Monday, January 28, 2013

The Future of America


A week ago on Monday, President Barack Obama was inaugurated. As expected, he made a speech. His speech can convince us that we made the right choice or that we made the wrong choice voting him into office. In his speech he uses ethos to convince the audience of what he is saying. The audience he is directing it towards is everyone in the United States. But, I think he is mainly directing his speech towards the middle class and lower class. He refers back to the middle class the most and mentions the lower class a few times.  In our economy these are the people that are struggling with money the most and really want to see change. I think the aspect of ethos our president was using is showing that he has unselfish or clear motives in changing our country. In his speech he talks about real people that the audience can relate to. He talks about situations that make you feel proud to be an American and make you feel sad because you know of the struggles in America. Therefore, I have some examples from the speech that show his clear motives and unselfishness.

            The audience President Obama is directing his speech at mainly was the middle class. This is because the middle class makes up most of America so, it would only be logical that he appeals to that class the most. This is an example of how he is directing his speech at the middle class; “We believe that America’s prosperity must rest upon the broad shoulders of a rising middle class. We know that America thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work; when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship.” These sentences are directed at the middle class and involve a lot of emotion. It makes you think hard about America and how many families that make decent wages are still struggling. These sentences also show that President Obama is unselfish and has clear motives. He is not talking about the upper class and tax cuts for them. He is not talking about money or something that would benefit himself. He is simply talking to the audience in a completely relatable way. “For we remember the lessons of our past, when twilight years were spent in poverty, and parents of a child with a disability had nowhere to turn. We do not believe that in this country, freedom is reserved for the lucky, or happiness for the few. We recognize that no matter how responsibly we live our lives, any one of us, at any time, may face a job loss, or a sudden illness, or a home swept away in a terrible storm.” This quote is also showing that he has clear motives for changing the future of America. He talks about negative situations but it gives you the feeling that he wants to change them because these things should be in the past. Also, he talks about how anything can happen to anybody. That no one can be sheltered from the dangerous things life brings. To me, it makes me feel like you can relate to him and that the president will actually be there for our country if something bad were to happen. I think in his speech President Obama uses unselfishness and shows his motives clearly; this aspect of ethos definitely makes the audience feel comfortable and able to relate knowing that the president is going to be there for our country in the long run.

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