An Australian History For Us All Rhetorical Analysis

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‘A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is a reality’ This quote by John Lennon reflects the goal of both Anwar Sadat’s ‘Statement to the Knesset’ and Noel Pearson’s ‘An Australian History for Us All’. These speeches engage through their cohesive structure and persuasive treatments of the significant ideas of peace unity and hope. The speakers, through intellectual and emotional appeal to the audience, convey the significant ideas of peace, unity and hope to their audiences, in hope of engaging them in order to inspire action, because as Plato remarks “rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men”. Anwar Sadat’s ‘Statement to the Knesset’ was written and presented with the hope of establishing peace between the …show more content…

This differing form of peace, not one born from war but from history, is nonetheless as potent a form. Pearson’s polemic speech demands the intellectual respect from his audience through establishing an academic authority by the constant referencing of politicians and scholars to construct, support and maintain his argument. His goal is unambiguous throughout; “how Australian’s should respond to the past” and his quest for “a unifying search for common ground” is clear. This forthright approach to the issue pinpoints Pearson’s objectives and appeals to logos through its simple and straightforward approach. Once this is establish a logical and cohesive structure to present a sustained argument throughout the speech is utilised to allow for a continuation of the intellectual appeal. This structure is often simple, as uncomplicated as “firstly… secondly…” or slightly more complex in Pearson’s use of hypophora in “how do we as Indigenous people respond to the legacy of colonialism and that brutal, troubled, culture by which we are disposed?” it is this rhetoric device which resonates with his academic audience and allows them to connect with the speech’s ideas. The obstacles to Pearson’s evident goal are outlined in “Guilt Industry. Black Armband. Political Correctness. These are lines that resonate. They work on the evening news grabs… the radio airwaves... we end up with this brain damaged dialogue… passing for public debate” highlighted in short, sharp sentences which presents his dialectic succinctly. This engages his intellectual audience through its direct nature and inspires them to believe in Pearson’s goal and take action for his

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