In the United States when a President is elected into office they are required to give an inaugural speech describing their goals as the president

In the United States when a President is elected into office they are required to give an inaugural speech describing their goals as the president. It is marked as a ceremony introducing the newly elected president into office. Some presidents tend try to persuade the audience while others give a concern to the nation’s issues and how they plan on fixing it. Barack Obama’s speech tended to bring up a concern and his solution to fix the concern. Barack Obama was the 44th president of the United States and also the first black president to be elected.
Barack Obama’s inaugural speech was straightforward yet relatable to the audience as he mentioned the issues that nation is facing. His style of speaking is very direct as he uses the words “we”, “us”, and “our” instead of “I” to connect directly to the audience and build a connection as his speech goes on. He began his speech with “My fellow citizens” which allow citizens to see him on their level which builds ethos and shows that they will get through it together. One strategy that Obama used in his speech is relating back to the values of their American ancestors and how they overcame obstacles each and every time no matter how the problem. He acknowledges that the solution the issues he stated resides in the people and they have the power to make America even greater than it was before when he stated, “But that we will extend a hand if you’re willing to unclench your fist.” This is very powerful because of the contrast that it contributes to his speech.
When Obama acknowledges the issues of the country he persuaded the audience to become emotion engaged into the speech. For example when he said “Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age”, he acknowledges that in order for the country to strive it takes effort from everyone. Here it creates pathos as he makes it known that he wants everyone connected and working as a team in bettering the nation.
One thing to notice about Barack Obama’s speech is that he uses repetition of words when transitioning. Doing so makes his speech more powerful and effective in getting his point across by reassuring with the audience. This is called parallelism when two or more phrases in a sentences have the same grammatical structure. As you can see in his line, “The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift” he repeats the word “to”. He states a few of his wishes as president but uses parallelism to strengthen the phrase and make it more influential.
When Obama introduced the current problems of America he always used a source to validate his argument of how he would improve the issue. By doing so he build logos within his speech and made it known that he was qualified for the position. He used data and statistics to show how he would create new jobs in America. He showed how expensive health was and how he would improve the quality of it but also making it more affordable. He explained how by building new roads and bridges, electric grids, and power lines it will influence growth in commerce within the country.
Something that should not be overlooked in Obama’s speech is his clear vocals and hand gestures that he uses when speaking. He was never unclear of his words and his speech had a smooth and ongoing flow. Obama never moves from his position and only moves his hand purposefully to indicate important points and to illustrate. Also one thing that is noticeable is that he rarely smiles during his speech which increases the importance of his speech and how high his audience considers him to be. Just simple body gestures improved his speech dramatically.