Rhetorical Devices In Bill Clinton's Speech To The DNC

To begin, one rhetorical device Eleanor Roosevelt uses in her speech is the anaphora. For example, she states,“But we know that we have to work together and we have to progress” In this passage Eleanor repeats the phrase, “we have to” in order to emphasize the fact that not only should one

Bill Clinton effective used ethos, pathos, and logos throughout his speech in order to gain forgiveness of the

During Al Gore’s concession to President Bush in 2000, he stayed positive and took the high road because of his recent loss in the presidential election. Through the use of specific diction, repetition, sincere facial expressions, and lack of hand movements he was able to not only ensure his supporters that they were in great hands, but he also saved his reputation after a defeat in the election. Gore’s primary objective was to apologize for the chaotic election and give a last minute impression to win over or neutralize many Americans opinions of himself. These tactics along with his neutral and informative tone would be remembered in making his speech extremely successful.

Language plays a crucial role in the development of power. Famous personalities in the United States use rhetorical devices to emphasize a specific point and make it clear to the audience. President Thomas Jefferson is a Democratic-Republican and won the election of 1800. In 1801 he presented his inauguration speech and was significant because it was the first time in the history when the power shifted from one party to the other. Martin Luther King, Jr. served as an American minister and played an active role in the civil rights movement. John F. Kennedy delivered his speech during his inauguration in order to develop relations with the Soviet Union and end Cold War. All the speeches were delivered by most known personalities and made use of rhetorical devices such as allusion and repetition to make their message memorable in the hearts of the citizens of America.

The most obvious way President Reagan delivers rhetoric to his audience is through his own ethos. Ronald Reagan wasn’t just your average president; he was a communicator. Reagan started his career as a sports announcer and continued on as an actor, which led to his later career in state and national politics. By the time President Reagan had delivered his address, the president had been in the spotlight his entire career and was looked up to worldwide. He had established an extrinsic ethos well before delivering this speech. By being the president of the free world, Reagan’s audience

In his second Inaugural Address, given one month before the end of the Civil War, United States President Abraham Lincoln used rhetorical strategies to achieve his purpose. Rhetorical strategies are strategies in which something is stated and doesn’t expect a comment or response to it. Lincoln used rhetorical strategies in his second inaugural address to prove to his audience, that since this is the second time around, he knows what he needs to do, for himself as the President of the United States and for our nation itself.

To begin, JFK’s use of rhetorical devices throughout his address had successfully captivate his audience by clarifying, persuading, and engaging his main points to his listeners. For instance, in his speech, JFK uses a plethora of rhetorical devices, all of which played a part in engaging his audience. Of the devices, Anaphora, Antithesis, and Reputation are the three most dominant devices which enthralled the audience. Through his use of rhetorical devices JFK, could create depth and character in his speech. In addition, he can engage the audience’s attention, allowing the audience to be engrossed to his ideas and insights, ultimately persuading them. Thus, through the literary nature and rhetoric devices present in his speech, JFK could seize and sustain the focus of his audience, creating for a persuasive and memorable speech.

Both skilled orators, King Jr. and Roosevelt, successfully persuade readers using rhetorical devices such as repetition and metaphors. Roosevelt’s “The First Inaugural Address” was written to assure citizens that he would do everything in his power to fix the emergency of the Great Depression. In his speech he uses repetition and metaphors to help get his point across to readers. When discussing the problems that citizens are facing he states, “Yet our distress comes from no failure of substance. We are stricken by no plague of locusts.

Rhetoric language plays an important role in how politicians relay their message to the people. When one talks in rhetoric, it resonates with the common people. It allows the average person to stay focused and gives them a better understanding of the topic. President Barack Obama In the State of the Union Address employs similar rhetoric language as Senator George McGovern in the 1972 ad “This Time” in order to promote their political views and persuade the common people to value their ideas.

In his first inauguration speech, which he gave before his first term of presidency, Barack Obama clearly demonstrates the effect he has in his speaking and shows that he has an excellent command of the English language to persuade and grab the attention and focus of his audience. He demonstrates his knowledge well with the use of Metaphor, Anaphora, as well as Allusion. Throughout the entirety of his speech, he uses many tactics to capture his audience, to give them confidence in him as president as well as to show that he is knowledgeable of the history of the US.

His promises are also repeated in his speech because he not only represents Americans to be the ultimate power, but also a judicial branch. This may appear to be a simple act of gaining sympathy from Americans, although true to a certain extent, the reason behind this representation of Americans is to remind the setbacks of the previous administration in a subtle manner. Obama uses metaphors to demonstrate the previous formidable conditions seen at “gathering clouds and raging storms”. This further supported by the use of asyndeton, tri-colon, and anaphora: “Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many.”

The speaker, Obama states “This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this campaign---to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America.” Obama didn’t forget where he came from so he remembering what was his life like in the past. He want America to come together as one because in the past there were slaves, racism and people who murdered others for hatred.

The Rhetoric is a theory created by Aristotle; can be defined by Aristotle himself as “an ability, in each particular case, to see the available means of persuasion”. This theory holds three proofs to its name, ethos, pathos, and logos. The key to a successful speech is holding all three of these proofs in the work. Ethos is the character and credibility that the speaker holds. Pathos is what kind of emotional connection the speaker makes with the audience. And Logos is how clear and rational the speaker’s argument is (Wenzel, 2017). Obama has all three proofs represented in his speech. Obama’s Ethos or his credibility comes from the fact that he was chosen as the keynote speaker at the DNC. While at the time he was a not widely known politician, the fact that he was picked by presidential nominee, John Kerry. The way Obama carries himself with pride and confidence; leading the audience to believe that he truly is just that. If Obama made this same exact speech on the street people would not give him one minuet of their time but because the DNC is a huge event held for the presidential elections, that automatically gives him creditability.

Hillary Clinton had a very linear outline of what she wanted to say. She stuck to the same theme during her entire speech. She had a plain style which was easy to understand and follow. Also, she would use middle style because the audience understood her position and what she wanted to express. During her speech, she used more ethos and pathos to convey her ideas. Lastly, her delivery wasn’t as engaging as other speeches. By sticking to a linear outline, she didn’t have room to really connect with the audience and make them feel like they are a part of her speech like other speakers tend to do, in this case, Donald Trump.

When Ronald Reagan was in office, he enjoyed the title of “The Great Communicator.” It was a title he earned, and conservatives embraced his oratorical skills as a valuable asset. By the time Bill Clinton brought his own superior communication skills to the office of the President, conservatives attacked him for being too “touchy-feely.” The good became the bad, with no reference to coherence.