ipl-logo

Obama Lewis Eulogy Rhetorical Analysis

1248 Words5 Pages

Rhetorical Analysis of the Obama/Lewis Eulogy
Our country is constantly a work in progress and a lot of people from the very start have been working hard to make this country a better place for everyone in it. No matter how prominent their role is/was in changing America or how well-known their name is each person holds an important role in making us better as a country and as a society. Before his passing John Lewis was one of these people who had a very prominent role in changing our country for the better. Barack Obama, the former 44th president of the United States, the first black or POC president, shines a light on John Lewis's contributions to our country while giving the eulogy at Lewis's funeral. While speaking Obama explains how, …show more content…

Through the use of many personal anecdotes of his own experiences with Lewis and how Lewis affected his life to establish credibility for Lewis's work, as well as preaching the same ideals that John Lewis practiced and tought and using his credibility to amplify Lewis's message to further inspire the audience, Barack Obama attempts to honor John Lewis's memory and all the work he did to progress America and encourage the attendees of Lewis's funeral to try and live life more like Lewis.
In order to introduce Lewis's character to the younger generation or to any Americans that might not know him or his story very well, Obama uses ethos and pathos by giving several personal anecdotes about his relationship with Lewis both professionally and casually using his credibility to establish to the audience what kind of person John Lewis was. Obama shares the story of his relationship with Lewis and how great of an inspiration Lewis was to him. Before telling these stories Obama says "Like John, we have to give it all we have."(40) showing to the audience …show more content…

He talks about the Black Lives Matter movement and says "We see it in everybody doing the hard work of overcoming complacency, of overcoming our own fears and our own prejudices, our own hatreds. You see it in people trying to be better, truer versions of ourselves. And that’s what John Lewis teaches us. That’s where real courage comes from."(47) There is hate all around us and this hate was displayed a larger amount during the pandemic with all the hate crimes towards the Asian community and all the resistance to the Black Lives Matter movement which is what Obama is referring to. He is conveying to the audience that overcoming these kinds of prejudices is exactly what John Lewis stood for in his life. He is establishing credibility for Lewis and continues to paint an image of him as a good person in the minds of the audience. Him being a former president, and not only but the first black president, Obama knows that more people will care about what he has to say and are more likely to listen to this eulogy because of that, so he is leveraging his fame to get John Lewis's message out to more people. This way Obama can honor him by doing the very thing Lewis worked all his life to do, promote change for a better America. In the

Show More
Related
1458 Words | 6 Pages

Let’s begin with John Lewis as he is the primary focal point. John Lewis is known to be a great contributor and influence on the civil rights movement. He faced much tribulation alongside those whom stood up for their egalitarian communal beliefs. Thus, defending

Read More
868 Words | 4 Pages

MLK realizes this is not the intent of Lewis and claims, “John. I know who you are. I think I know you well. I don’t think this sounds like you” (Lewis and Aydin 163). This brings Lewis to the conclusion that he should edit his speech, which would turn out to be the best speech at the March other than MLK’s.

Read More
1778 Words | 8 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr. became a role model for John when he heard him for the first time giving a sermon on the radio. The implication here is that John had been someone working towards being a Civil Rights activist for African Americans, without even knowing in the beginning. He did what he thought was best, not always or just for him, but also for the people around him. Lives would be altered if John Lewis did not take the difficult and important steps he did in his life that were encouraged to take by his feeling of

Read More
804 Words | 4 Pages

He briefly addresses the issues he finds with racism, and focusing on the important main goal of unity in America. Obama stated many things in his speech, which Clark states related to four rhetorical strategies: The power of allusion, parallelism, the “two-ness” of texture, and autobiography. Therefore, making his speech very influential to Obama getting his point across. Before analyzing Obama’s speech, Clark stated a very famous paragraph that was written by W.E.B DuBois.

Read More
771 Words | 4 Pages

During a funeral for Reverend Clementa Pinckney, a Charleston shooting victim, President Obama delivered an influential eulogy. This eulogy turned out to be so powerful that it traveled throughout the internet and became known as one of Obama’s best speeches from the duration of his presidency. The speech resonated so well with many citizens because of its relatable content and connections to passionate issues in today’s society. The delivery of the eulogy played a gigantic part in its effectiveness to Americans as well. President Obama’s eulogy contained beyond relatable content and various connections to the issues racking society’s bones today.

Read More
873 Words | 4 Pages

(Obama, 2015, p.1) Explanation: Obama clearly states throughout his speech that he is here to celebrate America and Selma. A way to say look how far we have come. He feels that this was a stepping stone, a big moment in history that he admires.

Read More
1853 Words | 8 Pages

Even through the mournful death of John Lewis, Obama hopes that the nation would become the place that Lewis had envisioned six decades ago by having this new generation continue on fighting. Obama reinforces this by speaking straight from the thoughts of John Lewis. After Obama declares how innate Lewis’ kindness and respect towards everyone was and how if the American citizens can be like John Lewis if they persevere, Obama remarks, “He believed that in all of us, there exists the capacity for great coverage, that in all of us there is a longing to do what’s right, that in all of us there is a willingness to love

Read More
312 Words | 2 Pages

Further elaborated in Lewis’ speech is the idea of taking a stand towards something that one believes in by persuading those participating in the march to be a part of this movement for equality and integration for all. Lewis illustrates this idea by stating, “We must get in this revolution and complete the revolution” (para 8). In this statement, Lewis refers to the fight for integration and freedom as a “revolution” rather than a movement. This implies that Lewis sees this movement as something that is going to make a huge change and also reveals his confidence toward that change being positive for the African American society. The significance of this statement is that Lewis is not just speaking just to speak, but he is speaking with a

Read More
946 Words | 4 Pages

Analysis: He first begins his speech with raising awareness and not shying away from the vulgar and disturbing actions of hatred that were allowed at the time. He does not shy away from using the word “death”, which for obvious reasons, has a negative connotation associated with it. He continues the speech by addressing the issues that the world is currently facing. He addresses 3 main issues of war, racial segregation and injustices and

Read More
1124 Words | 5 Pages

Obama’s use of ethos and pathos in his “A More Perfect Union” speech further helps to persuade his voters to stick with him because he does not have the same views as Reverend Wright. It gives some context as to why some African-Americans feel the way they do towards the government and other races. In his speech Obama also uses irony by noting the old truism that the “most segregated hour in American life occurs on sunday morning” meaning that on a day that's supposed to be dedicated to love and God, the American people are still segregated and racially divided whether it be Black and White or Latino and Asian(Obama). The combined use of ethos, pathos, and irony strengthen Obama's message of unity and equality.

Read More
676 Words | 3 Pages

At the beginning of his speech, he conveys emotion through telling his own story and putting the audience in his shoes. He states “On the one hand he is born in the shadow of the stars and stripes and he is assured it represents a nation which has never lost a war. He pledges allegiance to that flag which guarantees "liberty and justice for all. " He is part of a country in which anyone can become President, and so forth”. This shows the audience how African American children feel when living in a country made on the premise of equality, but feeling anything but equal to their Caucasian peers.

Read More
884 Words | 4 Pages

The 44th and first African American President, Barack Obama, in his Inaugural Address, promotes a call to action. Obama’s purpose is to express his gratitude for his opportunity to become president and discuss his plans for economic advancement. In order to reach the American people of the U.S., Obama adopts a serious and thought-provoking tone to urge them to support his plans for advancement. During this time of economic crisis, Obama clearly conveys to the American people through his use of metaphor, allusion, and anaphora, that it is time to take a stand and make a change in America.

Read More
603 Words | 3 Pages

This enacts the audience by making them think and answer the questions as he is asking

Read More
978 Words | 4 Pages

Barack Obama’s win for President in 2009 was a historical moment for the United States. His inaugural speech was much anticipated, because this was going to set the tone for his presidency. His speech told the American people that improving the economy is one of his priorities, but there were also other areas he would like to improve like healthcare and the education system. This was a speech that was meant to persuade the American public to take action for them to rise as a nation again, and for them to put their trust into him. His message addressed a couple of specific points like his gratefulness to the American people, the different crises America is facing, how America will overcome these crises, replying to his cynics, addressing the world, and then he reminded America again to be brave like they’ve always been to overcome the hard times (5 Speechwriting Lessons from Obama's Inaugural Speech, (n.d.).

Read More
1341 Words | 6 Pages

Rhetorical Analysis of Obama’s Victory Speech Barack Obama was re-elected as the president of the US on November 6, 2012 from Chicago, Illinois. This paper will throw light and analyse various elements Barrack Obama is using to portray his political ideology to audiences through his speech. I intend to focus on the rhetorical effects of the speech. By using various form of rhetorical tools such as Tautology or Anaphora, President Obama gives a speech which focuses on the idea of American life such as the American dream, American promise and the future.

Read More

More about Obama Lewis Eulogy Rhetorical Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document