“I have sinned,” declared the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton. A man who possessed an extraordinary willpower formed the courage to apologize for his scandalous affair with an intern, Monica Lewinsky. The affair became known as the Lewinsky scandal and aided in Clinton’s impeachment. He addressed his horrendous mistake at the annual White House prayer breakfast on September 11, 1998 by delivering one of the most emotional speeches given by any president, “I Have Sinned.” He wanted to convince the audience that he was genuinely remorseful about the affair to prevent further misleading assumptions from the people. Clinton’s main claim is despite your sins, nobody is perfect, and therefore, you deserve to be forgiven. In addition, Clinton’s usage of rhetorical devices facilitates his message as to why he should be forgiven.
Clinton’s speech strongly embodies a sense of pathos as he appeals to the audience’s religious affiliations. After all, the audience mostly consisted of ministers, priests, and religious leaders. “I ask for your prayers and for your help in healing our nation,” said Clinton. The quote truly tugs at the audience’s heartstrings, …show more content…
“I don't think there is a fancy way to say that I have sinned,” said Clinton. His affair serves as supporting evidence to the main claim because he sinned proving that nobody is perfect, including the president, because everyone makes mistakes. “And though I cannot move beyond or forget this - indeed, I must always keep it as a caution light in my life - it is very important that our nation move forward,” stated Clinton. He wanted the audience to know that despite his sin, the country shall not let his misconduct hinder its prosperity, as it should move forward in order to succeed. Indirectly, Clinton used logos to imply that if you sin, you will learn from your mistakes to prevent it from recurring in the