Rhetorical Analysis

Inaugural Address by President Barack

Obama
United States
January 20th,

Capitol2013

By
Kumar Anirudh

The inaugural address was delivered by President Barack Obama

on January 20th, 2013 at the Capitol after his re-election as the
President of the United States for the second term. The first
striking feature about the speech is the delivery itself. President
Obama is an excellent orator and an inspirational speaker. His
speeches have a clarity of thought and he speaks with substantial
control over his delivery. He has mastered the art of rhetoric. This
is a key point to consider given that rhetoric is an important part
of our life as well as our class. President Obama has an
extraordinary power to move people through his speech and bring
people together.
In the first part of his speech, he refers to the inauguration as an
occasion for every American to witness the strength of the
constitution and refers to the allegiance of every citizen to the
Declaration as the reason for the United States being an
exceptional country. He emphasizes the democratic nature of the
government- a government of, by and for the people. All these
statements act as a driving force to bring together everyone
gathered at the Capitol as well as those who watched the address
from their homes. He makes references to the civil war which
have acted as a motivation to move forward as a nation and start
anew to build a better and new United States. He tries to build
from the roots that America has always been a progressive
thinker and has used its experiences to change and perfect itself.
These are the perfect thoughts that one would express in a place
like the Capitol. The Capitol is one of the centers of American
history and the speech brings about a sense of unity and oneness.
Thousands of happy people were gathered outside the Capitol to
hear the 44th President address United States, in particular, and

the world. Its the perfect occasion to bring out the patriotism is
everyone.
President Obama talks about the character and personality traits
of every American which are initiative, enterprise and hard work.
He states that it is these traits that have brought us to the level
we are at currently. And he says that our success today is not
because of one or a few people but because of the collective
action of every citizen and this collective action is necessary to
preserve the individual freedom of the people. He makes fair and
true arguments as he progresses through his speech.
He uplifts the moods of people by referring to United States as a
country which possesses all the qualities that the challenging
world today demands: youth, drive, diversity, openness and
reinvention. He also calls United States a land of opportunity. He
encourages people to work for the betterment of today so that
the future generations have a better tomorrow. He points out that
we are being faithful to our constitution and creed only when we
have made sure that there is hope for everyone in this country. He
says that even a girl born into a poor family must have the same
chance to succeed as a rich person. He pleads to treat everyone
as equals by saying that we are not equal just in the eyes of God
but in our own.
He briefly mentions about security, health care and the size of the
financial deficit. He points out that none of these can be
compromised; money needs to be invested into health care and
social security but at the same time we need to decrease the size
of our financial deficits. He tells the listeners that America is not a
country that makes compromises but a country that finds
alternative paths to achieve its many goals without hurting
anyone in the society. One of the key things about his speech is
that he talks about climate change. Climate change is a very
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current and modern thing. He states that we are betraying our

children and future generations by not dealing with the climate
change. Its a fact that climate change is affecting our lives and
will do so to the future generations. It shows that President
Obama doesnt just think ahead but also cares for the welfare of
everyone in the world. His argument is quite strong because it is
backed by solid evidence.
He also talks about the founding fathers who not only brought
peace to the country but also turned the sworn enemies into the
surest of friends and he states that this is the legacy that we
must carry forward. All the things that President Obama talks
about act as a motivation for the listeners. He encourages people
to resolve differences between themselves and mentions that is it
also important to resolve differences with other countries by
collaborating and joining hand with them. This will lift the blinds of
suspicion and fear. To reiterate that United States is a land of
opportunity and equality, he mentions that we must act as a
source of hope to the poor, sick and victims of prejudice. No
where in his speech does President Obama state that he is
superior to others even though he is the most powerful man on
the face of the earth. He treats himself as an ordinary citizen; one
among many to stress the fact of equality.
Another key point of President Obamas speech is that he stresses
the importance of womens rights and how important it is to give
women an equal opportunity in every facet of life. He also talks
about equal rights for our gay brothers and sisters and
emphasizes the importance of the right to vote which is the main
tool of a citizen. Towards the end of his speech, he mentions that
the oath taken by every person at the Capitol is not for a
particular party but to serve the country and the world. In the
concluding lines of the speech, President Obama states that every
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citizen has the power and hence it is the obligation of every

citizen to work for the betterment of the country and set it on the
right course. This is very much related to civic engagement.
Another thing that he mentioned in his concluding line that
relates to civic engagement is the in order to be true to our
founding documents we must act in our time.
Throughout his speech, President Obama constantly goes back
and forth between the past and the present making the structure
of his speech quite complex. But he delivers his ideas and
thoughts in a lucid and crystal clear manner. Theres a smooth
progression as he moves from one thought to another. Most of his
arguments are fair as they are backed by strong evidence and
thus logos is quite evident. He emphasizes equality and hope and
persuades people to work for the betterment of the country and
the world so that we don't betray our future generations. His
ideas are modern and current and reflect the true state of the
world. He focuses on the macrocosm rather than on the
microcosm making it appealing to everyone. His sympathy for the
poor and victims of prejudice reflects the element of pathos.
Throughout the speech, his tone is quite serious and clearly, his
passion to work for the betterment of the people is reflected in his
speech. The themes and ideas that President Obama talks about,
the setting at the Capitol and the patriotic audience go hand in
hand.
In conclusion, I would say that the speech acted as a tool to bring
about unity and oneness among the people and also sparked the
fire of patriotism. Treating everyone as equal and participating in
activities for the betterment of the world is the golden path to a
better future.