Rhetorical Analysis of President Obamas Inaugural Speech Essay

Rhetorical Analysis of President Obamas Inaugural Speech - Essay Example The speech feels like the fresh morning dew that soothes our doubting soul as we traverse the scorching heat and difficulty of a financial crisis. The speech intended to lift us from our debilitating skepticism about ourselves and our world to believe once more in the enduring spirit that made America â€Å"the prosperous, most powerful nation on earth†. It is a speech where all the three rhetorical concepts of pathos, ethos, and logos were astutely utilized not only to deliver a message but also to touch and affect its audience. To underscore further President Obama’s message of hope, he used pathos or emotion as a primary medium for him to get his message across and for the audience to relate to him. It is very noticeable in that inaugural address, that the word â€Å"I† was sparingly used and was only mentioned twice. First, it was only mentioned in the opening statement which was in the context of humility that he is grateful of the trust that was bestowed up on him and â€Å"mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors†.   The second time that President Obama mentioned it was in a collective context involving the audience by saying â€Å"today I say to you that the challenges we face are real†. ...He was inviting sympathy without even asking by subliminally hinting that he, a black man, suffered too just like many of the audiences yet the opportunity of America enabled him to rise above his circumstances and now bestowed a position of great honor. Subconsciously, he was playing an underdog while calling for America to rise above the challenge, to unite and to once more take the challenge of leadership. In a way, he was subconsciously saying that if he was able to be where he is right now when before blacks cannot be even served at a local restaurant, then the rest of America can also overcome the challenges that they are facing as he did. President Obama’s used of emotional appeal or pathos is reinforced by hi s own credibility or ethos. As a political leader, he is known as a man of integrity and has never involved in any compromising political situation.  

Leadership and Self Deception Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership and Self Deception - Essay Example According to Warner (2002), individuals who are in a state of self deception normally live and work as if they are trapped inside a box. Consequently, they remain in the same position and experience minimal or no change. According to Warner (2002), there is a solution to self deception and most individuals in leadership positions can always work towards solving it. People find the knowledge of self deception very liberating since it increases happiness and satisfaction, enlivens the desire for team work, increases accountability, sharpens vision, reduces feelings of conflict and magnifies the capacity to achieve results. Self deception therefore appears to enclose many good attributes in an individual. It is therefore important that individuals are enlightened on it for purposes of liberation. According to Arbingel Institute (2002), self betrayal on the other hand occurs as a result of being insincere on what you know is the right thing to do. In most cases, people tend to rationalize and justify their actions when they don't want to do what is considered as right so as to protect their egos. This results to transference of one's blame unto others as well as considering them as hindering objects. Self betrayal is very common among individuals in the society and results to interpersonal problems either at home or school. In reference to chapter one-Bud, it a... Consequently, they focus on giving their best in order to benefit the company and their fellow workers. The tricky thing that comes in is that their motivation is normally flawed; deceiving others into subtle ways and making them think that they are the right ones for the right reason. Self justification then becomes such an ingrained habit that it becomes hard to break free of it. The box The authors of the book have created a hypothetical situation whereby Tom Callum, a recently hired senior executive is settling into his new duties at Zagrum Company. It comes as a surprise to him when he realizes that part of his orientation involves identification of the box. The box has been used as a metaphor implying an enclosure and captivity. It also resembles apparel and people carry it wherever they go irrespective of the circumstance. In most instances, people create boundaries which normally limit their potential and eventually end up as failures. Confusion as a result of other's opinion Tom's conversation with the fellow workers as he sought to know what the meeting between him and Bud was all about portrays a clear picture of self betrayal among the workers since they were all insincere and did not give the right answer. Instead their explanations ended up confusing Tom. The confusion came about due to numerous opinions from different people. Their self betrayal resulted into self deception. Self deception in reference to one's performance On his way, to meet Bud, Tom reviewed his performance in Zagrum and he was quite sure that he was on the right track since he always arrived early for work and left very late in the evening. He did all that so as to outshine his fellow coworkers and compete for the