Rhetorical Analysis Of Hillary Clinton's The American Solace

"The American Solace", A title i would definitely give to Hillary Clinton's captivating speech from the Democratic National Convention Keynote Address in 2008. Like most of Hillary's speeches, her purpose in this speech was to convey a strong sense of Security for the future of America, using her brawny tones and appeals she connects to all Americans from every walk of life.
Hillary Clinton opens up her speech saying how she's been working for Americans for the past 35 years "In the trenches advocating for children, campaigning for universal health care, helping parents balance work and family, and fighting for women's rights here at home and around the world." She uses these supposed hardships to give herself credibility when it comes

to her opinions and beliefs in America. This is a clear example of ethos appeal. Within the next few lines of the speech she says "No way, no how, no McCain." Advocating against Mcains run for President, while backing Barack, "Barack Obama is my candidate, and he must be our President." She said this because One, she's at a democratic convention and Two, she built up her credibility through her ethos appeal to the audience. After Hillary's brief stance on who she stands for then shifts right back to her experiences with the American people to add to her Patriotism.
About half way through Hillary's speech she starts to thank many different people in her life including all of her many supporters.

I presume she shifts to this position in the speech to not only keep her audience engaged in what she's talking about but to also feel like the've played a part in the country. This part of the speech is also what I would consider a cause & effect section of the speech. As she thanks the different people in her life, the crowd roars in appreciation and favor. After her thanks, she gets even more intimate with Americans by telling the stories of the poeple that she's met that have been going through hard times. "I will always remember the single mom who had adopted two kids with autism. She didn't have any health insurance; and she discovered that she had cancer. But she greeted me with her bald head, painted with my name on it, and asked me to fight for health care for her and her children." This line right here shows Pathos appeal. She empathizes with Americans showing them they're not alone in their hardships and that theirs hope for

them.
The last major part of the speech I find important, and perhaps the most important part of the entire speech is when Hillary compares and contrasts Americas past to its future.

"You know, America is still around after 232 years because we have risen to every challenge and every new time." She says the American people have risen to every challenge which I believe she's ultimately relating to the challenge she's setting forth to elect President Obama. This puts Americans on the spotlight, asking them what they will they do to help keep the country strong. In this last section of her speech she also uses a part of history to give hope all Americans. She says, "On that path to freedom, Harriet Tubman had one piece of advice: If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches in the woods, keep going. If they're shouting after you, keep going. Don't ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going. And even in the darkest of moments, that is what Americans have done. We have found the faith to keep going." This part of her speech really struck a note with the audience. She brings up a time of such desperation and compares it to the cuurrent times, showing that America can get through any difficulty that's thrown at

it.
In conclusion Hillary's speech conveyed a very powerful yet heartfelt message to the American People. She eliquently delivered her message by using multiple appeals to relate the to the audience and their circumstances. Hillary talked about transforming the country into a reunified community with better advantages for all, and the got the crown roaring at her in agreement. She delivered a speech that wasn't just for Barack Obama or some mandatory Government keynote. She delivered this speech for the American People.