English Essay Writing The Rhetoric Analysis

Question: Discuss about the inaugural speech by Barrack Obama in the year 2009? Answer: Introduction The rhetoric analysis of the texts helps the reader, to get an idea of how the three texts every angle of persuasion. It may not happen that, the use of ethos, pathos, logos and Kairos will be distinctively understood in the text, but the four rhetorical analysis can be considered from the point of view the speech was given. Subject The following is the inaugural speech by Barrack Obama in the year 2009 when the cuurent president first became the President of United States of America. As it is the inaugural speech, there will be very few instances of Obamas work in the speech, but the speech can still be divided into ethos, pathos, logos and kairos depending on the literary viewpoint of the text. Ethos mainly deals with the credibility of the past. It is noticed that the speech contains works that the ancestors have done in the past to develop America. No leader can work alone. Any leader will require the support of the citizens to work in the country. The president takes up examples from the past by saying that there was no short cut in the road to achieving something, nor the country has settled for anything less (Lall, 2012). The speaker then added that the road to development is not for those who are afraid of hard work or for those who only want to enjoy the delights of riches and monetary pleasures. There are people who have fought for the freedom of the country by fighting the personal loses, through bloodshed and keeping the country before themselves. It is for the country that these people have traveled far and wide, sacrificed pleasures of life to bring the country where it is now today. The ancestors have not only fought the enemies but also suffered in the hands o f the enemies to achieve freedom. The ancestors have lost their lives for the country in Concord, Gettysburg, Normandy, Khe Sahn. The president by pointing out what the ancestors have done for the country urges the people of America to support the president in the journey. By incorporating these examples in the speech, the president hinted that as a president, the work will be done in the same manner the ancestors have done for the country (Obama, 2015). It is the human nature; one gets emotional when an incident from the past that involves personal experience or sentiments is put forward to the individual. The president gave the examples of the father and mother of all the people who has shed blood for the country. He urges the people of the country irrespective of social standing, irrespective of financial stability, irrespective of place of living to come forward for the nation (De Bellis, 2009). The president refers to own father, who was born in a small village to stir the emotions of the people living in rural areas. By mentioning about family, then adding that the president does not hail from a rich background, the president hinted that the speaker is not someone out of reach of the common man; the president is another common man. The president says that America is a friend of the citizens living in the country, and it is America who needs the citizens (Lall, 2012). It is a commonly used term that the citizens are from a count ry, but by inverting the sense of belonging that the country needs the citizens, the president was able to make the citizens more emotional towards the country, hence making them more responsible. The president also says that America is a place for people of all religion, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus and non-believers. People from different languages and culture can be found in America. The President is very well aware of the ongoing tension with the Muslims countries and hopes that the tension will be solved some day, and the enmity will dissolve. The president even talks about the dark chapter, which the speaker refers to the World Trade Centre attack that the country has survived (Obama, 2015). Logos deals with logical appeal where the speaker will provide logical support for the speech. In the speech, the president has spoken to the audience in the inaugural speech. Hence, the speech is indicative of more to the future and less to the past. But still there are clear evidence from the past to support the present as well as create a better picture of the future. The president using incidents from the past supports his plans (Lunsford Ruszkiewicz, 2013). He logically points out that though the economy of America is successful due to Gross Domestic Product, but until the citizens work hard like the ancestors the nation would not achieve prosperity. The president even hints at reducing nuclear threat by mentioning Iraq and Afghanistan. The president does this to tell the citizens that by maintaining peace with these countries will help the nation to protect the citizens from the nuclear threat (Obama, 2015). As this is the first session of the Barrack Obama, he creates the ambiance for the speech by remembering history. It is by narrating how the ancestors sacrificed for the country, the hard work, and bloodshed; the president stirred the emotions of the audience as well as set an example for the audience to hint at them that the future work of the president will be somewhat like what the ancestors have done for the country (Whately Ehninger, 2010). The president starts the speech by generalizing the president with the people. The speaker distinctively mentions high office and then uses we the people to condition the audience and give them a sense of equality with the president. By doing this, it was helpful for the speaker to reach to the audience. The people will then not see the speaker as the president of the country but will regard the speaker as a one of the citizens and relate to the problem about which the speaker is saying. Conclusion Barrack Obama adhered to the ethos, pathos, logos and kairos of the speech by mainly touching down the history of America and how the ancestors contributed to the future of the country. The president even mentioned the family members to put forward the views to the audience (Nrgaard, Montoro Busse, 2010). References Burkett, J. (2011). Aristotle, Rhetoric III. [Fort Worth, Tex.]: Texas Christian University. Donawerth, J. (2012). Conversational rhetoric. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press. Hanks, P. (2013). Lexical analysis. Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press. Lall, M. (2012). Policy, discourse and rhetoric. Rotterdam: SensePublishers. Lunsford, A., Ruszkiewicz, J. (2013). Everything's an argument. Boston, Mass.: Bedford/St. Martins. Obama, B. (2015). Miller Center. Millercenter.org. Retrieved 25 July 2015, from https://millercenter.org/president/obama/speeches/speech-4453 Whately, R., Ehninger, D. (2010). Elements of rhetoric. Carbondale, Ill.: Southern Illinois University Press. Wilder, L. (2012). Rhetorical strategies and genre conventions in literary studies. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press. De Bellis, N. (2009). Bibliometrics and citation analysis. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. Nrgaard, N., Montoro, R., Busse, B. (2010). Key terms in stylistics. London: Continuum International Pub. Group.