Rhetorical Devices In Obama's Inaugural Speech

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Forty-fourth president of The United States, Barack Obama, in his 2009 Inaugural Address elaborates on his plans for a new era of responsibility in America. Obama’s purpose is to inform the nation of his intentions as America’s leader. He adopts a patriotic tone in order to convey to his audience, the nation, a sense of trust and confidence while he is in office by using repetitive phrases, references to the past, and allusion. Obama progresses through his speech by implementing repetitive phrases to show his confidence in the country’s ability to take responsibility for all that it was, has, and will become. He appeals to the audience’s sense of achievement by using the phrase: “We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our …show more content…
Obama appeals to the audience’s patriotic emotions by stating: “-- our Founding Fathers, faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man -- a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience sake.” (17) He is able to relate to the audience by quoting and acknowledging the path that was paved by America’s history. His patriotic tone in order to show he is credible and has an insight to what the nation is capable of. The new leader evokes allusions throughout his speech to convey a sense of equality between all people. He phrases the allusion: “The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.” (8) Obama appeals to the rights of the audience by referencing the equality between every person. The righteous tone he displays, allows him to relate to the audience in order to gain their trust in his intentions. Barack Obama, in his 2009 Inaugural Address, states his plans for a new era of responsibility in America. He created a patriotic
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