Rhetorical Analysis of Obama Speech Essay

Senator Obama is a Christian whose religious views developed in his adult life. He wrote in The Audacity of Hope that he "was not raised in a religious household"(241). Obama explained how, through working with black churches as a community organizer while in his twenties, he came to understand "the power of the African-American religious tradition to spur social change." With this in mind, I believe chapters 6 and 7 are perfect examples of ethos in this novel, describing racial heritage, racial equality, and faith. In chapter 6, Obama attacks the issue of religious faith, mainly focusing on roots and influence of the Democrats growing uneasiness with the displays of religious faith. Because this is such a controversial topic, I must say, I was a little skeptical as to how he would present his arguments, to a group of readers with such a variety of opinions. I was intrigued when Obama recounted his own journey from atheism to faith, contending that the structure of religion has invigorated and expanded his moral beliefs. Due to the high degree of religiosity reported in polls of Americans, he contends that regaining a sense of ease with religion is the only way that the Democrats will be able to connect with a majority of the public. By using this cause/consequence approach to how we should handle religion, he makes people understand that we should only respect each other’s

In Obama’s speech “A More Perfect Union”, he emphasizes the importance of unity among Americans. He wants people to overlook their ethnic backgrounds and join together as one. This speech brought out many points that Americans should take into consideration. That even though we are all from different backgrounds, we

This use of ethos here should appeal to the clergymen since they are in fact believers in Jesus and claim to know Him. King tells of the “racial nightmare” bound to happen if the white brothers keep overlooking the nonviolent direct actions which would cause the activists to resort to searching for solace in black nationalist groups. Therefore, like most people in society, they all claim to be Christians but they cannot show that same Christianly love to negroes and when Martin Luther King wants to fight for what is right, he is criticized and called and “extremist.”

In the end of Obama’s speech on race he tells a story about a black man who wanted to help a white girl, which shows emphasis between whites and blacks, and that’s what Obama wants to - to create a fellowship.

Obamas utilization of second person, straight forwardly making reference of his Audience, this evening is your answer...it fits in with you...it can 't happen without you, is keenly utilized to exhibit the significance of the individual and how his Victory and future push to change America will depend on the endeavors of the system. In the brain of his Audience, it is utilized to understand having a place, having their vicinity recognized. In his Speech, Obama makes a few between sexual references to motivational speakers of the past. One such case is Martin Luther King; the street ahead will be long. we will arrive where Obama makes the feeling that it will be an intense, exhausting trip in front of America in fixing the harm done

The goal of the speech is for Through the use of emotional appeals, he alters the thoughts and feelings of his audience through storytelling, imagery and illusion. The topic or race itself evokes strong emotions from the listener. His use of logical arguments is minimal. The intended audience is those who are able to vote for Obama as well as African Americans who will identify with his assessment of race within the black community and subsequently be inspired and motivated to incite social change in a positive way.

Reverend Wright 's sermon went viral due to the fact he says, "Goddamn America." In the short clips of his sermon, Reverend Wright was riling up the members of his church as he talks about the inequalities African Americans have to face in the country. The statements made in the short clip anger and may even have sparked some fear in people. How dare Wright to have insulted his own country and states that it was in the Bible and did Obama share the same views as his minister? How will these radical views effect Obama 's decision as President if he wins the election? In Obama 's speech, he ultimately disagrees with Reverend Wright 's statements and explains Wright 's background to give some context of the sermon and also reassures the country of his qualifications as a nominee for the Presidential Election. I agree with Obama

Obama for sure tries to locate truth in his personal experiences. Obama discusses the issue of race in America in a reasonable and logical manner, yet he also seems sincere, full of character, and is educated on the topic. Racism still exists, but it is most often in the subtleness and comfort of familiar spaces and or homes. Obama’s willingness to have an honest conversation on the subject of racism. Obama hoped to change America’s anger for racial issues and move forward, from the past. I think him wanting to share experiences of his own and others, shows us he's really wanting a change for

Martin Luther King’s speech was made after the March on Washington on August 28, 1963. He delivered the “I Have a dream” speech on the Lincoln Memorial steps. He verbalized this speech to millions of people blacks and whites. This is one of the greatest speeches

Despite making history as the first African-American to be nominated for the presidency by a major party, let alone be elected as president, Obama did not emphasize his race, as many black politicians had in order to appeal to areas of white majority. He did, however, address race and civil rights—although not directly—through the comprehensive theme of unity, recognizing the shared goals and dreams of all Americans regardless of one's differences to another. The collective aspiration of solidarity was felt as Obama gave his First Inaugural Address; his application of references to the founders and influential leaders of America, history, biblical scripture, and its relevance to today—including a statement acknowledging all religions, instead

Barack Obama's powerful diction creates hope for the future of the United States with word choices such as “continue,” “shifted” and “ambitions.” Barack’s shift from informal to formal diction constructs an image of unity through the usage of simple, personal pronouns, such as “we” and “us.” The shifts from informal to formal and back appeal to the emotions of the audience because they feel as if Obama is talking directly to them. His allusions to the Bible are sentimental because when he says "the God given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness" he creates a bond between himself and his audience. His words have a motivating connotation that appeal to both logos and pathos. The way in which Barack Obama presents his ideas allows his audience to have confidence in him and his role as president.

Senator Barack Obama had many issues throughout his campaign. Obama’s speech, “A More Perfect Union”, delivered on March 18, 2008, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, conveyed many issues concerning racism throughout the United States, but it starts out stating how the founders of this nation constructed the Declaration of Independence, creating all

On top of that big fat slab of equality and togetherness, President Obama also begins to usher in a sense of endless possibilities and hope through the audience. He juxtaposes the “ending of war” to the beginning of economic recovery (Isn’t that a lie in the state we’re in?). This solidifies hope and the use parallelism, “ we are made for this moment, and we will seize it – so long as we seize it together". He begins again, this time using a parallelism that is used throughout the rest of the speech, “we, the people,” to even further establish togetherness and also builds Obama’s presidential

In response to the controversial sermon given by his pastor and the racial remarks that followed him during his 2008 campaign, then Senator Barack Obama, was inherently forced into delivering a speech that would address the comments and prove to the American people that he did in fact shared their “American Dream” and was not an Anti-America charity case. Obama gave his famous “A More Perfect Union” speech in Philadelphia, where he seized the opportunity to address the controversy as an indication of a much larger issue, race relations in America and introduce his mission of moving the country toward “a more perfect union.” His speech often coined, “the Race Speech”, had several factors play into its success, one factor being the way the speech was delivered, his speech incorporated the jeremiad form and constitutive form of rhetoric, the use of those two forms helped Obama address the issue while at the same time creating an identity that would encompass all Americans who would then come together in this identity and work toward the solution of the race issue and providing the “American Dream” for everyone.

Philadelphia, March 2008. Neither that city nor year suggests a crucial event in American racial history. It’s not Birmingham in 1961, or Washington, D.C. in 1963. However, on March 18, 2008, at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, soon-to-be President Barack Obama, a black man with an African father, took the stage and delivered a speech that would paint the racial landscape of his historic presidency. In his speech, Obama welds three distinctive rhetorical tactics to support his overarching argument that unity is compulsory in this country to produce racial equality. First, he opens with a personal and historical background to highlight the kairotic moment and exigence present, then appeals to pathos through multiple examples of racial injustice to indicate the necessity of such change, and finally uses his appeals to ethos to suggest, but not legislate, modes of change for black and white Americans. The speech was met with profound success: pundits from both the right and the left praised his bravery and oration, while, later that year, Obama defeated John McCain in a landslide victory to secure the presidency. To many, this speech was both a rhetorical and political turning point in the 2008 presidential campaign.