Rhetorical Analysis Of Barack Obama's Inauguration Speech

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A Call for Unity
In a nation that thrives on diversity, it has become more important than ever to maintain coherency. Being the country with the longest standing constitution, the United States holds a very special position in the world. Its fellow citizens-white or black, man or woman, gay or straight-are what serve as the foundation of this free republic. In his Inauguration Speech on January 21st, 2013, President Barack Obama spoke of the strength of the United States as derived from the unity of the American people. He further continues to convey a major point: that to maintain this prosperity requires continued perseverance, which can only be accomplished by a continued sense of togetherness across the nation. Through the use of a distinct …show more content…

Being the President of the most powerful nation on the planet and speaking to an audience that pervades international waters, it is not surprising that Mr. Obama gears away from the use of informal or conversational language. Especially crucial to note is the great length of the sentences. When speaking of equality in his 2013 Inauguration speech, the President states that “We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an American; she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own” (Obama 11). Likewise, a few years earlier in 2009, Obama speaks of diversity and peace:
We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the …show more content…

It is important to note from the aforementioned quotes that President Obama extensively uses words like “we” that serve to bring listeners closer to him. He does not portray himself as an authoritative figure by saying “I, the President”; rather, Mr. Obama unifies the nation, the world, when he directly addresses his intimate collaboration with the people he serves. The United States together has “tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation,” and America together “must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace” (Obama 21). What the greatest country in the world has endured and surpassed is not the work of one single person, ergo the duty of maintaining its position as a superpower, as a tight-knit community, cannot and will not be the work of one single

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