Analysis of Barack Obamas Inaugural - Essay Example

Political speeches tend to have a strong tendency towards Ethos, or emotional appeal to the audience, and Ethos, or Pathos, the ity of the speaker over Logos, or logical reasoning. Barack Obama’s inaugural address is no exception for the most part – he loads his inaugural speech with emotional language and imagery, but skimps somewhat on a logical and reasoned argument about how his emotional vision is going to be achieved. He does, however, downplay his own Ethos, for reasons to be discussed below. The result is an incredibly effective speech which I find very stirring emotionally, focusing on a communal struggle rather than his own abilities, so much so that it is difficult to fault it on a lack of logical proposals. His uses ethos and pathos to emphasize communal struggle as the central aspect of his presidency, while filling in hole with logos to reassure the more critical of the audience, which combines to make an incredibly stirring speech. Barack Obama’s inauguration took place on January 20th, 2009 on the steps of the American Capital building. Much of the context surrounding this speech was entirely traditional to a presidential inauguration – the date in cold late January, the same location as every other inauguration since the capital buildings were built. But the context also had important aspects to it that were unique to this particular event. First, the event was historic, even for an inauguration address. Barack Obama was the first black person ever elected as president of the United States, which in and of itself was important (Tufankjian). He also had by far the most grass-roots campaign that had ever elected a president in recent memory, with the most amount of small donors (Tufankjian). This leads to his rhetoric focusing highly on ideas of communal struggle, while eschewing his independent role. Furthermore, America was in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the great depression, so a tone of hope was important for his speech. Probably the least overplayed part of Obama’s speech was his ethos. Rather than build himself up as a toweringly powerful candidate, or focusing on his position as one of the preeminent constitutional law scholars in America, Obama focused on his humble beginning to try to make himself an everyman, position himself as an outsider who understood the common people’s needs. He contrasted the “grandest capitals” – one of which he was about to lead – with the “small village where” his “father was born” in Africa (Obama). He adds that though his father “might not have been served at a local restaurant” a mere “sixty years ago” he, this man’s son, was now standing in front of the crowd leading the most powerful country on earth (Obama). Downplaying his own importance is a central way Obama connects with his audience, emphasizes that his vision of the presidency is a communal struggle where he works with the rest of the American population. One of the reasons Obama can downplay his own importance is the conditions of the events and his excellent oratory. He is standing giving a speech as president of the United States – that alone says something very remarkable about him. Furthermore, Obama is an incredibly eloquent speaker, so no matter how much he might downplay himself, he will leave the audience with an impression of his abilities. So using ethos to downplay rather than up-play himself is incredibly clever, because he still leaves the impression of great authority and power, whilst simultaneously seeming humble and connected to the audience. By far the most effective, and most common, rhetorical aspect of Barack Obama’s inaugural address is his use of pathos. He uses references to incredibly strong foundational documents to draw his American audience in and give them patriotic ferver: he asserts that he want 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 deserve the chance to pursue their full measure of happiness,” recalling strongly any American’s mind the declaration of independence (Obama). Furthermore, he uses strong poetic imagery, like telling the rest of the world that he pledges America will “work alongside you to make you farms flourish and let clean water flow, to nourish starving bodies and feed hungry minds,” which has an almost biblical imagery to it while connecting to very important real world events (Obama). Obama uses pathos to great effect in his inaugural address, connecting to the founding historical documents and strong, emotional imagery about the rest of the world. His frequent use of “we” and connections to founding American documents also touch back to his view of his presidency as communal struggle, focusing on himself as part of a movement that is much larger than himself rather than as a leader per se. While Obama uses pathos to great effect and frequently, he uses logos to equally powerful effect, even if somewhat less often. He references that by “indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics” America is in deep economic turmoil, demonstrating that he is aware of the issues and that you can rationally demonstrate their potency (Obama). He also drops hints about how he wants to address these problems, to “ not only create new jobs, but to lay the foundation for growth” by “building the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together” (Obama). This shows that he both understand the problems and has a plan to fix them, all whilst continuing to connect to his theme of communal struggle by the use of “we” and the line “binds us together” (Obama). Furthermore, he demonstrates a deep understanding of the free market, analyzing the current financial crisis as demonstrated that “The [market’s] power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched,” but that “without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control” (Obama). So Obama follows the prevailing tend of believing the market to be a good thing, but insists on tighter government oversight to stop the kind of reckless spending that had driven the American economy into the ground. Obama uses logos to great effect, if infrequently, to demonstrate that he has an intellectual awareness of the economic problems facing his country, and to tell the audience a little bit about his plan to reverse those problems. Barack Obama’s inaugural address was incredibly effective at providing a sense of hope and direction to his audience. While the vast majority of his speech was focused on emotional appeals, and a much smaller amount to his own achievements or authority, or on logical plans to combat the problems facing his country, the speech was none the less effective. It gives a hopefull message using powerful imagery, and every aspect of it, ethos, logos and pathos, all combine to stay on a message of communal struggle against the problems facing the country, and his vision of himself as part of a the American team rather than a sole and powerful leader. Text of the speech: RESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you. CROWD: Obama! Obama! Obama! Obama! My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation... (APPLAUSE) ... as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents. So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans. That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many, and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable, but no less profound, is a sapping of confidence across our land; a nagging fear that Americas decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sights. Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real, they are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this America: They will be met. (APPLAUSE) On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics. We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. 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. (APPLAUSE) In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted, for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom. For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West, endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth. For us, they fought and died in places Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sanh. Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction. This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America. (APPLAUSE) For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of our economy calls for action: bold and swift. And we will act not only to create new jobs but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place and wield technologys wonders to raise health cares quality... (APPLAUSE) ... and lower its costs. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do. Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose and necessity to courage. What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long, no longer apply. MR. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works, whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the publics dollars will be held to account, to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government. Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched. But this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control. The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good. (APPLAUSE) As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. 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 expediences sake. And so, to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more. (APPLAUSE) Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use. Our security emanates from the justness of our cause; the force of our example; the tempering qualities of humility and restraint. We are the keepers of this legacy, guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort, even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. Well begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people and forge a hard- earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, well work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life nor will we waver in its defense. And for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that, "Our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken. You cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you." (APPLAUSE) For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth. And because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace. To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict or blame their societys ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those... (APPLAUSE) To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist. (APPLAUSE) To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders, nor can we consume the worlds resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it. As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service: a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment, a moment that will define a generation, it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all. For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break; the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighters courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parents willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate. Our challenges may be new, the instruments with which we meet them may be new, but those values upon which our success depends, honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character than giving our all to a difficult task. This is the price and the promise of citizenship. This is the source of our confidence: the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny. This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed, why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall. And why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath. (APPLAUSE) So let us mark this day in remembrance of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of Americas birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people: "Let it be told to the future world that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it." America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words; with hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come; let it be said by our childrens children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and Gods grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations. Thank you. God bless you. (APPLAUSE) And God bless the United States of America. (APPLAUSE) Works Cited Tufankjian, Scout. Yes We Can: Barack Obamas History-making Presidential Campaign. New York, NY: Melcher Media, 2008. Print. "Barack Obama Inauguration." Speech. 2009 Presidential Inauguration. Capital Building, Washington, D.C. 20 Jan. 2009. Web. Read More