Week 2- Discussion 1.
Think of a speaker you admire. Does his or her power to persuade come from ethos, pathos, or logos? Think about your own ability to persuade others. What personal qualities do you have that make you persuasive? Does Aristotle’s classification scheme work for them, or do they fit into another category?
I am sure many people will be saying this but I really believe Barack Obama is a completely admirable speaker, and I think this helped lead to his victory in this past election.
For one thing his speeches are often filled with pathos. He finds a way to bring an emotional connection from his words to listeners. No matter if his listeners support him or his policies, it extremely hard for anyone to not feel an emotional connection to his words and speaking abilities. Using pathos helps to persuade his listeners to listen to what he is saying find a connection.
But he also uses logos. No matter how detailed, illustrated or imaginative his speeches may be, they are always filled with logic. And example of this would be his speech after he lost the New Hampshire primaries. He used his speech as a story, but often brought it back to the logic with a saying that later turned into one of his campaign slogans, "Yes we can."
Obama also uses ethos. His speeches are heard and the audience can feel the sincerity.
I like to think that I am most persuasive by using logos. I want to sound logical, but I don think that is actually always the case. I usually tend to persuade with pathos. When I try to persuade it is usually something I am very passionate about, and my passion and emotions are hard to hide, which I believe makes them contagious. I also use pathos because I try to find an emotional connection to whom I am talking to.
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Hi ImaginePeace,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I’d like to know why you picked this name. Are you really an advocate for peace? If so, what are you doing to achieve this goal, if not, I still admire your name.
Anyways, I agree with you that Barack Obama is an excellent charismatic speaker. He is perfect for the role of presidency regardless of what critics say about his experience, diplomacy, and policies. When watching President Obama give his inauguration speech, I felt goosebumps all over my body and was on the verge of tears because I am very amazed at the fact that America is a land where dreams come true. President Obama brings an emotional connection through the fact that he restates the worries of the people and reiterates his plan to bring solution to those problems. He definitely holds the attention of his audience by bringing up key points that deeply relates to the people of America. His phrase, “Yes, We Can” is VERY clever because it gives the American people hope and it goes along with the theme of having dreams come true in America. I fully support our current President and can only hope that his policies brings the world a better America.
Signing Out,
Events Dreamer
I agree that President Barack Obama is a very influential speaker. He speaks with such poise that gives people a sence of confidence that we all will come out of this crisis and on the strong American path that we all come to know and love. I watched Barack Obama before the Super Bowl in a Bar in Argentina where Americans went to view the event and people were clapping ang cheering when spoke. The Argentines respect Barack for his accomplishments as well but on a different level. They believe that he will do a great job for America and he is a good fit for the position. In 2001 the AR president was trying to make their economy as strong as the United States making some pretty risky moves. Unfortunally this did not end up so pretty and the economy went into a crashing fall and it has not recovered since. This diminished many hopes and dreams for young adults hoping to accomplish their professional goals of getting good stable jobs. Barack Obama tells the truth and reaches us in a emotional level as well and that respect we gained with this leader is trully fortunate in this time of American change.
ReplyDeleteImagine pEACE,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that President BaraCk Obama is one of the most influential speakers of our time. He has such a confidence and charisma about him that him being knowledgeable in the topics he cares about is a big plus.
I feel like he is talking to everyone no matter what age, ethnicity, and gender. He is touching the lives of so many people all over the world and is taking this historical moment in our history with such poise and determinism.
I think he is a chameleon, he can adapt to any kind of public and speak about the facts and still show his personality and sincerity. There are so many different kinds of people living in America and we need that type of attribute in a President to lead a whole country.
sO mUch things tO say-b.marley!!