Rhetoric with the Political and Public Affairs Arena

Speechmakers understand the importance of using persuasive strategies to attract the attention of their listeners. Politicians especially, use communicative devices that are powerful enough to elicit interest from their audience. In his trial, Socrates understood the importance of using rhetorical appeal in his Apology speech, which over the years has been used by many public speakers when delivering speeches as well as in advertising. Communicators who understand the effects of ethos, pathos, and logos, also known as rhetoric devices, experience success in delivering speeches that are effective and well received, a good example is the "I have a Dream Speech” by Martin Luther King Jr.

In this paper I am going to discuss the rhetorical appeals, as well as the argumentative structure, audience and purpose set forth by George W. Bush in his September 27 speech in Flagstaff, Arizona. More specifically I will refer to the rhetorical appeals of ethos, pathos and logos, and explain how they are used to gain the support and attention of the audience and further the further the purpose of the speech. As I explain these appeals I will also give an insight into the argumentative structure and why it is apparent in this particular speech.

Plato, a great philosopher, once said “rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men” (Plato). He accentuates the importance of rhetoric in persuading the audience to support a cause or take action. In his speech addressed at the 50th anniversary of Selma march, President Barack Obama uses rhetoric to persuade his audience, Americans as a whole, to discourage racism in the United States. President Obama appeals to the rhetorical strategies, uses rhetorical devices, and applies a presentation style; which make his speech effective in terms of rhetoric.

The topics that I am most interested is God and health. I am extremely passionate about my faith as well as maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It may seem like these two topics are on the opposite side of the planet, but they have more similarities than you may think. My favorite reading thus far in A Time Traveler's Guide to Rhetoric is “Allegory of the Cave” by Plato. This story reminds me of today’s society, as humans begin to see the significance of light we also discover the truth. Of course, this all relates to my Christian faith, in which we seek the truth of Jesus Christ, we become the light in a dull and dark world. The longest paper I ever had to write was last year in my AP English course in which I was required to do a semester long

President Ronald Reagan changed the way society viewed public speaking and politics and continues to make his impact on the world today as his rhetoric serves at the outlines of numerous governmental leaders such as President Trump (Costa). While his speeches occurred over thirty years ago over television and radio, Reagan is still remembered as being a monumental orator in history as his speeches are still highly critiqued in both academic settings and public history (Hayward)(Peters and Woolley). Throughout my paper, I will analyze the rhetorical devices Reagan used that were meant to unite, in order to help readers understand the rhetorical devices used in political rhetoric, which consequently both united and excluded certain people. Understanding past rhetoric of an orator such as Reagan will lead to a better understanding of the rhetorical devices used by political figures and the impacts they

Thus, he draws the attention of readers by explaining how campaigns are not what precede the election results but a continuing mechanism through which the presidents continuously keep in touch with the public in order for their images to stay fresh and active among public. He challenges the views of other prominent social scientists who have expressed strong views on president’s power to change public opinion. Furthermore, he argues that even rhetorically skilled presidents have found it

In his State of the Union Address for 2016, Barack Obama uses logical and ethical arguments to emphasize shared ground rather than partisan disputes. He also taps into the audience’s desire to feel better about themselves and their country. By using humor and irony, Obama paints his opponents into corners, out of which it would require outrageous extremism to effectively squirm away. At its best, this approach demonstrates how much Americans actually have in common in a culture dominated by ideologically polarized cable-news channels, Facebook, and cultural tribes that increasingly live and socialize apart from one another. The president's technique throughout the speech is to frame issues through a rhetorical jujitsu to persuade his opponents,

Rhetoric is a significant part of our everyday lives. Whether it's convincing our friends to go to a concert on the weekend, to go to a certain place for lunch, or even convincing yourself to do something that you should but don't want to do. Rhetoric is all around us today. Billboard ads, television commercials, newspaper ads, political speeches, even news stories all try, to some degree, to sway our opinion or convince us to take some sort of action. If you take a step back to look and think about it, rhetoric, in all actuality, shapes our lives. Every day we have an array of options of things to do or things to buy. So every day, our opinion or actions are being influenced, however minutely, by rhetoric.

For the Rhetoric in Response project, I chose to create a restaurant menu for an old western styled diner. I chose to create a restaurant menu to attract people to buy food and also because I prefer visualization over writings. In a restaurant, the menu is an important aspect for advertising the food that is being sold. The pictures and the design of the menu usually determines what the customer will purchase. Whenever I go to a restaurant that I have never been to, I look at the menu to determine what I would like to eat. The professionalism of the menu allows the audience (the customers) to determine the credibility of the menu. With this in mind, I started to look for a design, descriptions, and pictures that will fit together to create a credible, appealing restaurant menu.

This could also lead to a consensus about who should be Commander In Chief. To win the election, all candidates must write an elaborate speech. An abundance of rhetorical devices are alway used in the best speeches. The 35th president, John F. Kennedy, was an expert at delivering speeches because of his use of rhetorical devices

Rhetoric is a course in which students are taught the values of persuasion. And yet, behind this course is the utmost power to corrupt the world, changing it into a world of our own policies. This power, even though seldom discussed, has lead to many intriguing discoveries. One such discovery is how people are able to shape the world they live in simply by choosing the right words. Therefore those who would want the world to be a better place must protect this power. If in the wrong hands this power could cause serious damage. Several authors have striven to protect rhetoric and its power. Few agree on the matter of defining rhetoric, but they know that they must protect rhetoric from dark souls. A single definition of rhetoric must maintain a simplistic nature while incorporating every aspect of rhetoric. However, I argue that rhetoric is a means of persuading audiences of a situation and a particular reality through language and personal appeal. In order to prove this definition I will discuss how rhetoric creates a situation, the shaping of a different reality, the audience, the use of language, and the personal appeal. Finally, I will demonstrate the absolute need for rhetoric.

"You don 't get the chance to make America great by getting rid of everything that made America great,” Stated by Hillary Clinton during her campaign rally in St. Louis, Missouri to attack candidate Donald Trump from his previous diverse rhetoric. Political Rhetoric has been very popular in today’s society. Politics use this as a platform to criticize other candidates about important points that are essential to the United States and its citizens. Not only does others believe that political rhetoric is out of control but it is a negative form of art. During election time, the media and the internet are critical for candidates because it gives them easy access to the younger audience. Although social media is enormous in today’s society, this is the best way for young voters to make their voices heard. Scott Keeter a research analyst and exit poll analyst for NBS News stated that “Young voters have given the Democratic Party a majority of their votes, and for all three cycles they have been the party’s most supportive age group” (Keeter, 1). According to U.S. Census Bureau over the course of time the rate of younger voters “Dropped from 50.9% percent in 1964 to 38.0 percent in 2012” (U.S. Census Bureau, 2).However, the media continue to evolve with modern society. I believe that rhetoric such as visual political rhetoric helps the youth to get more involved with the political arguments while being educated and entertained at the same time.

Within Obamas speech he focuses on the three perspectives of Rhetorical Criticisms. First he makes sure the speeches context or environment is appropriate with the topic, keeping in mind the question, “What is the relationship between the rhetoric and its context?” Second, Obama considers how does the message generates a particular worldview, reality, or perspective, questioning “How does the message construct a particular reality for the audience and the rhetor?” Rhetoric is not about what an artifact says, it’s about how it says it, with the use of the two methods, metaphors and narrative criticism. The third perspective of rhetorical criticism Obama displays in his speech is personal dimension of the artifact, what it indicates concerning the rhetor. What does the rhetorical artifact suggest about the rhetor?” All these are building blocks to creator a relatable speech allowing the audience to feel what the rhetor wants them to feel. Everything is strategically placed in a specific sequence to emphasize what needs to be and to reduce momentum on other

President Barack H. Obama has been always using rhetorical strategies in his political speeches. He used these strategies to present important pointes and views of his in front of public. Delivering points and views properly and logically got him to be the president in the first place. President Obama used mostly ethos and pathos yet some logos to deliver his inaugural and the state of union speeches. Being that, he was able to reach audience emotionally and make the speech flow efficiently while he preserved his credibility. Each speech has own audience that differ from the other. In the inaugural speech the audience was the public and therefor the speech was short and used sort sentences that are easy to understand. On the other hand, the state of union speech audience was mostly the congers members and therefore the language was more specific and filled with political terminology. Both speeches will be discussed upon context and using ethos, pathos and logos consecutively.

In any presidential election, it is important to take the characteristics of each candidate into consideration in order to determine who is most qualified for the title “president of the United States”. Being a president of a country comes with a great deal of responsibility. A president is required to make appearances, present speeches, be involved in foreign affairs, help make military decisions, and serve as a representative of the nation as a whole. To be a good president, one must be able to present their arguments eloquently with sufficient evidence provided to support their claims. Though the practice of good rhetoric is fundamental in any potential president, it is not the only the only skill necessary to be considered a good president.