Richard Nixon Rhetorical Analysis Essay

1952 marks a period where Richard Nixon’s rise in politics came to a crashing halt. Just days after Nixon was chosen as Eisenhower’s running mate, the headline “Secret Rich Men’s Trust Fund Keeps Nixon in Style Far Beyond His Salary” circulated around the country and Nixon was spiraled into controversy surrounding his political actions. Americans begged Eisenhower to drop him, however, Nixon, in a wise manner, chose to plead his case directly to Americans with a nationwide broadcast. Nixon cleverly made use of the new medium of television to deliver his speech in order to create a closer visual connection with his audience, while also using an informal tone that made him seem more relatable. This established his comeback in political popularity.

Nixon’s use of questions allow him to answer possible criticisms the American people could bring against him. In numerous instances Nixon states “you say,” “you” meaning the American public, and follows it with a question such as “What did you use the fund for, Senator?” or “...that is alright Senator but have you got any proof?” These statements are meant to represent the public’s voices against Nixon. After the question is stated, Nixon immediately responds to what he is asking. By answering these said questions, Nixon defends himself by showing that he has nothing to hide about the current controversy around him. He also uses hypophora in order to shed light on the issue from his standpoint. “Why do I feel so deeply? Why do I feel that in spite of the smears. The misunderstanding, the necessity for a man to come here and bare his soul?” With this statement, Nixon is trying to show Americans that he truly cares about what has been said about him by the people. Nixon is proud of this country and believes that strong leadership is the way to restore its

Nixon supports himself by saying, “...the records will show that -- the records which are in the hands of the administration.” With this statement, Nixon puts forth some of his innocence within the secret fund situation. He knows the public will not take his word alone to prove that he did not call these organizations for money. In order to validate what he is saying, Nixon adds in the fact that his phone records are in the hands of the administration, providing someone to vouch for him on the situation. In the final sentence of his speech, Nixon implements chiasmus to rally support for his running mate. When talking about how he is not giving up this fight Nixon says, “...a vote for Eisenhower is a vote for what is good for America.” As his closing sentence, this is what Nixon wants everyone to take away from his speech. After Nixon pleads innocent, he shifts the attention away from him onto his campaign partner, Eisenhower. Now that the public is warming up to Nixon, he takes the opportunity to make political gain for him and his partner. He leaves Americans with the idea that he and Eisenhower will benefit the country, beginning their political