Jesse Jackson's Speech Analysis

The United States of America has long been known as a melting pot of cultures that indulge into a rich history that unite everyone as a nation. Jesse Jackson said in his 1984 Democratic National Convention Address that, “America is not like a blanket...America is more like a quilt: many patches, many pieces, many colors, many sizes, all woven and held together by a common thread(americanrhetoric.com).” Jesse Jackson and Pope Francis have both addressed American Congress members as well as World leaders on the importance of making the nation better. While both attempt to play on their audience’s ethos, pathos, and logos, Pope Francis is more effective at reaching a universal audience that is more willing to accept a hopeful message of love.
(TIME)” Pope Francis states that it is the duty of politicians to ensure the growth of their nation while protecting the most vulnerable of its people. In the Bible, Moses frees the Jews from the enslavement brought upon them by the Egyptians and delivers them to the promised land of Israel. Before the Jews reach Israel, Moses is confronted by God to tell His people a new set of laws, The Ten Commandments. During his address, Pope Francis brings up Moses to create a metaphor of the work politicians must do, create laws for the people to live by while working to protect the people being served. The year of this address is also the one hundred and fifteenth anniversary of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, the Pope chose to include that date to signify an American hero that we ought to hope to emulate in times of great strife in the world. Currently there are wars being fought and incredible acts of violence are taking place in the name of God or religion, and every establishment of any caliber can fall victim to extreme measures and individual delusions of grandeur. The Pope is trying to make the point to Congress that in any circumstances, individuals have the ability to wreak havoc on the masses, but the job of public figures is to prove that the one is not the
Jackson says, “Leadership must heed the call of conscience, redemption, expansion, healing, and unity, for they are the key to achieving our mission. Time is neutral and does not change things. With courage and initiative, leaders change things,” because he believes that those calls to action cannot truly change the world without a strong leader driving those forces (americanrhetoric.com). Jackson begins to urge his fellow Democrats to vote for the candidate they believe would give the nation the best opportunity, as Jackson would support either of the two candidates who became the Democratic Presidential Candidate. He continues on to say he hopes to have given guidance to his party but adds a touch of humility by apologizing for any discomfort or pain he caused in his lower points during the election cycle. Jackson refers to the Rainbow Coalition and its mission of seeking justice and acceptance of all peoples and all races, especially those who cannot use their own voice to fight their battles. The Rainbow Coalition was brought up to showcase a group trying to unify the nation, and as a way to tie in President Reagan plus all the ways that the Democrats feel his presidency wronged them. The majority of the speech goes on to list all the things that went wrong in the last presidency according to his opinion, however he