The speaker’s point of view is that the student’s education relies on them. The speaker is trying to tell the audience that it is up to them whether they get the education provided to them and whether or not they take advantage of the opportunities presented to them. Barack Obama stated, “Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what it is”.
The speaker uses the evidence that you need an education in order to get a job and to benefit the whole nation as well as yourself. The speaker connected his personal life to the importance of education. I believe he chose this evidence to show the importance of education and how you cannot get far in life without it.
The speaker uses pathos, common sense, and moral character. An example of moral character is “at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home –none of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class or dropping out of school. There is no excuse for not trying”.
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The speaker uses pathos to connect with the audience by using his own personal experience. Obama stated, “I know what it’s like My father left my family when I was two years old … raised by a single mom … who struggled to pay the bills … I did some things I’m not proud of … I had the opportunity to go to college and law school and follow my dreams”.
Barack Obama uses hand gestures throughout his speech.The speaker invalidates the problems the students are currently facing. He says, “in some cases, they’ve got it a lot worse off than many of you”. He makes it seems as if the students’ problems are nothing compared to what others are facing, invalidating their own problems. He also states, “maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn”. He makes it seem as if one can just press pause on the adversity they’re facing when in reality it’s hard to gather the motivation and energy needed for school.
Barack Obama’s speech was clear and to the point. He accurately used rhetoric to express his main point. He informs the audience that their education is in their hands while also connecting with them and letting them know greatness is possible. Obama’s speech was well put and well thought out. Though it had its weaknesses, the point was still clear and the speech appealed to the audience.
