Robert E Lee Speech Analysis

Mitch Landrieu, the Mayor of New Orleans gave a speech on May 19, 2017 to the people of New Orleans concerning the removal of a multiple monuments, including one of Robert E. Lee. The Robert E. Lee monument was built in 1884, which symbolized the confederacy and resistance during the Civil War. Mitch Landrieu uses many different rhetorical strategies in his speech to convey his message of why the monuments should be removed. Landrieu relies on three main appeals to draw the audience's attention, Landrieu continually uses pathos, logos, and ethos to convince his audience that the monuments should be removed.
Robert E. Lee was general of the Confederate Army during the Civil War. In 1829 Lee graduated second in his class at West Point. In Lee’s four years at West Point he did not have a single demerit. After West Point, Lee was positioned as a captain under General Winfield Scott. During the Mexican War, Lee made a name for himself. After the Mexican War in 1852, he then became the superintendent of West Point. In 1864 until the end of Petersburg, Lee was outstanding. Lee …show more content…
He uses pathos to awaken the audience's opinion and get the audience to be passionate about the subject by appealing to their emotions. Landrieu starts his speech by saying, “The soul of our beloved City is deeply rooted in a history that has evolved over thousands of years; rooted in diverse people who have been here together every step of the way -- for both good and for ill.” Landrieu says this to immediately connect with his audience through emotions. In this statement Landrieu uses many different keywords to connect with the audience. Landrieu says, “The soul of our beloved City..” referring to New Orleans as living, and having a soul. Landrieu refers to the City as a person to help his audience connect on a human level. By saying “our” in the statement Landrieu implies that they are in it together, and he is on their