Obama's Job - Speech or Presentation Example

Critique of a Speech or Presentation (or an editorial) The editorial chosen here to be criticized and analyzed is the Obama’s “The Job Speech”, whichhas been published on the internet in The New York Times on September 8th 2011. This edition of the speech of Obama highlights the plans and strategies of the president to revive his country from recessive state. Here, we can experience that the introduction of the editorial focuses on the subject matter of the speech, which denotes the professional tactics of the editorial. The second line of the editorial describes the position of Obama. Generally speaking, it can be understood that this political speech narration published in The New York Times is worth reading and contemplating on. (Thesis) The editorial examines the passion of Obama for lifting his country from financial and economic downturn. When evaluated clearly, this aspect indicates the intricate projection of the editorial about the highlights of the Obama’s speech on the employment status in America. The editorial here is published in several paragraphs, which emphasize various elements of Obama’s speech on the job issue. This editorial also presents statistical data about the job issue in America. However, the paragraphs of the editorial are too short and abrupt. It is also noticeable here that, apart from the job issue, the editorial exemplifies the stand of Republicans on the matters discussed by Obama in his speech. Logos and Critique of Editorial In this section, the attempt is made to criticize the editorial subject from a logical perspective. When contemplating on any subject, it is extremely essential for the critique to evaluate and assess the matter with a proper reasoning. The editorial presents a brief statistics about the number of Americans who are unemployed during the recession period. These statistics are used by the editorial in order to assist the readers in estimating the dire situation of America. For instance, the initial paragraph of the editorial shows the eagerness of President Obama to get support from the public for the effort of igniting the economy of America. According to the editorial, “With more than 14 million people out of work and all Americans fearing a double-dip recession, President Obama stood face to face Thursday night with a Congress that has perversely resisted lifting a finger to help” ("The Jobs Speech" par. 1). This paragraph explores the perplexing situation of the American President in inviting the support from the public and in creating sympathy in the minds of the readers who are dispersed internationally. The latter part of the editorial states that it is possible that the new generation will not accept the speech of Obama. In a sarcastic way, the editorial demands that Obama take actions rather than building a castle in the air. Ethos and Critique of Editorial Ethos can be defined as trust and confidence a researcher places on the resources he or she uses. In this instance, the resource is directly the speech by President Obama addressing the public and the Republican Party. This editorial issue describes various facts and figures mentioned by Obama in an effort to revive the falling employment rate of the country due to recession. These facts and figures, which are also based on statistics, evoke confidence and trust in the readers. The editorial presents much of the statements by Obama, and this also stamps an impression in the minds of the readers about the president’s patriotism. As per the editorial, Obama says that “The question is whether, in the face of an ongoing national crisis, we can stop the political circus and actually do something to help the economy” (par. 5). The speech by Obama here is shown to be patriotic, and the emotional attachment of the president can be well absorbed by the reader in this editorial. The reason for this is the way in which the quotes of Obama are presented in the editorial. However, the editorial criticizes Obama for the vagueness of his strategies and plans, which creates a negative image of Obama in the minds of other politicians and the public worldwide. Here the editorial demonstrates a villainous view of Obama, portraying the schemes and plans of the president as inferior. The editorial indirectly blames Obama for being less responsive and vigilant as regards the matter of employment downfall in America. The editorial, however, includes relevant subjects like pay roll tax, mortgage rates, and job availability mentioned by Obama in his speech. Pathos and Critique of Editorial If we attempt to consider the selected editorial in terms of pathos, it is manifested in the ways in which the writing influences the readers and persuades them of the positive and active attitude of the president as regards improving the job issue in America. The editorial is primarily focused on the convincing speech of Obama, his pleading the opposition and the public to distract their attention from political circus and perform crucial actions to improve the recessive status of their home country. The editorial even refers to Obama’s employment-giving strategies. In this editorial, Obama is shown as a national leader who puts himself in the shoes of American citizens. The editorial persuades the readers of the president’s patriotism by quoting his words about the daily life of Americans and about his intent to implement proposals to upgrade their deteriorating position. According to the editorial, “Some of them are living week to week, paycheck to paycheck, even day to day. They need help, and they need it now” (par. 7). The most convincing part is the statistical figures given by Obama concerning the pay roll tax cut and the efforts he is making to reduce the duration of financial distress in America. Conclusion In this editorial named “The Job’s Speech”, the attempt has been made by The New York Times to wholly present the speech given by Obama on the employment downturn in the country due to the economic recession. The editorial has been laid down in a professional manner, and the introductory part gives a message about the tactics and skill of the newspaper of attracting readers from the whole world. Since America is a super power, every person is interested in understanding the political stand of Obama in the context of the country’s economic downturn. In this context, the editorial is evaluated on the basis of logos, ethos, pathos, logic, authenticity, and persuasiveness. The logos, ethos and pathos are concepts formulated by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. It has been found that the editorial at some points is praising Obama and at other grounds is establishing him as a politician slow in implementing his plans and strategies. The editorial focuses on the subject matters discussed by Obama. Moreover, the editorial gives out some statistical information, which enhances the credibility and trustworthiness of the writing. Since the source is directly the speech presented by Obama, the reliability of the editorial is high. It can be concluded that this editorial presented in The New York Times is a high-quality and comprehensible writing. Strengths and Weaknesses of This Essay Strengths The best part of the essay is that it has a proper introduction. The introduction reveals the information about the source, which is The New York Times. This allows the reader to quickly synthesize the subject matter and avoid any confusion or misunderstanding. The introductory part has a thesis. Moreover, the essay has intelligently explained such elements as logos, pathos, and ethos in relation to the criticized article. Every point is structured and well proportioned, which makes this essay balanced. Apart from this, the essay has a concise conclusion, which re-establishes the thesis. Weaknesses The negative part of the essay is that the introduction looks compact as the source is brief. Apart from this, the thesis seems to be slightly weak and not very assertive, and this is because the article is precise. The second paragraph in introductory section is inadequate as the article gives minimum chance to absorb Obama’s speech in depth. The logos section of the essay is insufficiently elaborated as the source does not focus much on Obama’s speech. And the ethos part of the essay is insufficiently informative because the source is brief and concise comprising statistics and actual words spoken by Obama. Works Cited "Editorial: The Jobs Speech." The New York Times. 8 Sept. 2011. Web. 25 Sept. 2012. . Read More