Rhetorical Analysis
Megan Kemp
Jacobs
ENG 111.0028
20 February 2015
Edwards, John. “Two Americas.” Washington Post. 28 July 2004. Web. 22 Feb. 2014. In John Edwards speech “Two Americas”, he begins with describing his perfect family, wife and four children, as well as his values and beliefs taught to him by his parents, Wallace and Bobbie Edwards. Edwards beliefs were of those that are to be expected by any politician striving for an American’s vote, such as “faith, family, responsibility and opportunity for everyone.”(Par 1.) That is what captures the audience in this speech, the thought of equal opportunity for all. He uses several different rhetorical devises to convey his message such as ethos, pathos and logos. Edwards establishes his credibility early in the first paragraph of his speech, by stating his candidacy for Vice President. He also makes a connection with the audience and himself by stating that this is “your campaign, our campaign,” to gain their trust that he understands what they want. (Par 3.) He continues to appeal to his audience by giving them a bit of a background on his life. He briefly talks of his mother and how she had a number of jobs in order to help pay for his education which also allowed him to get into college, making him the first in his family to attend a higher level of education. Edwards defines his life as being full of opportunities and is certain that everyone in America should have the same chance he did. By appealing to the emotions of his audience with sentiments of equality and the American Dream, Edwards successfully exhibits the rhetorical device pathos. The thought of everyone being treated the same no matter their skin color, their family, or where they are from paints a perfect picture of how life should be rather than how it is. This leads him into the next part of his equality speech by labeling all the things that separate America such as, health care, education, and the economy. His repetition of the phrase “It doesn’t have to
Jacobs
ENG 111.0028
20 February 2015
Edwards, John. “Two Americas.” Washington Post. 28 July 2004. Web. 22 Feb. 2014. In John Edwards speech “Two Americas”, he begins with describing his perfect family, wife and four children, as well as his values and beliefs taught to him by his parents, Wallace and Bobbie Edwards. Edwards beliefs were of those that are to be expected by any politician striving for an American’s vote, such as “faith, family, responsibility and opportunity for everyone.”(Par 1.) That is what captures the audience in this speech, the thought of equal opportunity for all. He uses several different rhetorical devises to convey his message such as ethos, pathos and logos. Edwards establishes his credibility early in the first paragraph of his speech, by stating his candidacy for Vice President. He also makes a connection with the audience and himself by stating that this is “your campaign, our campaign,” to gain their trust that he understands what they want. (Par 3.) He continues to appeal to his audience by giving them a bit of a background on his life. He briefly talks of his mother and how she had a number of jobs in order to help pay for his education which also allowed him to get into college, making him the first in his family to attend a higher level of education. Edwards defines his life as being full of opportunities and is certain that everyone in America should have the same chance he did. By appealing to the emotions of his audience with sentiments of equality and the American Dream, Edwards successfully exhibits the rhetorical device pathos. The thought of everyone being treated the same no matter their skin color, their family, or where they are from paints a perfect picture of how life should be rather than how it is. This leads him into the next part of his equality speech by labeling all the things that separate America such as, health care, education, and the economy. His repetition of the phrase “It doesn’t have to