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Obama Inaugural Address Analysis

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President-elect Barack Obama, in his 2009 inaugural address, discusses the issues with healthcare, government corruption and much more. Obama's purpose is to show that even though the nation is at its worst, there is still hope beyond the fear. To do this he uses: either or thinking, pathos and the plain-folk aspect.
Obama uses either/or thinking in order to instill fear into the audience. He appeals to this sense of fear by implying that ¨Either we make this change or America will be no more.¨ and that ¨ We remain a young nation. But in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea passed on from generation to generation¨ (4-6) He carries this burden with us and he will never give up on the people under him, for they need the most reassuring.
Obama continues by using pathos. He brings the nation's ancestors into his speech by stating: ¨For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.(7) For us, they toiled in sweatshops, and settled the West, endured the lash of the whip, and plowed the hard earth. For us, they fought and died in places like Concord and Gettysburg, Normandy and …show more content…
We as a nation have values and morals, that we cannot turn away those who need us the most. To show that he is a man of morals, he states: ¨And so, to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born, know that America is a friend of each nation, and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity. And we are ready to lead once more.¨ (24-27) This shows he is willing to work with those who are unwelcome in their own countries and that he is willing to make this country a safe

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