Bill Clinton Rhetorical Devices Essay

On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh detonated a bomb, killing 168 American citizens, in Oklahoma. It was the cruelest terrorist act ever conducted on American soil, and it stunned the nation. President Bill Clinton presents a speech following the terrorist attack to reassure his audience-- the frightened and affected American citizens-- they are not alone when it comes to the pain they feel and American will always be there to lean on through the use of the rhetorical devices: asyndeton, parallelism, and anaphora.
In President Bill Clinton’s introduction of his speech, he conveys himself to be relatable emotionally to the alarmed Americans through the rhetorical device asyndeton to build a sense of trust. His wife, Hillary, and himself, “come as parents, as husband and wife, as people who were your neighbors for some of the best years of their lives,” (Clinton 1) to portray he is also a citizen of America, as the audience themselves. This connection promotes trust and by using an asyndeton, he enforces an idea that no one job he talks as is more important than another. He holds all people of the

Clinton advises the citizens, “When there is talk of hatred, let us stand up and talk against it. When there is talk of violence, let us stand up and talk against it,” (Clinton 11) because actively opposing acts of hate will aid in halting terrorism. His call to action is stated in the form of an anaphora because, in a cohesive structure, his ideas are clear to the frantic American citizens. By uttering his overarching purpose in an understandable fashion, the audience will better receive his message, and the effects are significant. Throughout the speech, empathy and trust are reestablished in Clinton which results in an united American population helping each other get through tough