Man Of The People: The True Persuader

Barrack Obama is a well-known candidate for the presidency as representative of the Democratic party of the United States. His acceptance speech for presidency is persuasive and monotonous. He constantly implies how grateful he is for being elected, somehow humble and gives the appearance of compassion. This then becomes part of pathos, the rhetorical division used to persuade. Obama is in his speech always promising of what he will do. This is somehow cliché but still, used by him to prove that promises are to be remembered. Besides, he exposes his opponent not only to convince, but in a repetitive manner. Therefore, it is evident how Obama expresses himself by logos, pathos, and ethos.

ETHOS
 “You know, unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America. “
 “I stood up and opposed this war, knowing that it would distract us from the real threats that we face.”
 “When John McCain said we could just muddle through in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights.”
 “America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this. “
 “Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but, really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than 90 percent of the time?”
 “Now, I don't believe that Senator McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of Americans; I just think he doesn't know.”
 “You know, John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the gates of Hell, but he won't even follow him to the cave where he lives.”
 “And when one of his chief advisers, the man who wrote his economic plan, was talking about the anxieties that Americans are feeling, he said that we were just suffering from a mental recession and that we've become, and I quote, "a nation of whiners." “These are not whiners. They work hard, and they give back, and they keep going without complaint. These are the Americans I know.”

PATHOS
 “It is that promise that's always set this country apart, that through hard work and sacrifice each of us can pursue our individual dreams, but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams, as well. That's why I stand here tonight. Because for 232 years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women -- students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors -- found the courage to keep it alive.”
 “So -- so let me -- let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am president.”
 “I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars.”
 “You know, Michelle and I are only here tonight because we were given a chance at an education. And I will not settle for an America where some kids don't have that chance.”
 “Tonight, tonight, I say to the people of America, to Democrats and Republicans and independents across this great land: Enough. This moment...This moment, this moment, this election is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive.”
 “And when I hear a woman talk about the difficulties of starting her own business or making her way in the world, I think about my grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle management, despite years of being passed over for promotions because she was a woman.”

LOGOS
 “More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit cards, bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach.”
 “ These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush.”
 “I'll eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow. I will -- listen now -- I will cut taxes -- cut taxes -- for 95 percent of all working families, because, in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle class.”
 “…that sits on its hands while a major American city drowns before our eyes.”
 “But I will also go through the federal budget line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less, because we cannot meet 21st-century challenges with a 20th-century bureaucracy.”
 “The truth is, on issue after issue that would make a difference in your lives -- on health care, and education, and the economy -- Senator McCain has been anything but independent.”
 “Ours -- ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves: protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools, and new roads, and science, and technology.”
 “Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who's willing to work.”

After hearing his speech, and as well analyzing it, I realized Obama cares for what he is doing. He is not any other candidate who wants to persuade and get fame. He really believes in change. His promises…well they are promises, and all he can do, is try to keep them. I realized that he is a man of the people. Yes, wondering what is best for other’s benefit, not for himself. Then to get this image, this caretaking image, he has to convince, mostly using pathos. Obama as a politician is able to read people’s emotions and play with them. To get that sympathy, as if we the one’s hearing him, knew him perfectly. This simulated reliance, which he then gains by means of ethos. Barrack Obama is candidate who trusts and is trusted.