Rhetorical Analysis Of President Obama's First Inaugural Address
Inaugural addresses have been a ritual in American history that included the transition of power from one leadership to another. It has been embedded in American civil religion and allowed for the incoming president to address the status of the nation. The term civil religion was first coined by Robert N. Bellah, who believed that the American politics follows rituals and ideals that are similar to that of a private religion. During Obama’s first inaugural address in 2009, he was able to use civil religion rhetoric in an effective manner that did not allow confusion between religious nationalism or radical secularism to unify Americans despite religious differences in a time of economic crisis. Obama was able to be placed into office during
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President Obama approaches his audience in a manner that puts civil religion into play in his speech without focusing on one particular group over another. For instance, he claims that “For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and nonbelievers” (Obama). He acknowledges that the nation is made up of multiple religions. This can be seen through his mention of nonbelievers, which he was the first president to have done this. Obama mentions religion in a manner that does not give the impression that he himself is religious and as a consequence builds his credibility toward his audience. Not only does he use civil religion to prove a point that the nation could improve, but he also uses it to explain the need to carry out the will of the greater power. He does this when he says, “to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders, nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect, for the world has changed, and we must change with it” (Obama). Obama is able to proclaim the need to not only improve the status of America but also that of other nations to improve international
President Obama approaches his audience in a manner that puts civil religion into play in his speech without focusing on one particular group over another. For instance, he claims that “For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and nonbelievers” (Obama). He acknowledges that the nation is made up of multiple religions. This can be seen through his mention of nonbelievers, which he was the first president to have done this. Obama mentions religion in a manner that does not give the impression that he himself is religious and as a consequence builds his credibility toward his audience. Not only does he use civil religion to prove a point that the nation could improve, but he also uses it to explain the need to carry out the will of the greater power. He does this when he says, “to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders, nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect, for the world has changed, and we must change with it” (Obama). Obama is able to proclaim the need to not only improve the status of America but also that of other nations to improve international