Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Rhetorical Analysis - Essay ExampleThis essay will judge Obamas speech communication according to the principles of rhetoric ethos, pathos, logos and mythos to surface that a speech with no apparent political motive (motive as distinct from purpose) can still be worthy of rhetorical study. Ethos, the (usually introductory) part of speech which convinces the audience of the speakers moral authority on the subject to be addressed, has been under debate for at least hundreds of years the question is whether ethos can be completed before the speech, if a speakers moral character, if known to the audience, has some effect on the audiences reception to what they say (Hyde, ix). The debate is purely academic, however, because Obamas position as President of the unify States means that he will generally be accepted as an authority wherever he chooses to speak. At the time, his great interest in the reclamation of healthcare and health insurance made his appearance in front of the ANA e ven more relevant. Obamas ethos is, as always, evident in three parts. Firstly, his casual contract of somewhat specious facts it is an honor to speak to the ANA, representing more than three million registered nurses across the country present phronesis, as do his declaration of personal friendship with nurses (which I will discuss under pathos). However, this is jeopardized slightly by his obvious lack of specialized knowledge on nursing. Moral excellence, or arete, is mostly to be discerned from the Presidents work previous to this speech, but is also reinforced in the large middle section which discusses his recent achievements in the field of health insurance, in which the participatory party and progressive Americans are portrayed as a force of good against the abusive insurance industry. Eunoia is a powerful force in this speech, as Obama begins with personally thanking a member of the audience and congratulating her mother on her daughters achievements he continues with a joke (I dont break promises to nurses because you never know when Im going to take a shot), which was received with laughter by the audience. He humanizes himself by talking about himself as fallible during the birth of one daughter and the hard childhood illness of another. The speech is peppered with individuals, and Obamas thanks for these people the ending note is one of praise for the strong women and men who endure tough stressful fatigue and thankless jobs to help sick people. The audience is very much brought over to Obamas side by his goodwill and even flattery. This brings me to the second aspect of rhetoric pathos. I see great evidence of pathos in Obamas speech his appeals to emotion are frequent and often personal, as evident in many of his public appearances (Coop, 41). The video clip of the speech shows his great passion for less discrimination in healthcare, and his words contribute to this emotion. The stories of Obamas family one daughters birth and ano thers bout of meningitis as a three-month-old are calculated to flatter every member of the union for being a nurse, not to thank the small number of nurses who attended to his family in generation of need. Obama refers to the nurses who