Another strong motive of Kennedy is his concern with improving America further. He expresses this motive by incorporating antithesis into his speech. Throughout his speech, he makes many statements on the different ways the country can improve, “My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you- ask what you can do for your country.”
President elects Barack Obama uses a variety of techniques to address and unify his audience. Obamas use of second person, directly making reference of his audience, tonight is your answer...it belongs to you...it cannot happen without you, is cleverly employed to demonstrate the importance of the individual and how his victory and future effort to change America will rely on the efforts of the collective. In the mind of his audience, it is used to make people feel a sense of belonging, having their presence acknowledged. In his speech, Obama makes several intersexual references to inspirational orators of the past. One such example is Martin Luther King, the road ahead will be long...we will get there where Obama creates the sense that it will be a tough, arduous journey ahead of America in undoing the damage done by past leadership.
Wood also analyzes Obama’s use of references in his election night speech. He discusses how “Behind his speech were the ghosts of Lincoln’s First Inaugural” (610) as well as “the explicit reference to King’s famous phrase about how ‘the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice’” (611). Both discussions of Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. are included to show how Obama believed his election to be a turning point in history as Lincoln and King’s speeches were a turning point in their time period as well. It was imperative for Safire and Wood to discuss the allusions to others’ speeches in both of their analysis as without the references to others’ speeches both Lincoln and Obama’s speeches would not have had the impact and power that they did. Through the course
A More Perfect Union Critique “We the people, in order to form a more perfect union.” These are the same words that were presented in the Constitution as well as used in Barack Obama’s speech, “A More Perfect Union” during his presidential primary campaign in 2008. His speech addresses the racism and inequality that still exist in America that is dividing American society instead of uniting it. Obama uses his own experiences to reach out to readers as well as using allusions from history and the patriotic meaning behind the history to incorporate pathos and ethos in his speech. Obama is successful in his writing because he is able to persuade the audience by appealing to their emotions, while using specific details to create more credibility
Danny Reiter English 101 Michelle Bush March 16, 2012 America has encountered many hardships throughout history, but the reason our country has triumphed and moved forward is because someone has been there to unite us with words of promise. Out of the many famous historical speeches, the two significant speeches that stand out are Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, and Barack Obama’s Victory Speech. Due to the significance of these particular speeches, William Safire in his “A Spirit Reborn,” and James Wood in his “Victory Speech,” analyze these works and write essays about their effects. Both writers note the moving aspects of these speeches that make them so powerful. Arguably, Safire and Wood’s essays are more different
2. Purpose and Research Questions 1.2.1 Purpose of This Research The present thesis aims to reveal the rhetorical characteristics of Obama’s election campaign speeches using the analytical tools of Aristotle’s three appeals. The author intends to provide a practical method for catching the ethos, pathos and logos concealed in American election campaign speeches and at the same time to put forward a proposal of raising English learners’ awareness in public speaking. So there are two purposes for the writing of this thesis. 1) This thesis is to provide a means of seeing through language, to probe into the rhetorical skills used in Obama’s election campaign speeches and to explain how language is used by powerful groups to reinforce persuasion.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair”(King) His assumptions of the basis of American society (religion, founding fathers, and the American Dream) enable him to keep his intended audience paying attention for what he most wanted to convey—the emotional battle of those involved in the campaign for civil rights. Although his letter and his speech are targeting two separate ideas on the basis of two separate (for the most part) groups of
President Obama started his speech with a catch by naming one of his heroes, the civil rights leader John Lewis. This created a satisfactory level of personalization that was strengthened when he linked the Selma Marches to his “way to the Oval Office.” Since Obama was addressing millions of Americans across the country, he tried to maintain a level of formality as president. He also achieved a good level of simplicity and directness that made his message easier to be understood by ordinary citizens from different backgrounds. In addition, he influenced a wide range of audience by using a narrative approach telling the story of America in general and Selma in particular. The speech’s significance is apparent in the good choice of place (Edmund Pettus Bridge) and time (50th anniversary).
I will illustrate that the song actually reflects desire to modernize society despite what critics think or say. If we focus on the first stanza, we see how Dylan quests to send the message that people have to accept change. Things in America were changing during the 1960’s; an example of this change is shown in the song. “And admit that the waters around you have grown” (3-4) this line encourages people to face the truth. Changes were taking place and society refused to accept them.
Barack Obama portrays this by using various persuasive techniques to interest his audience and his famous quote, “Yes We Can.” He uses the unity words “We” and “You” repeatedly throughout the speech. The speech is intended to show that he is the leader of the team yet more importantly he is still a part of the team. The message of the speech is “Yes we can change, if you elect me.” Obama continually repeats this message as he wanted to drive it home to the audience. He includes the people and make them a sense of being participants. He shows authority and confidence in his speeches which in turn, makes the world more comfortable with him leading us.