Rhetorical Speech Whether He Is

Rhetorical Speech Whether he is lauded or scorned, both proponents and opponents must agree that President Obama, or his speech writers, must be commended for their rhetorical writing ability. Whether it was for his election campaign, inauguration or, just recently, his healthcare reform, Obama's speeches contain all of Aristotle's requisite criteria for rhetoric, ethos, pathos and logos. Now, even more so, when being pushed and on the defensive, his speeches are being used to emote and persuade.

His February 2nd speech in New Hampshire, on an overview of his first year in office, offers a good example of this art of persuasion. According to Aristotle, rhetoric is "the ability, in each particular case, to see the available means of persuasion." He believed that rhetoric, one person addressing many, had great potential and was an art that could be studied in terms of the three rhetorical proofs: ethos (ethical), pathos (emotional), and logos (logical).

Ethos depends on the speaker, and how his or her character is demonstrated through the communication. In his New Hampshire speech, Obama quickly utilizes ethos to prove his ethical qualities. "So when I took office, we knew the first thing we had to do was to break the back of this recession.

And sometimes that meant doing some things that weren't easy, doing some things that weren't popular." In other words, regardless of the challenges and the barriers he faced, Obama and his administration were going to do the right thing for the people of this country. He follows up with a similar statement of proof: "Because of the steps we've taken, the markets have now stabilized.

Nobody's worrying about another Great Depression like they were just a year ago, and the worst of the storm has passed." Once setting the stage by demonstrating his ethical character, Obama could begin to stir the emotions. Aristotle saw these emotions as a means of promoting action. In just a few sentences, Obama goes from despair to humor: But I don't need to tell you the devastation remains. Today, one in 10 Americans still can't find work…and we're going to start where most new jobs start -- with small businesses.

These are the companies that begin in basements and garages when an entrepreneur takes a chance on his dream, or a worker decides it's time she becomes her own boss. They're companies like ARC Energy, which I just visited before I came here. it's a terrific -- (applause) -- there you go. A little booster. (Laughter.) However, decisions should not be based on emotions, but logic. Logos means to persuade with reasoning, or supporting an argument with facts, examples and comparisons.

Obama, as with politicians as a whole, offered numerous logical reasons for supporting him. "Now, small businesses like ARC Energy have created roughly 65% of all new jobs over the past decade and a half…. That's why I've already proposed a new tax credit for more than 1 million small businesses that hire new workers or raise wages -- and a tax incentive for all businesses…" Other examples were included throughout the speech, "As some of you might remember, last February, we passed the Recovery Act, which had three parts.

One-third was tax relief for small businesses and for 95 of you, 95% of working families." At the end of his speech, Obama combines all three of these criteria, like the finale of a July 4th fireworks: "It's that same spirit that drives small.