In her final speech as First Lady for the United States of America, Michelle Obama uses various rhetorical devices such as repetition, restatements of certain concepts, diction, and more to discuss her hope for the figure of the American people. The first thing Obama does is attempt to unite her audience. Her usage of diction - intentionally choosing words such as “belongs” or “proud”. Help bring the audience down to something they all have in common. By helping establish the people not as who they are necessarily, but instead what they are (American citizens), it gives a starting point for the rest of the discussion to continue. This is further emphasized by the allusion to the American Dream. Though she does explicitly state it at one point in the speech, this ideal is often referenced …show more content…
She is effectively bringing everyone to her level now too - she has added herself to the equation, while also reminding everyone that the path and hopes and dreams that she has presented isn’t something for the individual necessarily, but instead for all. She uses her voice as the First Lady - something that was chosen by the people as well - to promote them all. Through the uniting of the audience, Obama is best able to promote her hopes for hard work and, most importantly, the concept of using one's voice. One glaringly obvious choice she made was the repetition of the word “hope”. Throughout the speech, Obama is seen referencing this word - and she works on, in a sense, transforming what it means for her audience. She describes how this is something contingent upon the amount of work one is willing to put into it. Her approach recognizes the obstacles that exist while further validating the success that comes from it. She goes on to restate the concept of rights. This is important because it helps the audience to be reminded of their position, while also contributing to the discussion of what hope