Union Address Rhetoric

Catholics, in stark contrast to how they conduct themselves around smaller groups of non-Catholics, are not fond of being subjugated due to their beliefs. This is demonstrated in a speech given by Mr. Daniel O’Connell in 1836 to the British House of Commons. Here Mr. O’Connell attempts to secure the ability of Irish Catholics to be voted into the British Parliament by the support of his peers from the Church of England. His use of logical fallacies and allows his argument to fall short of being successful.

In President Bush’s Address to the Nation Speech the day after September 11 (9/11) in 2001, President Bush wants to inform the country of this tragic event and what was going to happen for the country. President Bush uses rhetorical devices to captures the audience’s attention and to reach this purpose. President Bush mainly use pathos, logos, anaphoras, and personifications to achieve his purpose.

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.

President Barack Obama spoke his remarks at Howard University commencement ceremony for the class of 2016. This special moment in the speech is honoring people of color, especially African Americans and made history at this University, having the president to present his speech (Donnella). Obama explained how America was different when he graduated college and society is now accepting new cultures and backgrounds within today’s workforce and education. Obama wants the audience to take opportunities and learning new skills to expand their education.

Move over, parents and teachers. Someone with even more authority wants to tell kids to work harder in school: the president of the United States of America. In 2009, in the first year of his presidency, Barack Obama opened the school year with a speech to students, asking them to take charge of their own education. His speech, which he filled with many anecdotes meant to establish credibility and create inspiration, sent students an important message about their education. However, Obama could have made his speech stronger if he had avoided several missteps in the content and delivery of his message.

This inaugural speech marked the beginning of the second term of Barack Obama as president of the United States of America. It was delivered at United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. on January 21, 2013. The event followed the presidential election in the United States and it was very important all over the world, about a million of people gathered outside the Capitol to witness the president's words and millions more from around the world watched him on television (Staff). For first time, a president talked about same sex marriage and gay rights, he also talked about divisive issues such as reform of immigration policies, stopping climate change and preserving a social welfare safety net. Obama showed a progressive and liberal agenda, focused on equal rights and possibilities for all the citizens. The theme of the speech was “Faith in America's Future,” (Caldwell) and he successfully used various rhetorical techniques and resources to influence the audience.

The 44th president, Barack H. Obama presented his inaugural speech on January 20th, 2009. The purpose of the speech is to inform and educate the audience about the issue the US was going through at the time, and his plan to improve on these issues. Obama's tone is serious, with optimism. Obama used anaphora, parallelism, and optimism to grasp the audience's attention and to gain the trust of the audience. Obama uses Rhetorical devices in his Inaugural speech he uses a lot of anaphore, such as when he says, “Together, we discovered that”( this is also parallelism, he states this to show that he is just like every other American just trying to make a difference in this world.

The most interesting parts of Obama’s speech, to me, were the clarifications on his educational policies. His plans for higher education, such as halting student loan payments after 20 years or 10 years for public servants, seemed pretty cool to me. I’m not sure if taking government money to be used for student loans and giving it to parents while simultaneously stopping loan payments after 20 years is such a good idea. Pissing off the entire banking system might not be such a good idea in the long run. Grunts will be fired before CEOs cut their own bonuses, and I really don’t feel like that is particularly conducive to a good financial system.

The Farewell Address embodied Washington’s political principles and hopes for the United States, a newly developed nation, to grow strong and remain independent. He stressed the importance of national unity. Despite the confidence Washington had for his country to continue to thrive without his leadership, he felt obligated to forewarn the American people and future generations the greatest dangers, or threats, to the United States. Washington believed threats such as political parties, and associations with foreign alliances could weaken the nation. Today, it is believed that the Farewell Address is a prophetic warning for contemporary politics.

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,

In 2001, an event occurred in the United States of America that was life-changing for every American. On September 11, America had been severely attacked by terrorists, leaving behind traumatic memories for many and led to the country having to take initiative. At the time, George W. Bush was president, and he had to take action to this event in which was defining his presidency. Nine days after the attack, Bush gave an address to a joint session of Congress and to the nation. This dramatic address struck home with America, raising confidence and giving hope to the people. One may wonder, how exactly was Bush able to accomplish such a historical address? The usage of various rhetorical devices are present in his speech, allowing him to craft a powerful speech and connect with his audience. Bush establishes Cicero’s five canons of rhetoric throughout his 9/11 speech by achieving each individual requirement differently to present an address in order to adequately address the attack and give America a plan of action.

The opening of the speech is very clear and direct, setting a serious essence for the audience to appreciate the detailed fashion in which Obama will go on to explain the effects of Osama Bin Laden, America’s actions, the assassination, and the important distinguishing of Islam and Pakistan from Al Qaeda.

Barrack Obama’s inauguration speech successfully accomplished his goal by using rhetoric to ensure our nation that we will be under safe hands. The speech is similar from ideas obtained from the founding documents and Martin Luther King’s speech to establish ‘our’ goal to get together and take some action on the problems our country is now facing. As President Barrack Obama starts his speech, he keeps himself from using ‘me’, ‘myself’, and ‘I’ and replacing it with ‘we’, ‘us’, and ‘together’ to achieve ethos. He makes sure his audience connects with him directly by making them feel at his level, and him at theirs. 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 gain 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

Senator Obama is altering the language. Christians did not exist in the Old Testament story of Ezekiel, but Senator Obama is effectively connecting with every major religion. Simultaneously, he is reaching out to the secular world as well. Being cognizant that everyone does not actively practice a religious faith, Obama chooses stories that

I am choosing Barack Obama’s second inaugural address for my rhetorical analysis. I will be using this video from YouTube and this transcript for my analysis. This speech was given in 2013 before Obama’s second term as president of the United States.