President Obama’s memorial speech following the Tuscan shooting carefully utilized the Aristotelian appeal of pathos, or emotional appeals through his word choice, which aligned him with the American people while still conveying a sense of authority, and his use of biblical allusions, which drew his audience together on the basis of shared ideologies. In his opening lines Obama shows his compassion for the victims and mourners of the shooting stating: “I have come here tonight as an American who, like all Americans, kneels to pray with you today, and will stand by you tomorrow.” With just this short statement Obama aligns himself with the American people, showing his empathy and comforting the people by saying “I will be here for you.” This …show more content…
By placing himself in this role, he creates the impression that as the father figure he is also in a position to give advice and serve as an educator. Obama then goes on to soothe and insure his nation that questioning and reflecting is natural, stating that “When a tragedy like this strikes, it is part of our nature to demand explanations –to try to impose some order on the chaos, and make sense out of that which seems senseless,” and then goes into the role of an educator by telling the story of each of the victims of the shooting. By telling each victim’s story, Obama further elicits an emotional response from the audience by effectively humanizing each person. This further creates a sense of unity, making it seem as if Obama really knew the victims, and making each person more relatable to the audience so that each member of the audience might feel as though any one of the victims could have been their neighbor or beloved family …show more content…
By alluding to the bible, Obama is able to better connect with the families of the victims, as many of the victims were explicitly described as being religious. In knowing that the republican party often incorporates Christian values into policies, Obama also uses religion to bridge the gap between the republican and democratic members of the audience by taking into consideration conservative values, while using quotes that were widely accessible, as both of the references he used were taken from the Old Testament, which is a point of reference for all Judeo-Christian religions (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) thereby facilitating the acceptance of his points in a very diverse audience. Furthermore, an important message in the book of Job, which Obama specifically referenced, is that God may put his people through trial, but there is always a bigger meaning behind the evils in the world, and evil should never make you doubt your belief. This can easily be projected to the circumstances at the time the speech was
In his “State of the Union” speech, President Barack Obama effectively uses the rhetorical devices of Ethos, Pathos and Logos to convey a more convincing message to the citizens of the United States to urge them to follow the example of the many people that have made their nation greater.
In the “180” movie Ray Comfort outstandingly used rhetorical appeal throughout his argument in a thorough way to further grasp his audience’s attention. He used pathos, ethos, and logos during the course of his dispute of abortion and the Holocaust. Comfort uses pathos more frequently than the other two appeals, to plea to the audience’s heart strings. An example of when pathos was used was when
George Bush intentionally generates this emotion at the end to leave viewers feeling slightly better on the situation at hand. In his conclusion, the then president merges viewers in saying, “This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.” His conclusions strike different chords in raising hope amongst viewers. He ultimately depicts a unified country and reminds viewers that something similar to this tragedy has happened before, proving that our country has overcome similar challenges. In addition, his reminds viewers of “all that is good and just in our world” evoking more hopeful thinking from Americans. At the end of his address, Bush uses many positive images that cancel out the tragic ones from his introduction and thusly ends his address portray great amounts of hope, comforting
In Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, pathos, logos and ethos are evidently and effectively used to persuade the audience into believing Caesar was not ambitious and that he was an innocent man. Throughout the speech the citizens were easily persuaded, but Anthony’s intellectual speeches made the audience question and imagine what they have turned into. Anthony used these three rhetorical appeals to win back the citizens just like many people do today. The power of pathos, logos and ethos in a speech can change one mind in an instant and if successfully used can change a mind to be fully persuaded without confusion.
President Abraham Lincoln uses appeals such as logos (logic), ethos (character), and pathos (emotional) to persuade and grab the audience’s attention.
Knowing that he was addressing innocent victims, grieving families, and a grieving and angry nation, President Bush used various rhetoric techniques ethos, logos, and pathos to provide a sense of security and how the nation would move forward. Throughout the speech, President Bush uses logos to prove that he was going to take control of the
Remarks by President Obama at the eulogy for the honorable Reverend Clementa Pinckney; A man who was killed when an another man rushed into a church in South Carolina and killed 9 people while they were immersed in an afternoon mass. President Obama created different appeals and feelings through the use of different Rhetorical Devices such as Logos, Ethos, and Pathos. The use of logos ethos and pathos help the president convey his central idea which is to ensure the people of South Carolina and the people of the United States that not only are they safe, but they will unite to take this opportunity to create a more united U.S. This will happen through the establishment of new gun reforms.
Obama starts off the address by bringing up his visit of the Andrews Air Force base where he welcomed some of the last troops who served in Iraq. This is important because it appeals to all the veterans and those affected by the war that they understood that the Iraq war was actually ending. “For the first time in nine years, there are no Americans fighting in Iraq” (Obama). Before Obama’s presidency he stated that he wanted to bring home the troops and with that statement he proved that he actually accomplished this within his term. He continues to praise the military on their efforts overseas. “We gather tonight knowing that this generation of heroes has made the United States safer and more respected around the world” (Obama). He continues to express his gratitude for the American troops for...
Speeches are given for a variety of reasons, yet many result from infamous events that mark history forever. Following the shocking terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, former president George W. Bush gave an uplifting and comforting speech to the American people. Prior to these attacks, Bush’s presidency was rather uneventful and unremarkable. Being the first major crisis he has to respond to as president, Bush faces a great deal of pressure to give a powerful address which will calm the masses, as many people are frightened and extremely worried about what is to come. By strategically ordering his topics, distinctively choosing select pronouns, and referencing religious text, Bush is able to produce a convincing speech which portrays a sense of national unity and
President Obama’s Sunday night speech was about three-quarters of what the cynics and his critics expected. The lone bits of good news were the president’s belated acknowledgement that the Fort Hood shooting was terrorism – not “workplace violence” – and that he didn’t announce any new executive orders dealing with gun control. For starters, the optics of this speech were very strange – why stand in front of the desk in the Oval Office? Did he get poked or get makeup in his left eye right before he went on air? He seemed to be squinting. The only other time the president addressed the country on Sunday night, he announced the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. One expected something new, groundbreaking, or different. Instead, he offered the
It is clear that he uses pathos as his most potent tool for persuasion. Be it a way to depict gruesome imagery, a way to supplement his call to action, or as an enhancement for both his ethos and logos arguments, his strategic use of pathos is what drove the letter’s meaning to the hearts of
A rhetorical question is known as the tool utilized by a speaker wherein he would ask the audience a question while delivering his speech but does not expect a response from them. This can aid the speaker in being able to engage the audience in a more convincing way, especially since this part of the speech adds more character, complexities and interest to a speech. (Dlugan, 2012) This paper would delve more on Barrack Obama’s speech about the mass Shooting at Charleston Emmanuel AME Church.
President Bush said that the shooting was a "disgraceful act of cowardice" and "when America teaches our children right form wrong and teaches values that respect life in our country, we'll be better off." He also said "First things are first. And our prayers go out to the families that lost a child today."
On April 8, 2013, President Barack Obama spoke at the University of Hartford on behalf of those who died in the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Connecticut. President Obama addressed the people of the state of Connecticut and on a federal level. The broadcasting networks provided live coverage of President Obama’s speech, and a national audience listened as the president’s addressing the issues and the next steps forward for the country. The impact of this tragedy and previous massive shootings and Obama’s explanation have been a subject of a controversial debate. I plan on using the pentadic method to analyze President Obama’s speech regarding Sandy Hook and gun control. What we can learn about the method by using it to examine this particular artifact is that the five elements of the pentad can demonstrate the motives of the rhetor. As we examine the ratios, we can reveal the worldview and the purpose of his policies on behalf of the shooting. Moreover, it is also an emotional and dramatic situation that tells a story. This paper will examine some the rhetorical choices Obama has made utilizing an emotional appeal to his audience in his address on April 8, 2013 to identify the dramas it creates to both facilitate and its motivation while appealing to two audiences: voters and parents. I will use this example to consider how a rhetor might construct and concurrently present multiple dramas that function to influence multiple audiences that otherwise might reject its message. It will then speculate on the impact that those choices may have on audience response to the speech. The tool used for this investigation will be the Pentadic Method from Kenneth Burke. The examination of President Obama’s speech...
Obama uses fragments in his speech to put emphasis on what the fragments are saying. One of his statements in the speech went, "In the coming hours and days, we 'll learn about the victims of this tragedy. Their names. Their faces. Who they were." He was basically saying that everyone would be remembered. We would remember their names, faces, and who they were. People didn 't know who they were, but they had come to know who they were and were really upset that such a violent guy would kill innocent people. Obama used the fragments to emphasize what we would learn about the victims. It put more emphasis on it than it would have been if it were just listed out. On the news and the Internet, it would tell of the many brave acts that people had done to protect others, but it would also tell how they were killed and what had happened at the moment they were killed or injured. Sometimes the protector wouldn 't make it and so having their story be told is a way to honor their bravery. Sometimes the stories would show how the innocent people are just like ordinary people. Obama uses the fragments to make sure that people will never forget their names and the country will remember those who died. As a country, we will never forget the names of the lives that were lost and the event that took