A Rhetorical Analysis Of Barack Obama's 2009 Inaugural Address

Barack Obama’s 2009 inaugural address is a speech that relays a message on his supporters. Obama is the forty-fourth president, who was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Before he became a president, he was in the United States Senate in 2004. I chose this speech because I found it interesting and wanted to know more about how presidential inaugurations work. I also chose his first inaugural speech because it was a huge change from Bush to Obama. Rhetorical devices are used to give readers an idea of what perspectives they may have. The speech uses informative and persuasive language to communicate the message. Throughout the speech, there are several different components such as body language that help relay the message. The speech’s message is that everyone should get out and contribute to society. Obama’s voice is convincing throughout the speech, which suggests that he cares about what …show more content…
This inauguration marked a huge change since it was a transition from Bush to Obama. The message encourages people to give support to others and be willing to act. People surrounding him, including government officials, are the intended audience. This may also include everyone else listening to the speech since they are connected. There is ethos, pathos, and Kairos throughout the speech and most of the events give Obama credibility. In addition, it is at an emotional and critical time, such as during the economic crisis. However, there does not seem to be logos because the speech does not concentrate on logical fallacies. Persuasive and informative language are included, such as how people should be confident of Obama and informing others how serious the economy suffered during the crisis. He uses different features to try to connect with the audience, such as body language and tone of voice. After listening to Obama’s inaugural address, I found out that he used an abundance of