Running head: ANALYSIS ON PRESIDENT OBAMA’S SPEECH 1

Critical Rhetorical Analysis on President Obama’s Speech Regarding Trayvon Martin

Lindsay Cox, Michael Hong, Travis Ligon, and Jennifer Patterson

Illinois State University

May 5, 2021
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I. Introduction

Rhetoric has various definitions that have been used to describe best what it is and what

purpose it serves in communication studies. This has led several scholars to attempt to perfect the

definition of what rhetoric is. However, to put rhetoric into simple terms, it is defined as,

“Rhetoric can be viewed as the use of language in all its forms (verbal, visual, gestural, etc.) to

convey meaning, and to therefore persuade others of certain ideas, modes of action, or realities,”

(Wernecke). According to Purposes of Rhetorical Criticism, rhetorical criticism is essential to

study because it “focuses on discovering and appreciating how speakers adapt their ideas to

particular audiences” (pg 1, Burgchardt). Rhetorical criticism is an important concept to study

because it provides a way for individuals to look at the more profound meaning and make their

interpretations of what someone is trying to say or do. By studying rhetorical criticism, any

person can analyze a wide range of artifacts and the context and symbols embedded in the

artifact. For our research paper, we will examine a speech given by President Barack Obama. We

will then be able to make our connections and ideas out of how we interpret the artifact under

study.

In this research study, we will be analyzing former President Barack Obama’s speech

regarding the trial of Trayvon Martin in 2013. Martin was a young African American man whose

life was taken far too soon. We chose this speech to analyze the injustices and oppressions this

community has had to face in our society’s history. Our group research question focuses on how

young African American men are seen and treated with such little dignity and respect in our

country, despite the leader of our country being a Black man. Therefore, in this paper, we will

take a deeper look into President Obama’s remarks on the case of Martin. First, we will describe

the importance of the artifact. Second, we will discuss what the historical context is and why it
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holds significance. Third, we will discuss our chosen rhetorical method, which will be used

throughout the analysis. Lastly, we will provide an in-depth analysis of President Obama’s

speech.

II. Speech Artifact Description and Context

Barack Hussein Obama II was born on August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Barack

Obama Sr. and Ann Dunham (Biography Editors, 2021). Obama attended Columbia University

pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and later graduated from Harvard Law School

(Biography Editors, 2021). After graduating from law school, Obama became a civil rights

lawyer in Chicago (Biography Editors, 2021). Seeing that Obama had a strong voice for civil

rights and advocating for those in need, Obama was elected for a seat in the Illinois Senate in

1996 (Biography Editors, 2021). He then moved on to become a U.S. Senator in 2004 and served

in that role until becoming President of the United States in 2008. As the first president of color

in the United States, Obama brought hope to a historically disadvantaged group of people.

Obama’s upbringing and professional career are essential and relevant information we need to

consider when evaluating his speech regarding Martin.

President Obama made these remarks when the nation was strongly divided due to the

trial for the killing of Trayvon Martin. Martin was an unarmed Black man who was killed by a

White man. This speech was delivered on July 19th, 2013, five days after the acquittal of his

killer, George Zimmerman. President Obama delivered remarks on the case in the James S.

Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House. This speech was more than a year after the

initial killing of Martin. Martin’s murder and trial led to heated debates from both sides about

whether the killing was justified and if race played a role in the case. Obama stated, “...the issue

of the Trayvon Martin ruling. I gave a preliminary statement right after the verdict on Sunday.
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But watching the debate over the course of the last week, I thought it might be useful for me to

expand on my thoughts a little bit” (Obama, 2013). This sharp divide in our country brought on

by this case led President Obama to deliver this speech on his experiences as a Black man in

America. This came when the country was dealing with a rise in the publicity of police-involved

shootings of African Americans and the debates that stemmed from that (BJS, 2020).

Trayvon Martin was deemed a threat by the civilian because of what he was wearing.

Obama spoke to the country during a time of heartache felt not only by the parents of Martin but

within the African American community. During his presidency, Obama spoke many times on

the deaths of unarmed African Americans to show how violence is happening in a country that

claims to be the home of the free and land of the brave, that all men are created equal. Obama

wanted to explain how Black men are treated and the trials and tribulations that come with it. The

leader of our country speaking about these personal issues he’s dealt with proves we need a

change in the world we live in. Speaking to the injustices which hit home, Obama was able to

relate to this tragedy in a way no former president could. The tone of the speech was sorrowful.

President Obama spoke of the things he has dealt with as a Black man shows the pain he has

experienced in his life because of prejudice. It was a feeling of pushing the necessity of change

for the African American community. The tone pushed a sense of uncontrollable helplessness felt

by this community because of how they are portrayed. It was a feeling of the need for change.

Police brutality and civilian “protection” has had a significant effect on the black

community. One of the first notable killings was Emmet Till in 1955 with lynching because of

the alleged whistling at a white woman. It moved on to Rodney King when he was shot in the

back by police officers. This caused riots of the wrongfully killed. Killings as of recently include
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Tamir Rice, George Floyd, Ahmaud Aubrey, and Trayvon Martin. Ahmaud Aubrey and Trayvon

Martin have a similar story because they were killed by vigilantes simply because of their race.

Specifically, on February 26, Trayvon Martin was killed by someone who assumed he was

dangerous. Martin was walking home from a local convenience store when George Zimmerman

saw Martin in a hoodie and called the local police. Martin and Zimmerman got into a heated

argument when Martin was shot in the chest by Zimmerman. Zimmerman felt as though it was

self-defense. Zimmerman was acquitted of all charges due to Florida being a stand your ground

state. The Black community supported Martin’s family through protests like marching on the

street and wearing hoodies in solidarity. The hoodie represents what Martin wore when

Zimmerman spotted him. After his death, the family created a foundation called the Trayvon

Martin Foundation in March 2012. In July 2018, a documentary series was created by Jay Z to

speak on his life and how he died. The activist groups began to speak out against injustice similar

to Martin’s story.

This is not the first time a Black life was taken too soon. The government has made a few

attempts to reconcile with the killings in America. The House created a bill that will ban

chokeholds and “no-knock” warrants. This will limit military equipment with the use of civilians.

This speaks volumes to those that have protested for the rights of black lives. The message

behind the rhetoric is that Martin could be any one of our children, brothers, fathers, or even

ourselves. Obama made the statement that Martin could have been him 35 years ago. The death

is seen as a tragedy within the Black community where the cycle seems never ending. In the past,

the media painted death within the Black community as something of lesser value than their

peers. Some might paint the victim as a thug or person on drugs. Obama spoke like no other
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president before him on the injustice upon the family that has to deal with losing their son.

Obama tries to speak to the pathos within everyone in the country as he relates it to ourselves.

One does not want a loved one to be killed with no just reasoning behind it. A community should

not have to march to speak out on the unfairness of being targeted. We as a country must

remember that we must work as one to see a better future for all.

III. Method
Our chosen method we will use to analyze President Obama’s speech is Critical Rhetoric.

Our group found this method to be the most valuable and appropriate to use on our given topic.

Critical Rhetorical Analysis focuses on how power and oppression are used in communication.

According to an article published by Masters in Communication, critical rhetoric is used to

“...focus on the ways that those in power keep and maintain their authority through

communication. In other words, Critical Rhetoricians are concerned with the ways power is

communicated through discursive – and sometimes non-discursive – acts” (Wernecke). President

Obama was giving this speech regarding the trial of Trayvon Martin. In his speech, there are

numerous examples of how power and oppression work in our society. So, CRA was the most

effective method for our research regarding this speech.

The two objectives would be power and oppression. Power can be used to oppress others,

as it is seen within the history of America. If one feels they are better than you, their actions that

follow are just. According to Wernecke, “Critical Rhetoricians seek to reveal the ways power is

communicated through language, often examining ‘issues of race, ethnicity, class, gender,

sexuality, and material conditions’” (Wernecke). Power reveals someone’s actual color when

given the opportunity to oppress another group that is different from that person. This obsession
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for control and keeping that power can drive more oppression onto the other groups. Webster’s

dictionary defines oppression as an “unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power.” This states

that the one with said power is seen as unjust toward the group viewed as less than.

Obama had questioned this power throughout the speech by asking citizens about their

own biases. Obama looked at the oppression that was the history within the country that the

black community faced in the past and asked us not to continue down that path. The question of

power within law enforcement or those vigilantes that feel just to enforce the law hold power

within their hands as, time and time again, similar stories to Trayvon continue within the country.

As of late, the power of the government has not sought to stop oppression within the black

community with new legislation in place.

A Critical Rhetorical Analysis of a piece of work can show you the good and the bad of

what was said. Whether or not the speech can reach the goal and audience it intended to is

decided by various factors. With CRA specifically, we can look at how oppression is described

and explained to the audience, who may never have experienced it. Obama does this in a variety

of ways and indeed shows the power imbalance that exists in the world. Although having some

limitations that will be discussed later in this article, CRA will be an excellent way to look at

Obama’s speech and decide its effectiveness overall. There are moments in his speech where

Obama shows many details of the imbalance of power in society regarding race. “And so the fact

that sometimes that’s unacknowledged adds to the frustration. And the fact that a lot of African

American boys are painted with a broad brush and the excuse is given, well, there are these

statistics out there that show that African American boys are more violent -- using that as an

excuse to see then sons treated differently causes pain. I think the African American community

is also not naïve in understanding that, statistically, somebody like Trayvon Martin was
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statistically more likely to be shot by a peer than he was by somebody else. So folks understand

the challenges that exist for African American boys. But they get frustrated, I think, if they feel

that there’s no context for it and that context is being denied. And that all contributes to a sense

that if a white male teen was involved in the same kind of scenario, that, from top to bottom, both

the outcome and the aftermath might have been different” (Obama 2013). This shows how

African American men have to struggle to get on the same playing field that a White man might

just have from birth. We can use CRA to analyze how this can show that imbalance in a way that

gives examples and doesn't try to tell the audience how to feel. The way Obama describes his

feelings and the lack of power he had growing up, saying things like before I was a senator, I felt

these same pressures from society. This discrimination that even the United States President feels

shows how big of a deal this is. Suppose even the most powerful person in this country can be

seen as a thug and degenerate. How do regular African American people have any chance of

getting out of this cycle?

One of the aspects of pursuing and critically analyzing various forms of communication

is understanding the limitations of the method and approach in CRA. When giving speeches, the

speaker will often focus more on emphasizing how the passage sounds when delivered rather

than citing accurate information. Many politicians use stump speeches that frequently contain

language that bolsters their candidacy or public service position. They do this by using choice

words and phrases that appeal to the emotions or energizes the audience in a given direction. In

the case of this speech, Obama carefully chose his wording on the verdict of the Martin trial,

implying a sense of sympathy and comprehension, evoking strong emotions that the work for

equality and civil rights for Black Americans is not finished yet. The limitations of the method

behind Obama’s speech deal more on the flow of words and how they sound versus the authority
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of the speech, where accurate facts tend to be miscategorized, and the overall message gets lost.

In communications, the key idea is getting the message across to the audience without any

interruptions or distractions from emotional appeal or concurrent talking points. The limitations

in President Obama’s speech correlates along the lines of a unity message and an

acknowledgment of the need for more civil rights reforms and accountability for the murder of

Martin. However, the limitations of his speech touch upon the need for comfort in the wake of

the verdict but lack concrete evidence and administration plans to address systemic racism in the

United States. President Obama’s rhetoric in his speech founded upon seeing Martin as someone

he can relate to, a Black man, being caught under the oppression of racism in America. In CRA,

especially when delivering a political speech, the limitations of this method allow the audience to

feel the emotional weight of the rhetoric, whether a message of sympathy or a call for improving

race relations. One of the drawbacks of the method in CRA is the misappropriation of facts and

the lack of solid findings to justify specific points in a speech. In the case of President Obama’s

speech, there is clear evidence on the limits of his approach in the address to bring a country

together and a wake-up call for race reform in America.

IV. Speech Artifact Analysis

Obama spoke to the dramatic event that took place with the killing of Trayvon Martin.

Obama spoke to the effect on the Black community from the death because it could have

happened to anyone of color. He recognizes it could have been him. Obama brings up several

instances he has experienced. Obama states, “There are very few African American men in this

country who hadn’t had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a

department store. That includes me. There are very few African American men who haven't had
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the experience of walking across the street and hearing the locks click on the doors of cars. That

happens to me -- at least before I was a senator” (Obama, 2013). This feeling relates to the

sentiment across the entire community, whether it is a male or female. If the person is seen as

dangerous because of their skin color or what they look like, it creates a stigma for all people

who look similar to them. This relates to Martin because he was a Black man walking in a

neighborhood with a hoodie on and was deemed dangerous due to the current climate of the

community having recent robberies at the time.

Obama points out that we are doing justice on local laws that can help in situations like

these. He talked about when he was senator, and he put legislation into law enforcement which

helped to eliminate bias when police officers did their jobs. This, in turn, helped the communities

and the officers. This speaks to the possibility of being biased not only within law enforcement

but also in the communities. Obama asked the question, “Am I judging people as much as I can,

based on not the color of their skin, but the content of their character?” This asks the question we

must all consider when we preconceive a notion about someone else. Are we questioning our

actions towards the person we are judging or ignoring to fit our own needs. Obama spoke of

change when he first entered office; he asked citizens to do the same within this speech. Move

past the old way of thinking and look past the bias that might be within us so something like this

would not happen again.

Our research question focuses on how young African American men are targeted in our

society. With the previous leader of our country being an African American man, you would

assume that people’s mindsets would begin to shift regarding this community of people.

However, it has not necessarily been that way. When analyzing President Obama’s speech, there
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were several examples of how young African Americans are represented and treated in our

society. The following examples, which will be discussed, relate to the main focus of this paper.

In the first example from Obama’s speech, he talks about personal experiences he has

dealt with as a Black man. He states in his speech, “There are very few African American men in

this country who hadn’t had the experience of being followed when they were shopping in a

department store. That includes me. There are very few African American men who haven't had

the experience of walking across the street and hearing the locks click on the doors of cars. That

happens to me -- at least before I was a senator. There are very few African Americans who

haven't had the experience of getting on an elevator and a woman clutching her purse nervously

and holding her breath until she had a chance to get off. That happens often” (Obama, 2013).

Obama mentions how African American men are painted in a negative light. However, what

individuals fail to consider is how the African American community has had to deal with

injustices, stereotypes, and prejudices since the beginning of our country's history. Hundreds of

years later, very few changes have been made in our society to support this community. This

contributes to the frustration that African American citizens hold in our society.

This first example can be looked at and analyzed using CRA. When Obama speaks of the

instances where women clutch their purses in fear because a Black man is near them, it

represents the stereotypes and prejudices Black men are held to. When women lock their car

doors because a Black man is walking past their car, it represents these stereotypes and

prejudices. African Americans have been the target of oppression in our society for far too long.

Obama mentions many of these occurrences happened to him before he was a Senator. After

becoming a well-known public figure, he did not receive this kind of treatment compared to
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before. Since becoming the President of the United States, you would have thought people’s

perceptions of the African American community would have changed because now we have a

leader who is a person of color. Unfortunately, that was not the case, and this community of

people is still being targeted in our society.

In the second example in his speech, President Obama speaks of how African American

men have a disadvantage from birth compared to their white counterparts. He says, “I think the

African American community is also not naïve in understanding that, statistically, somebody like

Trayvon Martin was statistically more likely to be shot by a peer than he was by somebody else.

So folks understand the challenges that exist for African American boys. But they get frustrated,

I think, if they feel that there’s no context for it and that context is being denied. And that all

contributes to a sense that if a white male teen was involved in the same kind of scenario, that,

from top to bottom, both the outcome and the aftermath might have been different” (Obama,

2013). He brings up the fact that if a Black man were to kill an innocent and unarmed white

child, the country would be reacting in a completely different way. He also says the aftermath

may have been different, hinting at the systematic racism in the court system which let the killer

go. If the killer was Black, would he have received the same benefit of the doubt?

This statement analyzed through CRA can show us how the power imbalance exists on a

deeper level than just a white man killing a Black man. It shows the way Black boys have to fight

to be on the same footing as those of other races. Whether it be the threat of being killed by a

peer or being killed by a stranger, African Americans have to contend with a significant level of

danger. The way white people in this country may not have to contend with these injustices and

these difficulties in everyday life shows how the majority has all of the power over the minority.
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Obama does an excellent job of communicating these feelings that African American men have

regarding the oppression and discrimination they face every day.

The third example, in President Obama’s speech to the nation on Trayvon Martin, there

is direct evidence that underlines the limitations of his rhetorical approach and passages where he

resoundingly captured the need for eradicating race issues in America. With that being said, the

limitations of Obama’s approach are evident when he talks about the need to fight systemic

racism in America. He emphasized the need to bring together community leaders and demand

equal rights for all Americans. Towards the end of the speech, Obama said, “...I do recognize that

as President, I've got some convening power, and there are a lot of good programs that are being

done across the country on this front. And for us to be able to gather together business leaders

and local elected officials and clergy and celebrities and athletes, and figure out how are we

doing a better job helping young African American men feel that they're a full part of this society

and that they've got pathways and avenues to succeed” (Obama, 2013). President Obama

promised sweeping reform on rooting out systematic racism in America. However, the

limitations of Obama’s rhetorical approach are evident as he did not elaborate on his plan of

getting famous athletes, celebrities, and community leaders to join a task force in addressing and

solving racism in the communities. President Obama’s proposal was bold and inspiring to the

audience. Yet, with the harsh reality of the Trayvon Martin case, it was difficult for him to push

for racism reform in America, where young Black men are routinely mistreated, and community

leaders largely stay silent on the issue. The effects of Obama’s speech became the catalyst of race

issues in the Obama Administration. Referencing the beginning of Obama’s speech, Obama

quipped about Trayvon: “You know, when Trayvon Martin was first shot, I said that this could

have been my son. Another way of saying that is Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years
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ago” (Obama, 2013). Using the CRA method, Obama addresses race issues in America but

became a fault in not being explicitly direct and aggressive in amending racial tensions and

advocating for legislation that benefits Black Americans. While President Obama’s remarks

comforted a country under turmoil from the Trayvon Martin trial, Obama’s rhetoric did not lay

out a comprehensive plan or agenda to fix systemic racism in America. This continued to lead to

racial tensions among black and white Americans throughout his presidency.

V. Conclusion

The overall objective behind this speech President Obama gave touched upon many

rhetorical and effective communication devices he used to garner attention to the aftermath of a

divided America torn between race issues and policing in communities. During his speech,

Obama used specific rhetoric to outline major points on coming together as a nation to solve

systematic racism and discrimination. A crucial moment in his remarks was when he

sympathized with Martin and reiterated how Black youths in America still struggle with racism

daily. While Obama’s rhetoric defined the advocates for justice and ending acts of violence with

legislation, Obama fell short of outlining specific actions on reducing gun violence and assistance

to Black youths caught under oppression. Regarding examples in the speech, Obama emphasized

the magnitude of the tragedy and the collective disappointment of a nation that seeks justice in

the Trayvon Martin case. President Obama’s remarks on Trayvon Martin became the primary

headline on a controversial case of race in America and serves as the prominent forefront of

addressing race issues and solving systematic racism collectively as a nation.

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https://www.biography.com/us-president/barack-obama.

Biography Editors (2014, April 2). Trayvon Martin Biography. A&E Television Networks.

Retrieved May 4, 2021 from https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/trayvon-martin.

Burgchardt, C., & Jones, H. (2017). Readings in Rhetorical Criticism. Strata Publishing, Inc.

Obama, B. (2013, July 19). Remarks on Trayvon Martin [Speech Transcript]. Miller Center.

https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/july-19-2013-remarks-trayv

on-martin.

Wernecke, C. (N.d). Critical Rhetoric. Master’s in Communications. Retrieved from

https://www.mastersincommunications.com/research/rhetorical-studies/critical-rhetoric

Wernecke, C. (N.d). Introductory Guide to Rhetorical Studies. Master’s in Communications.

Retrieved from https://www.mastersincommunications.com/research/rhetorical-studies/.