Strategic or Reactive: The transformation of Lincoln’s rhetoric during his presidency From an Illinois lawyer, to the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln is one of the most celebrated historical and political figures of all time. He led the United States through its civil war and paved the way to the abolition of slavery. Not only a proficient politician, but also an amazing rhetorician, Lincoln is the author of some of the most memorable speeches and letters in the American history such as: the Gettysburg Address, Emancipation Proclamation, his first and second Inaugural Addresses and so on. His distinct writing style has a restrained, legalistic, calmed tone and most importantly, passive. David Herbert Donald, an American historian, two times Pulitzer Prize winner and best known for his biography of Abraham Lincoln, argues mainly about this aspect of Lincoln’s rhetoric.…
Farewell Address George Washington played many vital roles in our country from the start. He started out as the general of the continental army, and was later unanimously voted by all Americans into office as president for 2 terms. As the end of his second term approached; George Washington decided that he would not run for a third term, and began writing his farewell address. It was during this time that European powers were involved in a war; each trying to gain the support of the U.S. Washington wrote this address to announce his decision of not running for his third term, and to voice his advice to the country. He gained interest and support for his announcing that his advice has worked and will continue to keep the country and its people…
In the Farewell Address that George Washington was on that said main, but said the same thing at the same time too. The Farewell Address was not only a farewell, but advice and warnings for the American people. Three of the things he talks about that was in the address were no other than “the danger of factions”, “religion and morality”, and “America’s role in the world”. The first one speaks about him warning of the baneful effects of the Spirit of Party as well permanent alliances. This means that they need to watch for the ones who claim to know what the common good is and rights of others, for these are the ones that cause pain and destroy what America is really supposed to be.…
In 1796, one of the founding fathers and the first president George Washington was bringing to a close, his 2nd term in the presidency. The letter composed, which we now refer to as “Washington’s Farewell Address” would be not only widely circulated, but cherished for years to come. His address would not only cover his resignation, but because of its content seems somewhat of a prophecy, as it went on to describe some of the shortcomings we see today as the advice offered was not heeded. In this paper my intent is to not only provide a personal analysis, but to highlight the subject areas which are relevant even today and therefore prove significant.…
The ideals of President Obama and George Washington mostly differ in their views, however there is at least one thing they agree on. The ideals that they do not agree on include whether the United States should be in alliances and whether Americans should embrace their similarities or their differences. While President Obama and George Washington did have a lot of differences in ideals and views they did agree on some things. One of these views that they agreed on was that faction was not a good thing for society to gravitate towards. Both of their views are shown in the speeches, George Washington’s Farewell Address and President Obama’s Inaugural Address.…
Throughout his speech, Washington addressed his many concerns and gave all the advice he felt he could impart, and the way in which he wrote to the American people demonstrated how fond he was of them. Even though Washington also used his speech to poke fun at his Cabinet members, his humorous words brought a new light to Washington’s character and showed just how relatable he really…
He used the country’s strong sense of patriotism to unite us and bring us together using our patriotism. America is a very patriotic country, most of Americans believe that the United States of America is unequivocally the best country in the world. It is a national pride in our country and our spirit. He said, “...in the normal course of events, presidents come to this chamber to report on the State of the Union. Tonight, no such report is needed; it has already been delivered by the American people.”…
William Jefferson Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Through the speech, Clinton desires to relate his presidency to the American dream and values such as, freedom, prosperity, security, and a perfect union. Clinton achieves this using logos to highlight the positive parts of his presidency with diction words such as; stronger, freer, cleaner, more prosperous, safer, ect. These words communicates a disdain for the previous administration before his, it also triggers a subconscious comparison and contrast in the audience's mind of his administration’s achievements. Although there was no mention of all the problems that riddled his regime, such as Lewinski matter, where…
In the beginning of the speech President Obama said, “My fellow citizens” (Jan, 2009). An emotional image was drawn in the citizen mind that the president has goals and aims in common. Goals and aims that helping to solve the current problems that most of the citizens had. Also, the president used through his speech we to connect himself the public and he stands as citizen like them. Moreover, President Obama proved how American citizens able to change and he provided an example of himself when he said “why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served in a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath” (2009).…
Since Obama mentions the convention, the setting is occurring in the National Convention in the year of 2004. Many people attend this National Convention, so Obama was very thankful to be there because he would be noticed. The intended audience for Obama’s speech is a great amount of people who attended this convention and also people from all over the world because the National Convention is an occasion where many people watch. Obama’s point is to say how he feels about America because He says, “Tonight we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation.” He states that America has been through a lot and now we have rights, we have inalienable rights that are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.…
1. Washington’s Farewell Address - In 1796, George Washington wrote and published his farewell address on September 19th. He had decided to resign from his position as the first President of the United States and wanted to give his final words of advice to the people of the US. Washington praises the success of the US, but suggests his ideals of keeping the US a neutral party in terms of foreign affairs and the avoidance of permanent alliances. He also warns the American people about the dangers of a republic form of government, although it has its benefits.…
Obama displays himself as someone who they can trust and listen to. In addition, by starting his speech this way, Obama shows how thankful he is to be a citizen of America and indirectly implies that every citizen should be just as proud to be a citizen of America. Obama then continues on to the next portion of his speech, which encompasses what he hopes to see America accomplish in the future. The “climax” of his speech is in Obama’s last section, which contains the whole reason in why Obama made the speech in the first place and…
George Washington can be considered one of the earliest American personalities and celebrities. His victory and success in defeating the British as commander as well as his impact during the various early congressional meetings led to him become the first president of the newly created union. From there, Washington as the legend began to grow. Many expected him to continue leading the United States until his death. However, this was not the case.…
Because Obama has already served one term it is easy to him to use this as a way to convince the audience that he is credible. Voters believe that because Obama has been president for 4 years he know exactly how to run America for another 4. The first piece of notable ethos President Barack Obama uses in his speech is when he lays out his plans for…
This stresses certain words and makes it well-understandable: “a country where they have access to the best schools (…) – a country that lives up to its legacy (…)” (l. 13 f.). Another important device is the tautology, that is used in the whole speech. Obama often repeats himself to stress the message his words convey and to ensure that the audience understands what he is trying to point out.…