Rhetorical Analysis Of Obama's Inaugural Address

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President Barack Obama presents a speech at a prayer vigil to give his remarks to the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting. Obama’s purpose is to comfort American citizens and to ensure them that even though they are suffering, they owe future generations a safer society. He adopts a solemn and inspiring tone to influence the feelings of his mature audience of mostly American parents, expresses the extent of this tragedy and commends those who acted with bravery. Immediately, Obama addresses the audience and sets the tone for his speech. Aware his audience includes grieving parents, Obama begins with a word of encouragement from Scripture to console them and to encourage them to look ahead. He excerpts “do not lose heart” and “we have a building from God, and eternal house in heaven” these words create a hopeful tone without distracting from the seriousness of the subject matter. Obama states the purpose of his speech and divulges “We gather here …show more content…
They lost their lives”(7-9). He present the reason why he has come to speak and he indicates that each person lost was either “beautiful” or “ remarkable” highlighting the fact that they are undeserving of their deaths. He elaborates that “they lost their lives.. in a quiet town full of good and decent people that could be any town in America.” He implies that towns in America are full of “ good” and “decent” people and in doing so he aligns himself with the audience and states that most of the American people work to maintain a sense of decency despite the events occurring around them. Throughout his speech, Obama expresses the toll the Sandy Hook shooting has on the nation and commends those who acted with bravery in the face of danger. Although many are aware of what happened during the shooting, he focuses on the effect it has and informs the audience of what needs to be done to recover from it. Obama creates a sense of unity among the

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