A Rhetorical Analysis Of Bill Clinton's Speech

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In Bill Clinton’s speech, Remarks to the Convocation of the Church of God in Christ in Memphis, he used appeal to emotion, character, and logic to advance his speech and wins over the audience. Together he applies all three, alongside humor and reasoning, to reach his motive to pass his laws. He first began by introducing himself in a very friendly manner and very respectfully.“Thank you. Please sit down.” (Bill Clinton, 1993, paragraph 1) He then continues on by complementing Bishop Linsey, “if you haven't had Bishop Lindsey’s barbecue, you haven't had barbecue.” (Bill Clinton, 1993, paragraph 1) Clinton then continues and complements Bishop Walker’s speeches, by adding a little humor about their debates, and the even gets the …show more content…

He then uses the following Martin Luther King quote, “Like Moses, I am on the mountain top, & I can see the promised land, but I'm not going to be able to get there with you, but we will get there.” (Martin Luther King,1968) uses this quote to cause emotion and he does so by using a strong and well-known influential person’s words. Clinton in proceeds to say what Martin Luther King would say if he were there, “I did not live and die to see the American family destroyed.” (Bill Clinton, 1993, paragraph 22) Clinton explains what King would say if he saw this country, and this causes a feeling of shame and guilt; and a feeling of wanting to change the country in honor of Martin Luther King because he would surely not be happy. He then goes on to talk about gun control, “If you're not old enough to vote and you're not old enough to go to war,you ought not own a handgun, and you ought not to use one unless you're on a target range.” (Bill Clinton, 1993, paragraph 33) He uses good reasoning on why young people are too juvenile to use and own guns. He makes an accurate connection on why young people shouldn't own guns, if they're not even old enough to be in the army or even to own one. Bill Clinton then reinstates everything in the following paragraph “And so I say to you today, my fellow Americans, you gave me this job, and we're making progress on the things you hired me to do. But unless we deal with the ravages of crime and drugs and violence and unless we recognize that it's due to the breakdown of the family, the community, and the disappearance of jobs, and unless we save some of this cannot be done by government, because we have to reach deep inside to the values the spirit, the soul, the truth of nature, none of the other things we seek to do will ever take us where we need to go.” (Bill Clinton,

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