A Rhetorical Analysis Of President Nixon's Resignation Speech

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A single word, a single phrase can change someone’s life forever. A speech given with meaning can change a country’s path. In 1974, President Nixon resigned from his presidency from a speech given from the White House, presumably in his office. He declared that his Vice President Gerald Ford take office in his place. Ford then decided to pardon Nixon of all charges placed against him because of the Watergate scandal. They express and get their points across in two different ways, by sharing confident, personal views or through emotion.
President Nixon gave his resignation speech on August 9, 1974. This speech said that he would be resigning from office and stating Gerald Ford as the new president of the United states. He provoked the emotions of the reader in his speech, his words attempting to raise the country’s morale to bring in the new president. He claimed that he had “always tried to do what was best for the nation” (1). This shows emotion and expression as he claims that he has always tried to do his best. Later he states the reasons …show more content…

He opens with a strong statement about god, “As we are a nation under God, so I am sworn to uphold our laws with the help of God” (13). He strikes emotion while also sharing personal views as he states that we are a country unified under God and that he not only relies on himself, but on god, which tends to strike emotion in religious peoples. He states his belief that Richard Nixon should be pardoned of all accusations regarding the watergate scandal. He also speaks about how Nixon wouldn’t be treated fairly and how, if a trial was held, it could never be settled, and if it were against him, his punishment would be cruel and unjust. The expression of belief gets the reader thinking about the real overlook of the situation, and how it is all handled, the emotions striving to express forgiveness and a new outlook on Richard

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