Deception, Betrayal, and Exaggeration

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While reading the play “Julius Caesar”, deception, betrayal, and exaggeration were perceived throughout. Cassius was the character that fit these qualities the most. He can be compared to the former president, Richard Nixon. He was the United States 37th President of the United States. He was voted into office receiving great admiration for his speeches, and work he had previously done. When he was elected, it was the time during the Vietnam War. His goal as president was to have reconciliation (Sidey and Freidel). He gave great speeches by using rhetoric; a famous speech is 425 - Address to the Nation on the War in Vietnam, November 3, 1969 rhetorical devices that he used in that speech was by saying “Good evening, my fellow Americans” (Peters) it gave the audience a sense of familiarity within the audience, and Nixon (Zielenski). In Nixon’s “Checker’s Speech” he tells his side of the story and his role in the Watergate Scandal. In his speech he uses rhetorical devices including repetition and anaphora, “I say that it was morally wrong if any of that $18,000 went to Senator Nixon, for my personal use. I say that it was morally wrong if it was secretly given and secretly handled. And I say that it was morally wrong if any of the contributors got special favors for the contributions that they made” (The History Place ). In the same speech, he uses the rhetorical question, “Well, how do you pay for these and how can you do it legally?” (The History Place ). Lastly, in the “Checker’s Speech” he uses irony when he states “I have a theory, too, that the best and only answer to a smear or an honest misunderstanding of the facts is to tell the truth. And that is why I am here tonight. I want to tell you my side of the case. This is a us... ... middle of paper ... ...DavisAPLanguage - Rhetorical devices used by Richard Nixon." DavisAPLanguage - Rhetorical devices used by Richard Nixon. Tori Zielenski, n.d. Web. 13 May 2014. . Freidel, Frank, and Hugh Sidey . "Richard M. Nixon." The White House. The White House, n.d. Web. 13 May 2014. . Peters, Gerald , and John T. Wolley . "Richard Nixon: Address to the Nation on the War in Vietnam." Richard Nixon: Address to the Nation on the War in Vietnam. The American Residency Project, n.d. Web. 13 May 2014. . Prentice Hall literature. Penguin ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2007. Print. "Watergate Scandal." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 11 May 2014. .

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