Hillary Clinton Rhetorical Techniques

In the concession speech by Hillary Clinton, who had just lost the 2016 presidential election, she touches the emotions of her audience, establishes her credibility, and utilizes multiple syntactical techniques in order to express her gratitude towards her supporters, ultimately encouraging them to stay hopeful for the future. One of the key rhetorical techniques used by Clinton is her frequent appeal to pathos. She acknowledges at the beginning of her speech that she could not have gotten to where she is today without the help of her supporters, referring to them as “...my friends” and assuring that “I love you all, too.” (par 4) Clinton is able to express her gratitude for those who helped her alongside her entire campaign. Even though

Throughout her speech, she speaks about her long history of helping the American people, telling her audience, “...let’s do all we can to keep advancing the causes and values we all hold dear…” (par 11) Clinton suggests that her fight has been ongoing by using the word "keep." Her entire life has been spent advocating for and fighting for causes. Despite the fact that she lost the election, she persisted and kept encouraging her audience. This is also shown when she says that, "I've had successes and I've had setbacks, sometimes really painful ones. Many of you are at the beginning of your professional public and political careers. You will have successes and setbacks too." (par 23) By referencing her past experiences as a political figure, she is able to present herself as a leader who, despite facing many setbacks and struggles, set a new standard for future generations. She lets her audience know that if she can do it, so can they, overall playing into the theme of encouragement and

By beginning her speech with the repetition of the phrase “thank you,” (par 1-4) she emphasizes her gratitude towards her supporters. Despite losing the election, Clinton’s constant thanking gives them a sense of worth and appreciation, as if their efforts had been meaningful. Clinton thanks everyone that helped her, no matter how small, from Barack and Michelle Obama to the average American citizen. Clinton also uses repetition when speaking about how they will go on after the tough loss. She consistently urges her supporters to “...accept this result” and “...owe him [Donald Trump] an open mind and the chance to lead.” (par 9) Though this isn’t the outcome that she or her supporters wanted, she still emphasizes that they should all respect what happened and give Donald Trump a chance. Clinton also carefully selects the pronouns used throughout her speech. She always utilizes the pronouns “our” and “we” when speaking, showing that everyone is and was in the campaign together. She understands the pain and disappointment that her supporters feel, so by using inclusive pronouns, she provides both comfort and inspiration to