S history, others only recognize him by one of his multiple accomplishments; he was the 1st president of the United States. With presidency comes the variety of duties and responsibilities, the main being a president 's inaugural adress. In George Washington 's very 1st inaugural, he uses three rhetorical strategies: personification, amplification, and last but not least, repitition to convey what he truly wants for the States and why a successful Constitution should be in order.
Introduction Hook: I never knew that one day, one idea could have such a big impact. That one thing could change the history, set up the rest of the country to follow suit with this specific topic, and things that need a change in general. Background: Over 50 years ago, on March 7, 1965, now known as bloody Sunday, segregation was still prevalent. At the time it was not allowed for blacks to vote at the time.
The Rhetorical Elements of Barack Obama’s Speech President Obama uses rhetorical appeals throughout his speech. These rhetorical appeals help prove that each an every student should try their best in school. President Obama stated in his 2009 “Address to America’s Schoolchildren” that each student must take responsibility for his or her own education. President Obama uses many examples of ethos, logos, and pathos in his speech. In Obama’s 2009 “Address to America’s Schoolchildren” he has examples of ethos.
In Obama’s “ A More Perfect Union” speech he uses rhetorical strategies. Obama is acknowledging the current state of America, the good and the bad and how we could all help to make it better. He uses repetition, allusion, and many more to convince the American people that if they want a better America for everyone to vote for
Barack Obama Has a Way with Words Barack Obama’s “The Audacity of Hope” speech was given on July 27, 2004 as the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. The speech made Obama further known in the world of politics, and a star among the Democratic Party. Though the description of presidential candidate John Kerry’s qualities makes Obama’s belief that Kerry will make the best president his obvious purpose, the quality of his speech boosted his career. Obama uses repetition devices, various sentence structures, and abstract language to create the strength and persuasive aspects of his speech.
Racism has been an important issue that plays a huge role in today’s society. In Roy Peter Clark’s article “Why it worked”, he expressed his views on Barack Obama’s speech “A More Perfect Union”. Also comparing it to Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. In Obama’s speech he discussed the constitution and racial segregation in America, and the comments made by Reverend J. Wright, his former pastor. He also tells a little about his racial background.
Without a good way of speaking to people, a speech-bearer will not get the message across in the desired fashion. America likes to be fed information and likes to hear and feel the passion in others rather than creating less public and unified little passions in themselves. Citizens like to hear their leaders interpretations and feel a sense of grouping from that, therefore most people will not have read the way Obama’s eulogy was written and analyzed it, but watched him read it and felt the rigor in his voice and therefore found a better sense of understanding. Things tend to make more sense to people when conveyed by someone they look to for guidance rather than when broken down themselves.
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.
In 1962 President John F. Kennedy held a press conference in which he informed the audience on his stance for the rising steel prices. Kennedy not only wanted to inform the audience, he wanted to get them on his side of the argument. He wanted to show the audience that the rising steel prices were going to have a negative impact on the nation. To do this Kennedy used some of the rhetoric strategies and tools. He used periodic sentences, anaphora, and diction.
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.
Rhetorical Analysis Former Illinois State Senator and soon to be Forty-fourth president of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama, recounts what happened in the past to make America what is today and how he intends to maintain the ideas of America’s founding fathers throughout his term of presidency. His intended audience of the first inaugural address is the citizens of America and his purpose was to comfort them about the past and encourage the future of America. He creates a patriotic and empowering tone in order to appeal to pathos. His diction throughout the speech illustrates patriotism, allusions, and anaphoras. Obama opens his speech by discussing the views of our forebears and documents and how we have followed through with those views.
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.
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.).
His speech is similar to the one he gave in 2008 and contains repetition and conveys his political views. We notice how Obama opens his sentence with the same words such as: “We want”, “You’ll hear” and “That’s”. His speech is followed by the ideas about the USA, Americans or what the future holds for them. The first rhetorical device used by Barack Obama in his speech is an Anaphora. He starts his sentences with the same lines.