Rhetorical Analysis Of President Obama's Inauguration Speeches

Throughout more than two hundred years Americans have witnessed more then fifty-six inaugural addresses. In those speeches presidents have been utilizing rhetoric to make their points and outline their positions on important issues before the nation. Both of President Obama’s Inauguration Speeches successfully craft rhetoric through
A connection with the audience is imperative for politicians and presidents. Obama’s powerful arguments and speeches during his long journey eventually leads him to the White House. Many people anticipate President Obama's first Inauguration speech; in fact, from a historical context, many Americans never expect to hear such a speech. Being the first black president, Obama establishes popularity with the American people and attracts all types of audiences in his first inauguration speech by addressing the nation as “ a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non believers ” (Inaugural 2). Mentioning race is a strong way of forming a connection with the audience because instead of classifying the

audience as simply “Americans”, Obama connects with all races by indicating that they matter. In his second Inaugural address he appeals to the audience more personally by saying “we”, “us”, and “together” instead of “me”, “mine”, and “I” (Second 1). The president makes sure his audience feels connected and at his level which in turn assists in his assertion of unity. Throughout both of his speeches Obama also uses anaphora and parallelism such as “she is American; she is free, and she is equal” (second) to give powerful meaning to his sentence. The president deliberately repeats his words and keeps the sentences grammatically the same to form the theme of equality through which he gains the respect of his spectators. Closing Sentence.
Presidential speeches require ethical responsibility and the appeal to credibility, otherwise known as ethos (Ramage 106). Obama reminds us of the continuing strength of the constitution by probing into the past and quotes from the Declaration of Independence “…that among these, are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”(Second). This reference establishes ethos by reminding us that the quote of equality is still just as important now as it was back in the day. On occasion the president can apply more than one appeal to a sentence. Stating “…our journey is not complete until our wives, mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts”(?), Obama not only appeals to peoples emotions through pathos, but also proves that when people fight for what they believe in together great things can be accomplished (particularly for this quote being the woman’s rights movement). Through this quote the president forms audience-based reasoning and builds a bridge with the audience establishing credibility once again therefore mastering the art of ethos in his speeches.
An emotional appeal or better known as pathos: “the appeal to beliefs and emotions” (Ramage 107) creates a one to one bond through choice of emotions like fear, hope, and tone.

Obama speaks of America with courage and confidence in his first inaugural address by mentioning how previous Americans “faced down fascism and communism…with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions” (2009). By describing the troubles as well as the successes, Obama creates a sense of pride and patriotism. The president also uses haunting imagery to form fear in the audience such as “the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages” (2009). Both quotes perfectly intertwine with each other through the speech so the audience feels a variety of emotions while understanding the values of America and importance of freedom. Obama conquers the method of pathos by putting himself into other peoples shoes while having them step into

his.