A MORE PERFECT UNION(speech by pres. OBAMA) Essay

A MORE PERFECT UNION(speech by pres. OBAMA) - Essay Example In classical and the 20th century, various authors such as Aristotle, Michael Foucault and Chaim Perelman wrote theories on rhetoric, which has been brought out in this speech. Obama’s speech echoes the rhetorical theories among them pathos, ethos and logos that are thoroughly argued out in Aristotle’s the writing. Through the use, of ethos, which Aristotle argues to be the aid a speaker’s credibility and character adds in influencing the audience; Obama did make use of his character and credibility as the former senator of Illinois to influence Americans to vote for him in his speech, a more perfect union. Similarly, President Obama strategically employs pathos, a rhetoric device that changes the perception of the audience through emotional appeal and storytelling. In his choice to use pathos, President Obama did not only win the support of the majority of the American population but also caught their attention on the need to disregard racism as a vice that tear s apart the United States. Lastly, the concept of logos also had a tremendous impact given its input in Obama’s presidential speech. This is the use of reason to make an argument and express an idea. Aristotle’s the rhetoric gives a detailed account of this device. In his presidential speech, a more perfect union, President Obama used the argument on the need of unity among American citizens irrespective of their ethnic backgrounds for the common good of the United States as a whole (blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/03/18/text-of-obamas-speech-a-more-perfect-union). The success of president Obama ion delivering such an effective was founded on the factual information that he included in it. The breakthrough in Ethos is also based on biological, social, spiritual and intellectual levels. In his presidential speech, president Obama achieves this by use of historical references as well as interpolating to