Obama's Victory Speech Analysis

Obama’s speech was a lot shorter than his acceptance speech, but none the less it was just as great and not just because it was around half an hour shorter. Obama’s speeches could be 2 minutes or 1 hour and they would both be just as strong, just as powerful, and just as inspirational, because Obama is a great speaker and gets his message through in such a great way.

Obama’s speeches are quite similar in fact both of his speeches has similar ideas and concepts. Not only that but he uses a lot of rhetorical devices such as rhetorical questions which he uses very effectively, reader inclusion like when he talks about how this victory is all about “you the people” He doesn’t even say how winning the election is his victory to him and how he’s all happy, but he says how the victory is all the Americans victory. He also includes the audience when he says, “The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep, we may not get there in one year or even in one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.” This clearly means that Obama is all for the people and nothing is about him. Obama also has a lot of repetition, like when he starts talking about schools and churches, young and old, rich and poor, black and white, gay and straight, disabled and not disabled. He was clearly using repetition to get his message out. Obama not only includes who ever voted for him in his speech, but he talks about how even though you may not have voted for me he still needs all of their help on his mission. Obama overall used a lot of anecdotes, rhetorical questions, and repetition to really get to the audience/reader. These have really enhanced his speech in both of them.

These particular devices are used because it really gets the message across to the audience, especially reader inclusion, because by using reader inclusion he really let the audience know that he is all for the people, and he also wants to get the audience/reader interested in what he has to say, because if you had a speech that was all about you, I am sure the reader would have your full undivided attention. The story is the same with Obama and his reader inclusions. Obama uses rhetorical questions because it really get’s the audience thinking, especially if his rhetorical questions have to do with something really important. After Obama would use a rhetorical question he would pause a bit and then say “yes we can” Obama repeatedly did this throughout his speech which really made the audience applaud and scream for him.

Overall In both Obama’s speeches he delivered them both with passion, power, persuasion, and honor. I have not been to much of a speech listener because I always thought they were boring and a big waste of time, but after hearing Obama his speeches really get me interested and don’t bore me even the slightest bit, and no doubt his future speeches will all be the same.