Alessandro Oliveira Da Costa
English 1010
Speech Evaluation-Barack Obama
9 March 2015
President Obama-DNC 2004
Barack Obama’s keynote speech given at the 2004 Democratic National Convention is
said to be the beginning of his journey toward President of the United States. I watched, listened
to, and read the transcript of his speech so that I could analyze the president’s use of the
rhetorical triangle. President Barack Obama was effective in his use of the ethos, pathos, and
logos to persuade the American people in his 2004 address at the Democratic National
Convention.
From the start of the speech it was clear to see that Obama was using trying to convince
his listeners of his credibility as a fellow American. He was using ethos. Americans value hard
work, rising from rags to riches, military families. Obama knew that when he spent a large
portion at the beginning of his speech speaking about his past and his family’s past. Obama
shared the story of his father, “Through hard work and perseverance my father got a
scholarship to study in a magical place: America, which stood as a beacon of freedom and
opportunity to so many who had come before.” This is the kind of story Americans love to
hear because it perpetuates the idea of the ‘American dream’. He referenced many
different ways this was important to him. This gave him great credibility with the American
people.
Pathos was used many times throughout President Obama’s speech. He used this
technique from the very beginning of his address, but one example was particularly
emotionally moving. He talked about what the American people need to do to make a
change. He said we have, “More to do for the father I met who was losing his job and
choking back tears, wondering how he would pay $4,500 a month for the drugs his son
needs without the health benefits he counted on. More to do for the young woman in East
St. Louis, and thousands more like her, who has the grades, has the drive, has the will, but
doesn't have the money to go to college.” These appealed to emotions because these
situations are ones that many can relate to themselves. Another one of his inspiring
comments was when he referred to the American people saying, “But they sense, deep in
their bones, that with just a change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in
America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all.” The
words were chosen carefully to powerfully portray a message.
When Obama refers to John Kerry, whom he is trying to introduce, he uses logos to
do so. He states, “And John Kerry believes that in a dangerous world, war must be an
option, but it should never he the first option.” This was his way of stating that you should
think logically when it comes to foreign affairs. War should not be the first option, but it is
not always avoidable. Logos persuades the audience by reason and so did Barack Obama.
Barack Obama’s keynote address to the Democratic National Convention in 2004
was powerful in many ways. This put his name out there and showed the Democrats who
he was. The most powerful tool he used was pathos. He knew his audience well and was
aware of the types of things that could affect their emotions. He was also quite effective at
using the tools of ethos and logos.
Work Cited
Obama, Barack, “Democratic National Convention”, 2004 Web.03 March.2015.
http://obamaspeeches.com/002-Keynote-Address-at-the-2004-Democratic-NationalConvention-Obama-Speech.htm