Diction And Pathos In President Obama's Speech
President Obama aimed to unite the American public in the fight against terrorism in his speech following the death of Osama bin Laden through his use of diction and pathos. Obama’s use of diction that included himself under the umbrella of the American public conveyed a sense of an all-inclusive and united America. President Obama consistently says “our” and “we” throughout his speech while referring to America. For example, he writes “we reaffirmed our ties to each other, and our love of community and country” (Obama). In doing so, President Obama is presenting America as one. This diction allowed Obama to both present a strong and unified America to the rest of the world, and urge the American people to work together and support each
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Obama utilizes pathos in his descriptions of the harm and pain that the American public has endured when he gives the examples, “the empty seat at the dinner table. Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who would never know the feeling of their child's embrace.” This quote relies entirely on pathos, and evokes an emotional response towards the horrors committed by Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda. Through his use of pathos, Obama reminds America that the actions of Al Qaeda can still be felt today, and conveys the sense that it is not only those who lost loved ones who continue to face this tragedy, but all Americans together. He goes on to say that on the day of the attack “the American people came together. We offered our neighbors a hand, and we offered the wounded our blood…[we] united in our resolve to protect our nation and to bring those who committed this vicious attack to justice.” In this quote, President Obama gives examples of the American people coming together and uniting in the face of terrorism. This uses pathos by appealing to the listener’s emotions and memory of the aftereffects of the attack. Therefore, Obama once again reveals the destruction that the terroir attack caused, but calls on the American people to fight fear with unity and justice. Overall,
Obama utilizes pathos in his descriptions of the harm and pain that the American public has endured when he gives the examples, “the empty seat at the dinner table. Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who would never know the feeling of their child's embrace.” This quote relies entirely on pathos, and evokes an emotional response towards the horrors committed by Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda. Through his use of pathos, Obama reminds America that the actions of Al Qaeda can still be felt today, and conveys the sense that it is not only those who lost loved ones who continue to face this tragedy, but all Americans together. He goes on to say that on the day of the attack “the American people came together. We offered our neighbors a hand, and we offered the wounded our blood…[we] united in our resolve to protect our nation and to bring those who committed this vicious attack to justice.” In this quote, President Obama gives examples of the American people coming together and uniting in the face of terrorism. This uses pathos by appealing to the listener’s emotions and memory of the aftereffects of the attack. Therefore, Obama once again reveals the destruction that the terroir attack caused, but calls on the American people to fight fear with unity and justice. Overall,