In January of 2008, as the nation came together to witness Barrack Obama give his inaugural speech, many of us sat in front of our televisions or stood in the crowd in Washington D.C, to be a part of this history making event. Many tuned in to hear what Obama would say about his plans and aspirations for America - what he wished to pursue and what changes we should expect in our country. President Obama's speech reached every part of America, from the upper-class of New York City to the worst poverty stricken areas of our country. He used strategic methods of rhetoric to create an effective speech, delivering it with confidence to an attentive nation. .
President Obama kept a consistent theme moving throughout the entirety of his speech. Many aspects of his speech, such as foreign policy, the economy, and the war hearkened back to the historical ideals and foundations our nation was built on. .
For example, "For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West, endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth."" President Obama arouses the challenge of responsibility to our country. By linking the aspects to the history of our founding fathers the speech was structured and strong. President Obama uses the theme of history and the method of pathos to create patriotism in his speech. President Obama creates a patriotic tone in the speech by mentioning all the "ups and downs " our country faced such as when he says "Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction. " .
Leaving the audience with a sense of pride because this country has been through so much and our nation still stands.