The clock strikes precisely noon, the orange-tinted left hand reaches toward the leather cover of Lincoln’s bible, the right hand rising before the presidential oath rolls off his tongue. In January 2017, Donald Trump became the 45th President of the United States of America. To celebrate the peaceful transition of power from one presidency to the next, President Trump stood to deliver his Inauguration Speech. In his Inauguration Speech, President Trump, an average orator at best, channels his unorthodox speaking style, with its occasional ramblings, simple words, and grammatical gawkiness, and thrusts it forth with bravado. Speeches, such as the inaugural address, are a form of classical rhetoric. Rhetoric is the art of persuasion and, as
…show more content…
Although Aristotle seemingly devalues pathos, Aristotle eventually acknowledges the necessary and supportive role that pathos possesses as an available mean of persuasion. However, the rhetorical devices, pathos, logos, and ethos, are designed to interact with each other, not to stand alone. The appeals to emotion are rampant and isolated throughout the inaugural address.
The isolated emotional appeals throughout Trump’s Inauguration Speech are problematic for the orator and Aristotle; furthermore, Aristotle would criticize Trump’s heavy reliance on pathos given the composition of Trump’s audience. In accordance to Aristotle’s rhetorical system, emotional appeals are crafted to raise the emotions of the audience in congruency to the position of the orator. This results in a discourse over the various mental states of the individuals within the audience. Young people, as suggested by Aristotle, are highly irrational and easily impassioned; the elderly, of whom life has left cynical and jaded, are cautious and craven; …show more content…
Aristotle, while not often prone to rhetorical fluff, thought it was important for the rhetorician to understand emotion, to be able to name the various emotions, describe them, and, then, to know what excites the emotion from a person. For most Americans, the strongest appeal to pathos does lie in our national pride as United States citizens; Donald Trump attempt to exploit that innate sense of American pride in his address. Phrases such as “when America is united, America is totally unstoppable”, “no challenge can match the heart and fight and spirit of America”, and, “a new national pride will stir our souls” exemplify low-style attempts to direct American sentiment (“Inaugural Address”). They are emotional appeals spoken without much rhetorical effort, falsely indicating that patriotism does not need to be eloquently instilled to generate the intended response. Patriotism is at the heart of America, yet, Donald Trump did not know how to excite patriotism from his
Although Aristotle seemingly devalues pathos, Aristotle eventually acknowledges the necessary and supportive role that pathos possesses as an available mean of persuasion. However, the rhetorical devices, pathos, logos, and ethos, are designed to interact with each other, not to stand alone. The appeals to emotion are rampant and isolated throughout the inaugural address.
The isolated emotional appeals throughout Trump’s Inauguration Speech are problematic for the orator and Aristotle; furthermore, Aristotle would criticize Trump’s heavy reliance on pathos given the composition of Trump’s audience. In accordance to Aristotle’s rhetorical system, emotional appeals are crafted to raise the emotions of the audience in congruency to the position of the orator. This results in a discourse over the various mental states of the individuals within the audience. Young people, as suggested by Aristotle, are highly irrational and easily impassioned; the elderly, of whom life has left cynical and jaded, are cautious and craven; …show more content…
Aristotle, while not often prone to rhetorical fluff, thought it was important for the rhetorician to understand emotion, to be able to name the various emotions, describe them, and, then, to know what excites the emotion from a person. For most Americans, the strongest appeal to pathos does lie in our national pride as United States citizens; Donald Trump attempt to exploit that innate sense of American pride in his address. Phrases such as “when America is united, America is totally unstoppable”, “no challenge can match the heart and fight and spirit of America”, and, “a new national pride will stir our souls” exemplify low-style attempts to direct American sentiment (“Inaugural Address”). They are emotional appeals spoken without much rhetorical effort, falsely indicating that patriotism does not need to be eloquently instilled to generate the intended response. Patriotism is at the heart of America, yet, Donald Trump did not know how to excite patriotism from his