A Rhetorical Analysis Of Fulfills

In American politics, political candidates use election promises all the time in order to gain votes and get into office. However, some candidates never have the intention of fulfilling these promises and abandon them once in office. In the article, “Obama Finally Fulfills Campaign Promise To Spend One Night In Abandoned Amusement Park” published by The Onion, it states that President Obama promised that he would spend a night in the Cedar Plains Family Fun amusement park for an entire night when he was only a presidential candidate. The article uses phony quotes from President Obama and other respectable individuals, deadpan sarcasm, and imagery to satirize presidential candidates, their promises to America, and American voting habits.

The writer uses quotes from President Obama and other individuals to establish a foundation of ethos in order to provide credibility
to the article. However, of course, none of these quotes are actually true real ones. Obama states that “Eight years ago, I made an oath that if I were elected president, I would spend dusk till dawn in this old, run-down amusement park.” This is completely satirical humor and false. A respectable man, our President, would not promise to America that if he became president, he would spend a night in an abandoned amusement park. Not only is this completely unsafe for the President, who normally is surrounded by the Secret Service at all times, it has absolutely nothing to do with the politics and well-being of our country. That being said, this satirizes some of the ridiculous things that presidential candidates say in order to get into the presidency, promises that are never fully intended to be fulfilled. To continue, other respectable individuals like Mark Halperin, a political analyst, and Angie Hartney, a Kansas City, Missouri resident, commented on President Obama’s promise. Hartney said that he was really impressed with Obama because “he seemed like the only candidate who actually had the will and the temperament to spend the whole night in a spooky boarded-up amusement park”, and Halperin stated that Obama “united the country” through his promise of going to the abandoned amusement park. The quotes satirize American voting habits. Through the promise of something completely ridiculous, it gained voters and made them want to vote for the candidate. Both of these quotes provide credibility to the fact that what President Obama had “promised” had aided in his election.

Through the use of deadpan sarcasm, it is really hard to know, if one can’t tell, that the entire thing is false. The way the writer writes the article is completely serious. It has subtle little hints and jokes that give it away. For instance, when Halperin said “he got lucky when the bin Laden raid took everyone’s attention away, or else he may not have been reelected”, this is completely ridiculous. No president is going to be elected or reelected based on whether or not one goes into an amusement park. Also, once Obama actually goes inside the amusement park, Hartney states “That’s the Obama I voted for” which also satirizes the reasons people vote for president. The entire topic of this article is satirical.

Furthermore, the article features little descriptions and hints of the inside of the amusement park that adds credibility to the amusement park and what is to be expected once President Obama goes inside.
It also provides imagery for the reader. President Obama is expected to “scale the 9-foot-high chain-link fence” and “climb to the top of the Ripsaw roller coaster … throw a rock through the window of the snow cone stand, and … wander around in the big concrete track where the Lazy River used to be.” Also, he is supposed to “investigate the park’s old food court”, “take a picture from inside the Gravitron”, “go down into the underground storage rooms where they ... keep the old bumper cars” and “hold[ing] a tattered stuffed animal from the shuttered ring toss stand.” All of these together create an image of what is supposed to occur and happen. Also, with all the added expectations of Obama it adds to the satirical image of Obama in the article. Can you imagine our president, Obama, scaling a fence and emerging with a stuffed animal? No, that is just not something that is going to happen in real
life.

Through the satirical article, “Obama Finally Fulfills Campaign Promise To Spend One Night In Abandoned Amusement Park” published by The Onion, it is clear that the writer is making fun of American politics and society. It puts into perspective that we, Americans, should be more conscientious of who we vote for and what they are promising. Presidential candidates should stop promising things that they have no intention of fulfilling, and if they do, complete the promise. Through the use of imagery, deadpan sarcasm, and quotes from respectable individuals, the writer satirizes the promises that presidential candidates promise to become presidents and the voting habits that Americans have.