Persuasive Speeches

In class we discussed Martin Luther King Jr's letter from Birmingham Jail. This is one of the most famous, and influential examples of rhetoric. In his letter, Martin Luther King Jr uses ethos (appeach of the speaker), logos (appeal to logic), and pathos (appeal to emotion) in order to makethe letter persuasive. King Jr. makes sure that he touches his readers in every aspect throughout the letter- not only making his point, but giving himself credibility and working with the reader's emotion to see his point of view.
In class we also had guest speakers from the Army Recruit. Their presentation was very detailed on what makes a good persuasive speech, however, they never really gave us their persuasive speech. At the end of the presentation the class began to ask questions about being recruiters for the army and what they say to persuade people to join. It was at this time that I felt the class was interested and began to see what tactics they used. For example, money was a key ingredient in their success- they would say financial benefits and incentives and then pause so that the people could soak it in and think about it.
Just like what we saw in Martin Luther King Jr's letter and the Army recruiters, I saw in President Bush's speech on 9-11. In this speech, Bush touches all the key points of the rhetorical triangle. He begins by useing pathos- the appeal to our emotion- which is very appropriate seeing the subject that he is addressing. He recognizes the severity and emotional taxing nature of the event. Bush then begins to appeal to our logos by taking the people through the steps of why we would be a target yet still giving the people confidence that we are going to not only survive but prevail. Bush uses ethos, the appeal of the speaker, throughout the entire speech. One main way of doing this is by using "our", making him a part of the situation, not a third party just stating the facts and what we should do. He makes sure that the audience is connected with him, on the same emotional level, so that we feel in touch with him, therefore giving him our support. Bush goes back to using logos when he begins to explain the actions that he has already taken to ensure our security and what actions he intends to implement in the near future. Bush brings his speech to a close by asking the people of the United States for their prayers and support. By doing so, Bush is using ethos and pathos as a final reminder that he is one of us and is there for the long run. Bush also ends with a Psalm which appeals to the audience who is reaching out for prayer particularly at this point in time, and gives himself credibility because he is one of us. His last sentence appeals to all three points of the rhetorical triangle. He acknowledges the past and what we need to do about the future (logos), uses first person and makes him on the same level as his audience (ethos) and finally, gives us encouragement and hope for the future (logos): "This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day. Yet, we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world."

http://www.famousquotes.me.uk/speeches/George_W_Bush/index.htm