Obama
A Moving Speech
For many years and still currently, Primary speeches have been important and must be written thoughtfully and edited with every bit of scrutiny. They help office runners round up unprecedented amount of undecided voters and help paint a picture to the public of how they want to be portrayed. Obama’s 2008 New Hampshire speech did just that. With the usage of many literature techniques such as logical fallacies and rhetorical devices Obama was able to bring to life the ideas he wanted to share and the tasks he wants to accomplish as he takes office. Though, the speech resembles strengths and weaknesses in persuasion capability, it still played a major role in Obama’s presidential election the following year.
Historical allusion was Obama’s strongest appeal. He uses this to construct and centralize an idea that his presidency will bring back the true essence of the United States. He talks about the foundation and base of this country by talking about the founding fathers and one of the earliest written documents of this nation. In his speech he stated “It was a creed written in the founding documents that declared the destiny of this nation” to ensure that he will fulfill the wishes of the founding fathers for the destiny of this nation. Moreover, he reiterates “yes we can”(Repetition) to stress the importance of working together, Working together to form a nation where people live happily and safely. He uses the word we to emphisize that he shares the common interest of his followers. "we will end the war in Iraq, we will bring our troops home"
As much as his speech was persuasive, the lack in the usage of Ethos made the intensity of the persuasion fall short. As his speech progressed, Obama mention 9-11 and the looming threats of 21st century terrorism, along with it he managed to included genocide and the increasing poverty rate. Obama articulates “and we’ll never us 9-11 to scare up votes….it is a challenge that should unite America and the
For many years and still currently, Primary speeches have been important and must be written thoughtfully and edited with every bit of scrutiny. They help office runners round up unprecedented amount of undecided voters and help paint a picture to the public of how they want to be portrayed. Obama’s 2008 New Hampshire speech did just that. With the usage of many literature techniques such as logical fallacies and rhetorical devices Obama was able to bring to life the ideas he wanted to share and the tasks he wants to accomplish as he takes office. Though, the speech resembles strengths and weaknesses in persuasion capability, it still played a major role in Obama’s presidential election the following year.
Historical allusion was Obama’s strongest appeal. He uses this to construct and centralize an idea that his presidency will bring back the true essence of the United States. He talks about the foundation and base of this country by talking about the founding fathers and one of the earliest written documents of this nation. In his speech he stated “It was a creed written in the founding documents that declared the destiny of this nation” to ensure that he will fulfill the wishes of the founding fathers for the destiny of this nation. Moreover, he reiterates “yes we can”(Repetition) to stress the importance of working together, Working together to form a nation where people live happily and safely. He uses the word we to emphisize that he shares the common interest of his followers. "we will end the war in Iraq, we will bring our troops home"
As much as his speech was persuasive, the lack in the usage of Ethos made the intensity of the persuasion fall short. As his speech progressed, Obama mention 9-11 and the looming threats of 21st century terrorism, along with it he managed to included genocide and the increasing poverty rate. Obama articulates “and we’ll never us 9-11 to scare up votes….it is a challenge that should unite America and the