Call To Action Rhetorical Analysis

Improved Essays
When giving a speech many speakers use different methods to keep their audience involved and listening. Methods are often used to make the speech easy to focus on. Martin Luther King, Bill Clinton, and George Bush all used the method of “Call to action.” In their speeches Clinton used the method the best.

Martin Luther King’s use of “call to action” was seen in paragraph 10 when he said “…Go back to the slums and ghettos of our norther cities knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.” He used this because not only does it target a location to connect with the audience it gives them motivation and hope. He says “of our” which lets the audience know he is right with them. He also say “the situation can and will be changed” to make the audience believe in his point. But this isn’t the only speaker who used this method.

Bill Clinton also used “call to action. He
…show more content…
He uses words like “our nation” and “equality” to make the audience want to listen. He tells the audience they have to make a commitment. This is effective because it targeted the country as a whole. However, who used the method the best?

Bill Clinton used “call to action” the most effectively. Bill Clinton used it most effectively because of his topic. To get the most effective you have to take a risk and talk about a fragile subject. Although some might say King did the best, this is not true to the fact that he uses it to give hope instead of make his point. Also, Bush didn’t do the best because he didn’t target specific group or people more of a general view.

The method “Call to action” was used by King, Bush, and Clinton to convey their point. In the speeches targeted Clinton used the method of “Call to action” better than Bush and King did in their

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The general purpose of this speech was to draw attention to our societal isolation, and how we don’t do enough to promote positive mental health. Mr. Junger talks about the horrors of war, and the toll it takes on veterans. He talks about PTSD and the mental health of these veterans. He then talks about how these veterans return to the U.S., and find themselves isolated and alone. He uses examples of how bad veteran suicide is here, and contrasts that with the Navajo warriors and Israeli soldiers.…

    • 837 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Richard Nixon’s Checkers Speech On September 23, 1952 Richard Nixon, a candidate for vice president, gave his famous “Checkers speech” to persuade the American people and potential voters that he was an innocent family man who would never take bribes. The American populace thought he had received over 18,000 dollars worth of bribes, and for him to save his and Eisenhower’s chances of winning the election he gave a speech with an innocent family man appeal that then shifted to an accusatory voice due to his anger toward the “witch hunts”.…

    • 1014 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    King uses logical appeals very effectively to establish an educated, legalistic tone and to reject his colleagues disdaining sentiments. In paragraph six, Dr. King states “In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: (1) Collection of the facts… (2) Negotiation. (3) Self-purification and (4) Direct Action.” Ibid., 2. By systematically breaking down the steps he and his followers have taken, he negates the clergymen’s argument that negotiation is a better route than direct action.…

    • 1001 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation is one of the best speeches in United States history. This address was delivered on December 8, 1941 in Washington D.C., a day after the orchestrated attack on Pearl Harbor by the Empire of Japan. This persuasive speech was addressed to the members of Congress, but was broadcasted live over the radio to the entire country. There were two purposes for this address: “to urge Congress to formally declare war on Japan … and to rally the American people to support the war effort” (Dlugan, 2012). In order to persuade the nation, President Roosevelt knew that he had to have a great speech that spared no expense on the situation of the anticipated war.…

    • 739 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    In 1962, President John F. Kennedy’s speech achieves his purpose to convince the people to go against the steel production. President Kennedy makes it clear to making the steel companies alternate the increase. He uses rhetorical strategies such as alliteration, repetition, syntax, and logos. In addition to rhetorical strategies, President Kennedy starts paragraph one to grab the audience attention.…

    • 198 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    People fear defying the authority even when it is for the right reasons, people like Martin Luther King Jr. and John Lewis fight for what they believe. In the Speech At The March On Washington, conducted by John Lewis, a prominent figure in the Civil Rights Movement, John Lewis advocates for the civil rights and treatment of African Americans. Lewis’ purpose is to argue that the Civil Rights bill must include Title III to prevent the mistreatment of African Americans from police. He adopts a reprimanding tone in order to compel listeners to join the march and Congress to add Title III to the bill. John Lewis uses aposiopesis, rhetorical questions, anaphora, and repetition to convey his message in his speech in Washington.…

    • 1212 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Informative Speech Video Assessment. The content in the speaker’s introduction was good in the following aspects. First, it ideally described the challenging work of a surgeon, in doing a kidney transplant. Secondly, It painted a picture of how the medical robot can be a great step forward in modern medicine.…

    • 313 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    By using specific examples to how the audience can create a road for reform, King allows the audience to be proactive while partaking in his speech. By doing this the audience remains more emotionally invested into what King is saying. He also provides ways for the audience to understand why he is qualified to speak to them. This allows the audience to open up to King and understand where he is coming from. Throughout King’s speech he remains humble and well grounded.…

    • 1750 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He does this to get the point of ¨we are all one and together we are strong¨ across; This is to help him bring everyone…

    • 1066 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Speech #1: Martin Luther King - I Have A Dream Speech - August 28, 1963 The strengths of the speech: In Martin Luther King’s speech, he has a well-organized speech and a powerful voice. He was confident, powerful and forceful in his speech. In the beginning, he used a history story to get the audience attention, which raises the audience interests. The topic of the speech is very clear, and there are many examples to support his argument.…

    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A good speech can leave a positive impact on the listener. This is true for many great speeches such as the Gettysburg Address, President Reagan's Challenger Speech, and John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address. All three of these speeches come at a time of despair in America. Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address during the Civil War. Reagan gave his State of the Union Address the same day the U.S. Space Shuttle, the Challenger, exploded.…

    • 1745 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    American Politician from Massachusetts, Robert F. Kennedy, spoke in honor of the assassinated Martin Luther King Junior. Kennedy’s goal was to talk to American citizens about not letting this turn into violence against whites and blacks. When speaking, he created a tone of persuasion. He is trying to talk mainly towards the black US citizens to move beyond this assassination of a black man by a white man. His motive, is to keep this nation moving forward.…

    • 771 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Emotions is one of the most vital aspects of humanity, ones emotional response to another can decide the future of ones career, relationship, and even an entire society. The emotional reaction from those around a person will fluctuate depending upon how appealing the person appears. This emotional appeal, or Pathos, is a driving force in any good writing. It gives the audience the gut feelings to drive them forward, though others may disagree. Pathos, logos, and ethos are all rhetorical appeals utilized in Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech “I have a dream”.…

    • 1124 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" is one of the most motivational speeches ever given. “In the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathon Edward, This has an edge and is a bit scary. Each of the views will move you and both share the same message just in a very different way that I will explain and describe. King and Edwards were both very powerful in their messages; King uses a more kind approach and begs his listeners to be called to action through kindness and understanding.…

    • 406 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In his speech, King recognizes the violent measures being brought upon the African Americans- churches being bombed, voters being murdered, snarling dogs. He uses this violence in his speech, not to praise it, but to stand up against it. King realizes the grief and strife violence is bringing upon, not only his people, but all people. Another way King uses violence to advocate for nonviolence is when he claims, “…nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral question of our time…” In saying this, King acknowledges the urgency of replacing violence with nonviolence to solve society’s contradictions.…

    • 827 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays