At the Democratic Convention in 2008, Barack Obama held an acceptance speech after winning the primary election for the Democratic party, leading him to be a candidate for the presidential election in the United States against the Republican presidential candidate, John McCain. Throughout his speech Obama makes numerous references to American history, this paper will focus on Obama 's use of American values and historical references throughout this excerpt from the speech.
In his speech, Barack Obama said: “I get it. I realize that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office. I don’t fit the typical pedigree, and I haven’t spent my career in the halls of Washington.” Pointing out he has not spent his career in the job and place that most
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Referencing to the historical “I Have A Dream” speech, held by Martin Luther King in Washington D.C., 1963. Martin Luther King’s speech focused on his experience with oppression because of his skin tone and ethnicity. In his speech, he says that his children and grandchildren should not have to experience the discrimination that he did, he preached of unity, an end to prejudice and an end to racism in the United States. By mentioning this highly memorable speech, Obama is referencing to a historical event, making use of the mode of persuasion known as ethos. He is appealing to experience; how much America has changed since that day in 1963 as a kind of evidence that they can do that again. By mentioning the speech, he additionally touches the same subject as in the MLK speech, such as unity and equality of opportunity. Furthermore, he uses the speech to remind Americans of how far their country has come from the “I Have A Dream” speech in 1963, to today where anyone of any color or ethnicity is equal – although, it can be argued against if this statement is still
Martin Luther King Jr, a remarkable American activist, has made his way into the hearts of thousands of individuals. Dr.King is widely known for his earth shattering “I have a dream” speech that he delivered over 40 years ago, in 1963. The speech made its first appearance during the March On Washington, one of the largest political rallies in American history that tackled various issues regarding civil rights for African Americans. Dr. King uses numerous persuasion techniques within his speech to enthrall his audience within his will to change the devastating realities African Americans must survive through. Humans need to hear things a number of times before they really become glued into their minds.
Martin Luther King Jr. inexplicably opened the eyes of Americans across the nation with his role in the movement and his use of resonating imagery, excellent emotional appeal, powerful voice, and evocation of logic in his “I Have a Dream” speech. With such an enthralling rhetoric he gained a vast amount of support and exponentially increased the pride in standing up for what’s righteous and just. Exemplifying the throes of being a colored person, King evoked sympathy whilst simultaneously applying the valid logic that no human should be subjected to lesser standards. His rhetoric wholly changed American history that day and thus conveyed his ability to maintain equanimity throughout all of the
This is a good rhetorical appeal because everyone knows about Martin Luther King Jr., Obama connects with us emotionally by using the fact that Dr. King enrolled into this college at the age of 15, he used his passion to study harder, and with the help of his college, Martin Luther King Jr. is able to thrive towards his dreams. Another example of pathos is when Obama says, “ I was raised by a heroic single mom, wonderful grandparents…”(Obama 8). Obama uses the fact that he did not grow up with the dream family, the family with two supportive parents. No, he specifically said that he grew up with a “heroic” mother and no father figure in his life. Since almost half of the United States lives with two parents, many people will take on pity
In his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech, Martin Luther King Jr. employs a variety of techniques to evoke emotions, appeal to the audience's logic and reason, and create a sense of unity among the listeners in order to promote civil rights and racial equality for African Americans. In the opening of his speech, King conveys to his audience the idea that African Americans are currently living in a state of injustice and inequality. He states "We have come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. "
Obama’s use of repetition in his speech makes his praise of John Kerry more powerful and by using the same words in different contexts, he shows that his ideas are important and relevant to all people. For example, “It’s the hope of slaves sitting around a fire [...] the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant [...] the hope of a millworker’s son [...] the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name [...].” In this passage, the repetition of “the hope” applied to descriptions of different situations conveys the idea that everyone needs hope, and that America is a country built on hope. Obama also uses anaphora to drill certain ideas into the audience’s minds.
During a funeral for Reverend Clementa Pinckney, a Charleston shooting victim, President Obama delivered an influential eulogy. This eulogy turned out to be so powerful that it traveled throughout the internet and became known as one of Obama’s best speeches from the duration of his presidency. The speech resonated so well with many citizens because of its relatable content and connections to passionate issues in today’s society. The delivery of the eulogy played a gigantic part in its effectiveness to Americans as well. President Obama’s eulogy contained beyond relatable content and various connections to the issues racking society’s bones today.
King also discusses his personal life, along with his family and children, to show the crowd that he is fighting for the same things as them. In his I Have a Dream speech, Martin Luther King, Jr. used ethos to increase his credibility with his audience, pathos to appeal to his audience’s emotional side, and logos to appeal to his audience’s logical side. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s use of ethos begins in the first few lines of his I Have a Dream speech. He begins the speech with a direct reference to Abraham Lincoln and his Gettysburg Address. King speaks of Lincoln as an admired figure in the Civil Rights Movement when he states “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand, signed the Emancipation Proclamation” (King 84).
On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr gave us one of one of the most rhetorically moving speeches ever given. Titled as the “I Have a Dream Speech,” he read this speech to the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom”. As a civil right mover he gave this great speech to all Americans (black and white) so that he could give off the idea of equality on the same level. Because of his crowd of mix races King made sure to make his speech imploring to all no matter what the race that they may be. He uses metaphorical imagery, powerful diction,and symbolism to create an impact on the audience.
“I Have A Dream” “I Have A Dream”, a quote that many Americans hold dear to their hearts and a quote that is remembered and is associated with an unforgettable movement in history of the Untied States of America. From 1954-1968 one of the most memorable movements in history took place and will not be forgotten is the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the many greats remembered and recognized in the movement for being an influential leader of his time. Having given over 2000 speeches, MLK(Martin Luther King) has one particular speech that stands out from the many and it is his “I Have A Dream” speech. MLK’s message being about peace, unity, fairness and freedom for and to all people shines through in this speech.
Martin Luther King’s speech, “I Have a Dream” is vastly recognized as one of the best speeches ever given. His passionate demand for racial justice and an integrated society became popular throughout the Black community. His words proved to give the nation a new vocabulary to express what was happening to them. Martin was famously a pacifist, so in his speech, he advocated peaceful protesting and passively fighting against racial segregation.
The 44th and first African American President, Barack Obama, in his Inaugural Address, promotes a call to action. Obama’s purpose is to express his gratitude for his opportunity to become president and discuss his plans for economic advancement. In order to reach the American people of the U.S., Obama adopts a serious and thought-provoking tone to urge them to support his plans for advancement. During this time of economic crisis, Obama clearly conveys to the American people through his use of metaphor, allusion, and anaphora, that it is time to take a stand and make a change in America.
I have a dream speech Analysis Martin Luther king Jr once said,“ I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration of freedom in the history of our nation.” He addressed these words on August of 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial after marching through the streets of Washington. He addressed segregation injustice and racial discrimination against African Americans that took place during his era, in his “I have a dream speech.” He recognized that american was founded on freedom, democracy where each individual has a voice and matters. Only few weeks back protesters were getting arrested for fighting for equality.
Barack Obama’s win for President in 2009 was a historical moment for the United States. His inaugural speech was much anticipated, because this was going to set the tone for his presidency. His speech told the American people that improving the economy is one of his priorities, but there were also other areas he would like to improve like healthcare and the education system. This was a speech that was meant to persuade the American public to take action for them to rise as a nation again, and for them to put their trust into him. His message addressed a couple of specific points like his gratefulness to the American people, the different crises America is facing, how America will overcome these crises, replying to his cynics, addressing the world, and then he reminded America again to be brave like they’ve always been to overcome the hard times (5 Speechwriting Lessons from Obama's Inaugural Speech, (n.d.).
The election is coming to an end, and speeches are made by the convention. In this Essay, I am go-ing to analyse the themes children, American future and solidarity in the speech of Michelle Obama. The essays will focus on rhetorical forms off appeal, sender/receiver and the purpose of the speech. Furthermore, the focus will be on references to Donald Trump. “Great rhetoric abilities together with the use of certain rhetorical appeals shapes memorable speeches and a convincing speaker”.
Rhetorical Analysis of Obama’s Victory Speech Barack Obama was re-elected as the president of the US on November 6, 2012 from Chicago, Illinois. This paper will throw light and analyse various elements Barrack Obama is using to portray his political ideology to audiences through his speech. I intend to focus on the rhetorical effects of the speech. By using various form of rhetorical tools such as Tautology or Anaphora, President Obama gives a speech which focuses on the idea of American life such as the American dream, American promise and the future.