A Rhetorical Analysis-Barack Obamas Victory Speech

A Rhetorical Analysis-Barack Obamas Victory Speech

Introduction and Thesis

Barack Obama is among the world’s greatest leaders. Becoming the president of the United States was a great victory for him and the entire world because it symbolized hope for marginalized and unrepresented groups in society. The speech was not only a message of appreciation to the voters but also a message of encouragement to marginalized and underrepresented groups. The foundation of the message in the speech was the idea that America is the land of opportunity where everyone is free to pursue their dream.

Background and Context

When Barack Obama was declared the president-elect of the United States, he delivered a victory speech at Grand Park in Chicago. The purpose of the speech was to encourage people not to give up on their dreams and to thank voters who voted for him and everyone who supported him throughout his journey to becoming president. He focused on convincing his audience that America is a place where anything is possible to eliminate any doubt about the country’s power of democracy. He used a motivating, formal, and assertive tone throughout the speech. For example, in the introduction part of the speech, he used a formal and motivating tone to catch his audience’s attention. He also used a motivating tone to explain his campaign journey. In addition, he used an assertive tone to conclude his speech by stating, “This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope” (Barack Obama, 2008). Changing the tone throughout the speech helped him transition from one idea to another.

Analysis of Rhetorical Device

The main rhetorical devices used in literature are ethos, pathos, and logos (Haleem, 2020). Barack Obama used pathos and ethos to connect with his audience and deliver a memorable speech. He used pathos to persuade people that America is the land of opportunity by explaining how his victory demonstrated that everything is possible. For example, he stated, “If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy: Tonight is your answer” (Barack Obama, 2008). He supported this statement by explaining how he campaigned to become the president of the United States even though he was not the likeliest candidate for the position. The explanation persuades the leader that everything is possible in a society where people can leverage different opportunities. Barack Obama used ethos to appeal to the audience’s emotions. For example, he narrated how his campaign was founded on humble beginnings and how his team helped him overcome the challenges he encountered until he became the president-elect. He also used ethos by informing the audience about his plans to improve their lives. For example, he stated, “There’s new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair” (Barack Obama, 2008). This statement affects how the audience perceives him because they are convinced he values them and their well-being.

Conclusion

Barack Obama symbolized hope for the African-American people in the United States who had suffered a long era of discrimination and harassment. Becoming the first African-American president of the United States sent a clear message to people worldwide that everything is possible. His victory speech at Green Park, Chicago, was a message of hope for marginalized and underrepresented groups in society and will remain in the history books as one of the greatest victory speeches.

References

Barack Obama. (2008). President-elect Barack Obama on election night [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/HfHbw3n0EIM

Haleem, M. A. (2020). Rhetorical devices and stylistic features of Qur’anic grammar. The Oxford Handbook of Qur’anic Studies, 326-345. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199698646.013.22

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

We’ll write everything from scratch

WORKPLACE WRITING 11

Touchstone 1.1: Write a Rhetorical Analysis
ASSIGNMENT: During your reading and challenge questions, you learned about the art of persuading others, and you can use rhetorical appeals to convince your audience of your position. Before you begin writing your own persuasive content, it would be beneficial to analyze the effectiveness of another writer.

A Rhetorical Analysis-Barack Obamas Victory Speech

Using what you have learned, write a two-page rhetorical analysis on the effectiveness of an article. Choose one of the following texts that interest you and that you would enjoy writing about. You may want to skim each before choosing.
Elie Wiesel – “The Perils of Indifference”
Barack Obama – “Yes We Can”
Martin Luther King, Jr. – “I Have a Dream”
Hillary Clinton – “Women’s Rights Are Human Rights”
Franklin Delano Roosevelt – “Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation”
Why speeches? A speech operates much like an essay: there will be an introduction, a body, and a closing. In addition, many speeches are given to persuade an audience: citizens, voters, etc. Some of the most memorable lines in history — even a few that we discussed in our tutorials — come from persuasive speeches. In each of the texts below, we can really see how powerful persuasion and rhetoric can be in the hands of a gifted writer and speaker.

Sample Touchstone 1.1

In order to foster learning and growth, all essays you submit must be newly written specifically for this course. Any recycled work will be sent back with a 0, and you will be given one attempt to redo the Touchstone.
A. Assignment Guidelines
DIRECTIONS: For the bulk of your assignment, you will want to include your analysis of the text. However, it will be beneficial to provide context for your reader. Consider the following when writing your two-page summary:

Audience: Who was the original audience for this text?
Occasion: When/why was this text written?
Purpose: What is the author’s purpose? What does the author want the audience to learn?
Subject: What is this text about?
Tone: What is the tone? Is it formal? Celebratory? Casual? Somber?
Be sure to include the following:

1. Introduction In your introduction, provide a brief overview of the article (consider the questions listed above). Consider the author’s purpose and whether the author is effective in achieving that purpose.

2. Thesis: Your thesis statement is one sentence that provides an overview of your essay. A thesis statement is not a question and is something that you will debate/argue in the paper. For this essay, consider how the author uses rhetoric and whether the essay is effective.

Sample Thesis Statement: In Smith’s article “On Recycling for the Future,” the author uses a combination of logical and emotional appeals to effectively convince the reader that all communities should promote and support recycling.
Note that this thesis states the author and the title, a position (the author is effective), and names some specific rhetorical devices.
3. Body of the Essay: In the body of your essay, find specific examples in the text to support your points. If you want to argue that the author is effective in using rhetorical questions, then be sure to show the textual evidence in your paragraph. Identify the type of rhetorical device, and then explain how and to what effect the author uses this device.

4. Documentation: Remember whenever we use information from a source, we must cite that source. As you include your quotes and examples from the essay, include your citation. You should also include your reference at the end of the paper. You are only required to use one source, the article you are analyzing, but if you use other sources, be sure to cite these as well.

5. Conclusion: In any conclusion, we need to summarize our paper and include one of the following:

a call to action
a final appeal
a solution
Perhaps after reading and analyzing this article, we want to have a call to action because the author is so effective on the topic. On the other hand, we could include a solution that the author is not effective in his or her purpose.

Keep in mind: Refer to the list below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these guidelines.

❒ Have you included an engaging introduction?
❒ Have you written a thesis with an overview of your paper and your purpose for writing?
❒ Have you included your background and context with the audience, purpose, and tone?
❒ Have you identified rhetorical devices?
❒ Have you analyzed how the author used these rhetorical devices?
❒ Have you included your documentation?
❒ Have you included a conclusion with a call to action, a final appeal, or a solution?
❒ Have you read over carefully for grammatical errors?
B. Reflection Questions Guidelines
DIRECTIONS: Below your assignment, include answers to all of the following reflection questions.

We use rhetoric all the time, perhaps without even realizing it, to persuade our audience to accept our point of view. These speeches were all historical events, but we use rhetoric in our daily lives as well. How have you used rhetoric in the past week? (2-3 sentences)
As we go through our course discussing the power of persuasion and writing our own persuasive documents, what rhetorical strategies will you use to persuade your audience? (2-3 sentences)
What difficulties did you face while reading the text and analyzing for rhetorical effectiveness? How did you overcome these difficulties? (2-3 sentences)
Keep in mind: Refer to the list below throughout the reflection process. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these guidelines.

❒ Have you answered all reflection questions thoughtfully and included insights, observations, and/or examples in all responses?
❒ Are your answers included on a separate page below the main assignment?
C. Rubric
Advanced (100%) Proficient (85%) Acceptable (75%) Needs Improvement (50%) Non-Performance (0%)
Introduction and Thesis (10 points)
Introduces the speech and delivers a strong thesis statement.
The introduction provides a brief overview of the speech. The thesis statement considers how the author uses rhetoric in the speech, takes a clear position on the author’s effectiveness, and is aligned with the body of the paper. The introduction and thesis accomplish 3 of the 4 items: provide a brief overview of the speech, consider how the author uses rhetoric in the speech, take a clear position on the author’s effectiveness, and align with the body of the paper. The introduction and thesis accomplish 2 of 4 items: provide a brief overview of the speech, consider how the author uses rhetoric in the speech, take a clear position on the author’s effectiveness, and align with the body of the paper. Introduction and thesis accomplish only 1 of 4 items: provides a brief overview of the speech, considers how the author uses rhetoric in the speech, takes a clear position on the author’s effectiveness, and is aligned with the body of the paper. The paper is missing an introduction and thesis, or so little work has been provided that no credit can be given.
Background and Context (10 points)
Considers the context of the speech.
Provides a detailed discussion of the audience, purpose, occasion, subject, and tone. Provides an adequate discussion of the required elements. It may be missing one element (i.e., purpose). Provides an abbreviated discussion of the required elements. It may be missing 2 elements. Provides a discussion of only 2 required elements. Provides a discussion of 0-1 required elements, or so little work has been provided that no credit can be given.
Analysis of Rhetorical Device (15 points)
Identifies and analyzes rhetorical devices in the speech.
The content is detailed and specific. The paper mentions at least two rhetorical devices used in the speech, provides textual evidence and analyzes the effect on the reader. The paper mentions at least two rhetorical devices used in the speech and provides specific textual evidence, but it may lack an analysis of the effect on the reader. The paper mentions at least two rhetorical devices used in the speech and does not include specific textual evidence, but just general references to the text. The paper only mentions one rhetorical device used in the speech and does not include specific textual evidence, but just general references to the text. The paper does not mention rhetoric, may incorrectly identify rhetorical devices, or so little work has been provided that no credit can be given.
Documentation (5 points)
Includes appropriate APA citation and reference.
Correct citations and source list in APA formatting with one or fewer errors. Mostly correct citations and source list in APA formatting with 2-4 errors. Citations and source lists exist but include 5-7 errors. Citations and source lists exist but include 8 or more errors. No citations or source list, or not completed according to APA formatting.
Conventions and Proofreading (5 points)
Demonstrates command of standard English grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and usage.
There are 0-2 errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage. There are 3-5 errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage. There are 6-7 errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage. There are 8-10 errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage. There are more than 10 errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, formatting, and usage.
Reflection (5 points)
Answers reflection questions thoroughly and thoughtfully.
Demonstrates thoughtful reflection; includes insights, observations, and/or specific examples in all responses; follows or exceeds response length guidelines. Demonstrates thoughtful reflection; includes insights, observations, and/or specific examples in 2 of 3 responses; follows response length guidelines. Demonstrates reflection, but 2 of 3 responses are lacking in detail, specificity, or insight; follows response length guidelines. Shows limited reflection; all responses are lacking in detail or insight, with some questions left unanswered or falling short of response length guidelines. No reflection responses are present or so little work has been provided that no credit can be given.
D. Requirements
The following requirements must be met for your submission to be graded:

Composition must be 2-3 pages (approximately 500-750 words).
Double-space the composition and use one-inch margins.
Use a readable 12-point font.
All writing must be appropriate for an academic context.
Composition must be original and written for this assignment.
Plagiarism of any kind is strictly prohibited.
Submission must include your name, the name of the course, the date, and the title of your composition.
Include all of the assignment components in a single file.
Acceptable file formats include .doc and .docx.
E. Additional Resources
The following resources will be helpful to you as you work on this assignment:

Purdue Online Writing Lab’s APA Formatting and Style Guide
This site includes a comprehensive overview of APA style, as well as individual pages with guidelines for specific citation types.
Frequently Asked Questions About APA Style
This page on the official APA website addresses common questions related to APA formatting. The “References,” “Punctuation,” and “Grammar and Writing Style” sections will be the most useful to your work in this course.
APA Style: Quick Answers—References
This page on the official APA Style website provides numerous examples of reference list formatting for