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Rhetorical Analysis Of Bill Clinton's Speech

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Rhetorical Analysis Of Bill Clinton's Speech
Rescue efforts lasting over 2 weeks, 650 injuries death tolls rising to 168, of which 19 were young children. In a time of fear and severe loss, all look for a source to bring peace and reassurance. Immediately after a tragic event society will either unite or isolate and search for a group to blame. Post the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995, America became lost this was the first major terrorist bombing the people had witnessed. No one truly understood what was occurring and what the next step was. In today's society, a bombing as tragic and obscene as they are is not much of a surprise anymore. Every human born prior to 2005 has experienced a handful of worldwide threats and tragedies to which we’ve learned to simply accept this is …show more content…
However, he also possessed a lucid confidence, a quality necessary in any human of his position. He represented the country with a stern but caring characteristic. His tone shifts from sympathetic and hurt at the beginning to powerful and confident in the middle and to motivational in the end. President Clinton's last few sentences in the speech, “My fellow Americans, a tree takes a long time to grow, and wounds take a long time to heal. But we must begin. Those who are lost now belong to God. Someday we will be with them. But until that happens, their legacy must be our lives.” A beautiful comparison to the life of a tree and telling his audience it is understandable to be hurt, but you must begin to start your healing process. His last sentence had the most impact influencing all Americans to live their best life if not for themselves, but for the lives lost. It was drawn from a pathos addressed earlier bringing the perspective of a child who spoke to the president and asked for a tree in the place of the lives lost. The pathos made all the audience to commiserate with one another. Overall the speech was shorter than normal presidential speeches it still possessed all rhetorical values, especially those that focused on impacting the emotions of the audience, to obtain the syllogism he had aimed

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