Bill Clinton Dnc Speech Example
Bill Clinton 2012 Democratic National Convention Speech
As first stated by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, the art of rhetoric in persuasive speaking is based upon the usage of the three key components, logos, ethos and pathos. Logos representing the usage of logic and reasoning within the speech or text, ethos representing the writer or speaker’s credibility and pathos representing how the speaker or author establishes an emotional connection with the audience. In former president Bill Clinton’s 2012 democratic national convention he relies heavily upon Aristotle’s persuasive speaking techniques to help convince the participants of the convention and those watching at home to reelect the nominee of the Democratic Party, current president Barack Obama. Through his usage of logos by referencing statistics of Obama’s presidency, ethos mostly through his integrity as former president of the United States and his political past, and pathos through his use of humor and appeal to tender emotions such as sympathy, Clinton establishes a sense of belonging to the Democratic Party and effectively conveys his overall message of reelection of the current president.
Appealing to a human’s emotions is arguably one of the most powerful mechanisms in trying to persuade an audience to believe in one’s argument. Clinton starts his speech by repeatedly referencing the audience as “we democrats” and using phrases such as “every one of us” and “every one of them” heavily in his speech. The usage of these key phrases efficiently establishes a sense of community and belonging not only within the audience but also between the audience and himself. This sense of togetherness helps to create an image of the former president as just another member of the Democratic Party who also understands what the common man is going through today and has a solution to their everyday problems unlike those in the opposite party. It also helps to unite the party in this common cause to
As first stated by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, the art of rhetoric in persuasive speaking is based upon the usage of the three key components, logos, ethos and pathos. Logos representing the usage of logic and reasoning within the speech or text, ethos representing the writer or speaker’s credibility and pathos representing how the speaker or author establishes an emotional connection with the audience. In former president Bill Clinton’s 2012 democratic national convention he relies heavily upon Aristotle’s persuasive speaking techniques to help convince the participants of the convention and those watching at home to reelect the nominee of the Democratic Party, current president Barack Obama. Through his usage of logos by referencing statistics of Obama’s presidency, ethos mostly through his integrity as former president of the United States and his political past, and pathos through his use of humor and appeal to tender emotions such as sympathy, Clinton establishes a sense of belonging to the Democratic Party and effectively conveys his overall message of reelection of the current president.
Appealing to a human’s emotions is arguably one of the most powerful mechanisms in trying to persuade an audience to believe in one’s argument. Clinton starts his speech by repeatedly referencing the audience as “we democrats” and using phrases such as “every one of us” and “every one of them” heavily in his speech. The usage of these key phrases efficiently establishes a sense of community and belonging not only within the audience but also between the audience and himself. This sense of togetherness helps to create an image of the former president as just another member of the Democratic Party who also understands what the common man is going through today and has a solution to their everyday problems unlike those in the opposite party. It also helps to unite the party in this common cause to