In the following, Barack Obama´s victory speech, which was held in November 2012 after being re-elected as President of the United States of America, will be analysed.
Generally, one can say that Obama sends a message of shared values and hopes by using rhetorical devices and structuring his line of arguments in a way that establishes a connection and a feeling of togetherness and involvement in his actions in the audience, for example by the usage of pronouns like “we”.
Now, a closer look will be taken at the line of argument.
Barack Obama starts with a remembrance of the colonial time and America´s declaration of independence. He continues by focusing on the aims America has reached and America´s aims of the future, which is a main topic …show more content…
Thus, the listeners feel personally addressed and connected to his words. The acceptance and wellbeing in the society is promoted by bringing in words like these. This does not only evoke a feeling of importance, but also an interest as well as curiosity about the things he says because it will affect everybody´s life.
Obama inserts sentences in the middle of another one to add important information to his message. 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.
All in all, one can say that Obama's victory speech is about America's past achievements and the path that America needs to take in the future. The usage of rhetorical devices is well chosen. Instead of himself, Obama centres the speech around the American people. He tries to make it well-understandable for everyone by using repetitions and common words and tries to appeal to the audiences emotion and patriotism by centering his speech around the history of America and its connection the American
Generally, one can say that Obama sends a message of shared values and hopes by using rhetorical devices and structuring his line of arguments in a way that establishes a connection and a feeling of togetherness and involvement in his actions in the audience, for example by the usage of pronouns like “we”.
Now, a closer look will be taken at the line of argument.
Barack Obama starts with a remembrance of the colonial time and America´s declaration of independence. He continues by focusing on the aims America has reached and America´s aims of the future, which is a main topic …show more content…
Thus, the listeners feel personally addressed and connected to his words. The acceptance and wellbeing in the society is promoted by bringing in words like these. This does not only evoke a feeling of importance, but also an interest as well as curiosity about the things he says because it will affect everybody´s life.
Obama inserts sentences in the middle of another one to add important information to his message. 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.
All in all, one can say that Obama's victory speech is about America's past achievements and the path that America needs to take in the future. The usage of rhetorical devices is well chosen. Instead of himself, Obama centres the speech around the American people. He tries to make it well-understandable for everyone by using repetitions and common words and tries to appeal to the audiences emotion and patriotism by centering his speech around the history of America and its connection the American