Rhetorical Analysis Of President Obama's Inaugural Address

Every four years, a new president is elected and gives an inaugural speech that influences the entire nation. President Obama gave his inaugural speech on January 21, 2013. President Obama has two types of audiences; he has primary audience and secondary audience. His primary audience in his speech is all those present at the White House attending to hear him. The secondary audience in his speech is television viewers, radio listeners, those who read his speech, and those who viewed the speech at a later time. In his opening, President Obama uses an attention gainer by referring to the Declaration of Independence. His opening then moves seamlessly to the middle of his speech. Ethos, logos, and Pathos are used in the body of the speech, which adds persuasion. His evidence and points located in the body of the speech are organized and follow one another so that the points build upon the previous point. In the closing of …show more content…
In his inaugural speech, he mentions that the journey is not over until all the children know they are cared for, cherished, and will always be safe from harm. This instills a belief in the audience that all of the children are not already cared for or cherished, bringing about a sense of empathy and desire for change. In addition, the President’s use of pathos throughout his speech allows his primary audience to interpret it differently. The tone of voice, gestures, facial expressions, and mere ambience that also contribute to an audience’s ability to effectively understand the speech aren’t always felt through a secondary source. In understanding this, the president was able to adjust these characteristics according to the audience and topic. This ability to hear the message first hand and the tone associated with it allowed the primary audience to more clearly be able to decode and understand the President’s