Rhetorical Analysis Of Richard Nixon's Speech

There is something significant in the words of a man shamed out of status. The way that he chooses those last public statements and how he delivers them suddenly become more important than anything he’s ever said in his life. Every nuance and inflection can make or break the last shred of character holding the thin fabric of dignity together. In the early 1970’s America was rocked with a scandal the likes of which hadn’t been seen since Andrew Jackson was impeached more than a century previous. A second term president who opened trade to China, ended the longest war in American history and was the nation’s frontrunner when the late Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon became a criminal in the eyes of the people he was sworn to protect
“I am not a crook” ironically spouted from the mouth of a man later found guilty of multiple crimes that came to be known as Watergate. There are so few people now that remember Nixon for the positive first term momentous national victories he achieved or for his dedication to the American people. His final speech in office was an emotional appeal to the people to retrieve some of his dignity and to quell the sourness left by his crimes. Nixon’s pathos becomes a crutch for him in this final speech. In listening to the vocal reading of the speech there is heaviness to his words as he reflects upon this solemnly, “I would have preferred to carry through to the finish whatever the personal agony it would have involved.” He continues, “I have concluded that because of the Watergate matter I might not have the support of the Congress that I would consider necessary to back the very difficult decisions and carry out the duties of this office in the way the interests of the nation will require.” He felt his work wasn’t completed but because of his actions he had to leave it in the hands of someone else. He uses emotion to express his hope that nuclear weapons will be destroyed, peace will come to the Middle East and “prosperity without inflation” will be the mindset of the economy and in such a serious moment there is no way to express his agenda without appearing to the public as
His final attempt at kinship with the American people had an agenda and nearly 40 years later there is a question on whether these last words spoken in office accomplished their goal. In retrospect there is little achievement to his final goals outlined in his speech. The US military has more nuclear weapons than ever before, always ready for the verge of war. The Middle East is at war constantly with no ideal, peaceful end in sight. The trade route with China is still open but national debt and the resources owed number in the billions. Is this all to blame on a single man who withheld information and profited from public service? A realist would make the argument that such international turmoil was inevitable and unavoidable. However, the mere words delivered by Nixon carried little demonstrative weight to the motivation of achieving his final hopes and goals. It wasn’t for lack of sentiment, his words were drowning in the colossal guilt he had at losing office, but rather for the lack of credibility he now wore in spite of his previous accomplishments. His relationship with the American people was forever tainted. Even when he was pardoned of his crimes by President Ford a few years later his poisoned reputation lingered and his goals as a leader had crumbled under the media persona of criminal. Richard