Rhetoric And Rhetorical Devices In Obama's Inaugural Address

In his inaugural address, President Obama aims to unite and motivate the people of America, as well as the citizens of countries involved with the United States, to face the financial problems and exterior threats that plague the country. From the very first sentence, Obama attempts to lower himself from his powerful status by referring to the American people as “my fellow citizens” (Obama 1). Obama reminds his audience that he, like them, is a human being and a proud citizen of the United States. This works to unite the American people with their president on common ground so that they are ready to take on America’s economic and exterior challenges as a strong and unified country. Obama again unites himself with the common americans and reminds
them of how important they are to the well-being of the country when he says “America has carried on . . . because we, the people, have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears” (Obama 1). Obama uses the word ‘we’ to unite himself with the citizens. He also gives credit to the common people for playing a key role in the prosperity of the nation. Obama knows that when he is addressing all of the problems that the United States is facing, he cannot fix everything alone. Giving credit to the citizens reminds them of the role they play in the country, and unites them in supporting their president through the upcoming obstacles.