Geronimo Speech Rhetorical Analysis

In Geronimo's speech, he uses both rhetorical appeals as well as devices to help his audience visualize his words. He created an unforgettable speech using all three rhetorical appeals, but his most effective appeal, in my opinion, was his extensive use of pathos. He pulled at the hearts of his audience throughout the speech.
The Apache used personification in his first sentence by stating, "I was warmed by the sun, rocked by the winds and sheltered by the trees as other Indian babies"(Geronimo). This device helped him paint a picture for his audience. His words are sweet and soft, bringing a sense of peace to the listener. In the second paragraph, his main rhetorical appeal was ethos. He created a sense of wrongdoing by the white soldiers by explaining that, "the soldiers never explained to the government when an Indian was wronged, but reported the misdeeds of the Indians" (Geronimo). The Indians …show more content…
They were created together; the Indians and the whites. He believes that they should be equals when he says, "There is one God looking down on us all. We are all the children of one God" (Geronimo). This use of pathos creates a sense of equality and brotherhood between the two peoples. He then continues using pathos in the fourth paragraph by talking about his mother and his God, Usen. Emotions can be triggered by this.
As for his last paragraph, he uses pathos again to pull at the emotions of his listeners. Geronimo paints the image of his childhood through his words, and implies that the place he was raised is different now. He was born free in open spaces, but now they are trapped. Geronimo says, "I was born where there were no enclosures" (Geronimo). This makes the audience feel sad, as now they feel enclosed. In the end, his use of pathos was the most powerful tool to convince his audience to see his point of view. Emotion are powerful and connect people with each