Rhetorical Analysis Yes We Can

In 2008 when America was in a period of financial crisis, it seemed like nothing could change the downward trajectory path, which it was taking. It seemed like the American dream and all of the great prospects that defined America were lost. However this was also the year that the current 44th president of the United States of America was elected, Barack Obama, the first African American president. This greatly respected individual was previously a civil rights lawyer, a teacher, and a community organizer. Following his triumph in the presidential election on November 4, 2008 he gave the “Yes We Can” speech, in front of 240,000 people and millions more watching behind screens. The people watching him speak were people who sided with the democrats …show more content…
Obama uses a simple problem-cause-solution structure, but changes them around and does not keep them in that specific order. He also adds more to it, for instance life stories and personal experiences or knowledge. This assists him into getting the support of his audience because even though he is presenting the problem and causes, as he goes along he tells short experiences or stories that keep the audience interested, but makes them aware of the complications and foundations of them. A prime example of this is when Obama is speaking about his grandmother’s experiences throughout one of America’s hardships and said, “when there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.” Obama here is using structural elements by giving the crowd an experience of the past and then the solution of a nation, similar to the current problems that the country is facing right now, and the solution that must be created as a nation. He is persuading the audience to join him on tackling the problems that face America by adding in experiences, and not just giving problems and solutions, which would dehumanize it and remove an emotional component. This emotional component makes his audience feel as if it is now time to make the change happen, …show more content…
Obama uses repetition as a major part of his speech. He repeats words and phrases such as, yes we can, democracy, and people. He repeats such words to put an increased amount of emphasis on them and gets the audience emotionally involved. When Obama shares his grandmother’s experiences he ends each of the sentences with “yes we can.” The audience also starts to chant this with him and this causes the audience to see him as a beacon of hope and a pillar to help solve America’s problems. This phrase that Obama uses “yes we can” makes the audience have an emotional attachment to it because when the spectators start to chant it they can say it in regards to having a better future if they face the problems. As well as this upsurge in emotion continues as Obama promises his audience that this “time less American creed” which is, “yes we can” and combined with his supporters will overcome the problems of the nation. This proves that Obama used the amount of emphasis that he put behind those words to make his audience go into an emotional state in which they will support him. He also uses other literary devices like hyperbole’s to get the crowd excited about a new age and a new time. This is seen when he talks about their shared destiny and the renewed qualities that America needs. It causes the audience to become even more emotionally attached since it will cause them to feel like they are part of something