There were multiple instances where Obama used different
forms of rhetoric in his DNC speech earlier this month. It’s very cool to see
different subjects that are covered in Aristotle’s Rhetoric used in
presidential campaigns.
I noticed some of Aristotle’s tools being used in
Obama’s speech when he stated, “On every issue, the choice you face won’t be just between two
candidates or two parties. It will be a choice between two different paths for
America. A choice between two fundamentally different visions for the future.”
I found this interesting because it reminded me of an enthymeme which can be
used by deriving influence from particular topics. In this case I believe Obama
could be using the idea that we really only have two choices, to make people
worry and want to fall back on the person who has been president for four
years. This also reminds me of pathos and how Obama may be playing on the
emotions of American voters by reminding them of how much decisive power they
really have in our future.
Pisteis=ethos
(character of speaker) + pathos (disposition of listener) + logos (showing:
logical demonstration)
Rhetoric is offshoot of dialectic + ethics = politics
I
like how the above equation works, because Obamas speech can be plugged into it
perfectly. The character of the speaker was strong as a lot of people like
Obama because of him, not just his politics. Then pathos is plugged in, which
in this case can be seen as the American voter, who is under a lot of stress as
a lot is riding on the line. Obama provides the logic: “But know this, America: Our
problems can be solved. Our challenges can be met. The path we offer may be
harder, but it leads to a better place. And I’m asking you to choose that
future. I’m asking you to rally around a set of goals for your country – goals
in manufacturing, energy, education, national security, and the deficit; a
real, achievable plan that will lead to new jobs, more opportunity, and rebuild
this economy on a stronger foundation. That’s what we can do in the next four
years, and that’s why I’m running for a second term as President of the United
States.”
Not
only does Obama provide the ethos and pathos, he also provides the logos. This
combination produces a very convincing argument. It will be interesting to see
how both candidates use elements from Aristotle to discuss different topics at hand.
I like the way you are digging around in this speech, pulling out topics and themes. It's the way you begin to ask questions for a rhetorical analysis, which will really be what we do for most of the semester - asking of texts and writers (including ourselves) how does this work? How might this work? It's fun to see these things as techniques, though, with an ancient history.
ReplyDeleteOne wonders as the campaign continues how to understand the power of rhetoric within it. It will be interesting, too, to see how often Obama's obvious skills as a speaker get brought up as a distraction by Republicans - this was a common theme in the 2008 election. The term "rhetoric," then, will likely remain negative focusing mostly on Obama, but the work of "rhetoric" is obviously one of the central tools for all candidates. But they call it rhetoric only when their opponent uses those tactics.
Anyway, Matt, you have two choices this semester...I'm not sure what they are, but they are stark. Good luck.