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Rhetorical strategies presidents use
Rhetorical devices in presidential speeches
Political campaigns and rhetoric
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A popular vote in American democracy allows different people around the United States to vote for who they feel would be fit to serve as president. These people are swayed by many different factors, such as the candidates’ stances on different issues, the way the candidates politically identify, and the mannerisms and relatability of the candidates, among an endless amount of other factors. In the 2004 presidential election, the Republican nominee and the incumbent president, George W. Bush, faced off against Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, who was the Democratic nominee. Although he ultimately lost to Bush, Kerry was able to appeal his case to many voters by likening himself to them. In his speech titled “The Audacity of Hope” delivered …show more content…
at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, Illinois Senator and future president Barack Obama takes this approach, advocating for Kerry as the next president. Obama’s rhetoric is able to appeal to a specific and a broad audience and their ideals by increasing both his and Kerry's charisma and relatability. Firstly, Obama’s rhetoric indicates his acknowledgement of his audience to develop his invented ethos.
For example, he starts off his speech by saying “On behalf of the great state of Illinois, crossroads of a nation, Land of Lincoln, […]” (1). Some of these audience members have Democratic ideals, much like Obama and Kerry, and also relate to Obama due to similarities in their life. In an attempt to engage these similarities, Barack Obama shares anecdotes about his own family and how he, a biracial African-American man, was able to become a keynote speaker at the particular convention. He is able to relate his diversity and apply it to his speech, successfully acknowledging the common diversity that many members in his audience share. He expresses where he is now as a result of the American Dream, which makes this applicable to many voters. Thus, Obama also manages to consider a broader range of people who could vote into …show more content…
account. He uses enumeratio to refer to a wide range of eligible voters by saying “And fellow Americans, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, […]” (2). Obama further shows a shift in his stance towards a generalized population of America by using devices such as parenthesis and parallelism, allowing him to juxtapose and elaborate upon different people in his speech: “Now, don’t get me wrong. The people I meet—in small towns and big cities, in diners and office parks—they don’t expect government to solve all their problems” (2). He also uses procatalepsis when he anticipates the negative actions of the “spin masters” and the “negative ad peddlers,” but he says “there is not a liberal America and a conservative America—there is the United States of America” (3) to counter this argument and this thought process of his opposition. By using these strategies, he is able to become more engaging and charismatic by addressing everyone and by expressing a thought process similar to his audience’s. In this manner, Obama is able to build upon both his invented ethos and situated ethos by mentioning his past experiences and by shifting his tone in favor of his audience. Aside from relating his diversity by sharing personal anecdotes, Barack Obama is also able to use anecdotes to establish his credibility and trustworthiness, and in turn, these aspects allow Obama to further compare himself to his target audience, who is established on a basis of the hard work and diligence demonstrated in Obama’s anecdotes. Obama appeals to pathos by using imagery, and paints vivid images of different examples of people around the nation: “They know they have to work hard to get ahead, and they want to. Go into the collar counties around Chicago, and people will tell you they don’t want their tax money wasted, by a welfare agency or by the Pentagon. Go in—Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can’t teach our kids to learn” (2). In this statement he also demonstrates a use of anaphora to compare different perspectives on the issue regarding the role of government, which signifies his intelligence and also helps establish his situated ethos. Obama also utilizes enargeia to further relate to his audience and to appeal to pathos. He brings up a key driving force of American nationalism which is the different people who serve in the branches of military. By doing this he shows his knowledge and awareness regarding current issues such as the war in Iraq and terrorism. This, coupled with the question that he poses himself—“are we serving Shamus as well as he is serving us” (3)?—indicates his further acknowledgement of the great range of people that the president would serve and urges his audience and other people listening to make a decision for the benefit of people like Shamus. He is also able to bring up this emotional topic to add on to his charisma. He brings up this nationalism again in an example of procatalepsis when he brings up “the pundits” who “like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States” (3). From introducing this stark point of view he is able to use honorific language and enargeia when he states “We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and striples, all of us defending the United States of America” (3), and also allows him to end in a rhetorical question to emphasize his point about a united voting system. These rhetorical strategies allow Obama to establish a more refined and engaging tone that helps heighten his charisma which allows him to easily sway voters towards Kerry. By stating the ideals and matching proposals that Kerry has with the audience, Obama is able to utilize Kerry’s ethos.
He appeals to logos by making statements that attribute Kerry to these ideals. He uses anaphora by stating “John Kerry believes in” (2) multiple times. With the anaphora, Obama is able to show Kerry’s stance on important issues that rose to prominence in the 2004 election like health coverage, rights, wars and the dwindling economy, allowing him to further appeal to logos. This effectively portrays what Kerry wants to achieve in his presidency. Obamauses Kerry’s situated ethos by sharing anecdotes about Kerry’s experiences such as his military experience and previous offices that he held. This shows his virtue and his values and portrays Kerry in a common and positive light to all voters for his hard
work. Barack Obama’s constant use of rhetorical devices in his speech exhibits an attempt not only to sway voters towards John Kerry’s side, but also exhibits an attempt to increase both his and Kerry’s general approachability. Obama’s and Kerry’s charisma shown in Obama’s use of rhetorical devices such as anecdotes, imagery, anaphora and parallelism and his implementation of ethos, logos and pathos allows him to deliver a speech that shows his acknowledgement of his audience and properly compels his audience towards voting for Kerry.
The tone during the whole plot of in Brave New World changes when advancing throughout the plot, but it often contains a dark and satiric aspect. Since the novel was originally planned to be written as a satire, the tone is ironic and sarcastic. Huxley's sarcastic tone is most noticeable in the conversations between characters. For instance, when the director was educating the students about the past history, he states that "most facts about the past do sound incredible (Huxley 45)." Through the exaggeration of words in the statement of the director, Huxley's sarcastic tone obviously is portrayed. As a result of this, the satirical tone puts the mood to be carefree.
In the book Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer wrote about Christopher McCandless, a nature lover in search for independence, in a mysterious and hopeful experience. Even though Krakauer tells us McCandless was going to die from the beginning, he still gave him a chance for survival. As a reader I wanted McCandless to survive. In Into the Wild, Krakauer gave McCandless a unique perspective. He was a smart and unique person that wanted to be completely free from society. Krakauer included comments from people that said McCandless was crazy, and his death was his own mistake. However, Krakauer is able to make him seem like a brave person. The connections between other hikers and himself helped in the explanation of McCandless’s rational actions. Krakauer is able to make McCandless look like a normal person, but unique from this generation. In order for Krakauer to make Christopher McCandless not look like a crazy person, but a special person, I will analyze the persuading style that Krakauer used in Into the Wild that made us believe McCandless was a regular young adult.
The Letter from Birmingham Jail was written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in April of 1963. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of several civil rights activists who were arrested in Birmingham Alabama, after protesting against racial injustices in Alabama. Dr. King wrote this letter in response to a statement titled A Call for Unity, which was published on Good Friday by eight of his fellow clergymen from Alabama. Dr. King uses his letter to eloquently refute the article. In the letter dr. king uses many vivid logos, ethos, and pathos to get his point across. Dr. King writes things in his letter that if any other person even dared to write the people would consider them crazy.
He implements this emotional appeal into his speech to involve all Americans—people living in the United States of America, regardless of their ethnicity, race, or culture, and to acknowledge that the American people have endured this together, and that they will continue to advance after this event with stronger resolve, stronger than ever. In addition, he implements personification to motivate and empower the American people. “Our nation, this generation, will lift a dark threat of violence from our people and our future” (Bush, 2001). “This generation”, again a synonym for the American people, with its unwavering resolve, will fight for its freedom persistently. He intimates that the future of America and of democratic freedom is in the hands of the American people; that the American people have the power to control their fate.
At the time of this speech, Barack Obama is running for the Democratic Presidential candidate as well as being called into question when his former pastor publicly accused the government of committing hateful acts against black Americans. He addresses the American public then tries to persuade them to recognize that he understands both the white Americans and the black Americans. He uses ‘we’ and ‘us’ to show that he truly views the people as one as opposed to various separate groups, “… we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together, unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction…” He wants to move past the racial segregation and move towards a truly unified country, and he uses pathos by talking about his upbringing. The use of the descriptions of his youth with a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas shows that he can relate to the common person seeing as he had to adjust to both sides of his families as well as the stigmas that both sides had. The urgency in which Obama answered the accusations of being similar to Wright,
Perhaps one of the most notable devices used is Logos, Obama does not speak of the state of the nation without calling out numbers and statistics of the positive effects that recent decisions have had in creating better conditions for the country. In order to get his audience to believe that the change is happening and that the United States have improved greatly the President starts by presenting the results. A few minutes in he begins to speak of how after years of “grueling recession” their businesses have created “over six million new jobs”. He states how now they buy more “American cars” than in the last five years and “less foreign oil” than in the last twenty. After showcasing his proof that the problems that some of the problems that existed before have been eradicated Obama then proceeds ...
Pollan’s article provides a solid base to the conversation, defining what to do in order to eat healthy. Holding this concept of eating healthy, Joe Pinsker in “Why So Many Rich Kids Come to Enjoy the Taste of Healthier Foods” enters into the conversation and questions the connection of difference in families’ income and how healthy children eat (129-132). He argues that how much families earn largely affect how healthy children eat — income is one of the most important factors preventing people from eating healthy (129-132). In his article, Pinsker utilizes a study done by Caitlin Daniel to illustrate that level of income does affect children’s diet (130). In Daniel’s research, among 75 Boston-area parents, those rich families value children’s healthy diet more than food wasted when children refused to accept those healthier but
As the President was ending his speech, he gives recognition to those American that are often overlooked. Due to, not having a political title or a high social class position. Throughout these recognitions, the president said “I see it”, which allows viewers to feel a sense of appreciation. By him addressing all walks of life, Americans were able to identify with the various situations and feel worthy and important. For example, Obama said “I see it in the American who served his time, and made mistakes as a child, but now is dreaming of starting over and I see it in the business owner who gives him that second chance.” This was impactful because there are millions of Americans that can relate to this story. So when they hear the president recognizing them despite one’s shortcomings is heartwarming. Furthermore, this emotional appeal leaves viewers with a good feeling about Obama, because they feel he understands them and has their best interest at heart. Therefore, Obama succeeded at being the voice of the people and touching their heart with his empathy and positive
Barack Obama came on to the political stage in 2004 when he gave the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. Before this momentous occasion very few people had heard of the Junior Senator from Illinois – he had only been in the Senate for eight months. He titled the speech “The Audacity of Hope” to highlight the strength and resilience of the country and to encourage people struggling to rise out of poverty and despair and help them believe in a better future for themselves, their children, their families and their country.
Hope, by definition means to look forward to something with reasonable desire and confidence. Hope also means a person or thing in which expectations are centered. When discussing the word hope, one must consider the core values by which the word works around. You could hope for financial success, world peace, or simply hope for some good out of your day. In 2006, Barack Obama wrote the political biography The Audacity of Hope to outline his core political and spiritual beliefs, as well as his opinions on different aspects of American culture. The Illinois senator divided the book into nine chapters, each concentrating on both his own and the United States’ successes and failures in local and state politics. While revealing great leadership attributes, life experiences, personal qualities and hard facts, largely in anecdotal method, Barack Obama offers realistic, wide and thoughtful responses to today’s current domestic controversies using artistic appeals, such as ethos, pathos and logos. Senator Obama also gives the audience an in-depth analysis of the key policies that need to be changed for both Democrats and Republicans, and delivers an inherent message to offer hope to anyone, regardless of background or experiences. In the prologue, he discusses in great detail virtually every major political issue facing the American electorate today, offering his opinions and possible strategies for reform. “My motivation in entering politics was to cut through decades of polarizing partisanship and develop a moderate, effective approach to our government.” (Barackopedia.org). Obama notes that this same impulse, an impulse of a secure, functional and sustainable administration, prompted him to write The Audacity of Hope.
He makes sure his audience connects with him directly by making them feel at his level, and at hiss. This way he connects to the audience, and in exchange, helps his statement of unity. Using various examples of parallelism, anaphora and refrain, Obama brands the theme of equality and togetherness in our country throughout the speech, vital to gaining the respect of his audience. Obama recalls the ‘enduring strength of the constitution’ by delving into the past alluding to America’s allegiance to the Declaration of Independence by quoting “we hold these truths. that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”.
The movie trailer “Rio 2”, shows a great deal of pathos, ethos, and logos. These rhetorical appeals are hidden throughout the movie trailer; however, they can be recognized if paying attention to the details and montage of the video. I am attracted to this type of movies due to the positive life messages and the innocent, but funny personifications from the characters; therefore, the following rhetorical analysis will give a brief explanation of the scenes, point out the characteristics of persuasive appeals and how people can be easily persuaded by using this technique, and my own interpretation of the message presented in the trailer.
On July 27, 2004, Barack Obama made arguably his most important speech, “The Audacity of Hope”, at the Democratic National Convention Keynote Address. These conventions are for political parties to announce a winner for nomination. All the way through his piece, Obama focuses on connecting Americans and himself to the audience. In fact, at the time, Barack Obama was a US Senate candidate for the United States president, and in making this speech, was offered a window for raising his popularity. Throughout “The Audacity of Hope” speech, Barack Obama implements three main devices to raise his political popularity: repetition, abstract language, and structure.
Jonathan Kozol revealed the early period’s situation of education in American schools in his article Savage Inequalities. It seems like during that period, the inequality existed everywhere and no one had the ability to change it; however, Kozol tried his best to turn around this situation and keep track of all he saw. In the article, he used rhetorical strategies effectively to describe what he saw in that situation, such as pathos, logos and ethos.
Summary The title of the book is “The Audacity of Hope;” and it is written by current president Barack Obama. In 2004, he was only a young U.S. Senator from Illinois, who was driven into the national eye at the 2004 Democratic Convention when he delivered a speech called “The Audacity of Hope. ”After less than twenty minutes of speaking, Obama’s name was known all over the country, with many political examiners predicting that he was well qualified to enter the next presidential race. Before this, Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School.