Rhetorical Analysis Of Barack Obama’s Speech “Back To School”
The President of America, Barack Obama held the speech “Back to School” at Wakefield High School in Virginia on September 8th, 2009. The speech concerns the importance and prominence of education and good will, and encourages the students to do their best in school. By emotional demonstrating he understands how they feel, that he can relate to their situation having been through the same circumstances.
One of the main statements in the speech is the declaration of how education determines whether the United States of America will be able to meet its major challenges in the future. Obama argues that the skills taught in class are the ones the youngsters will be depending on further on in life. And he insists that these abilities must be developed, in order to solve the problems the nation will face in the future. He uses refutation when making his point by stating that he is aware of how doing well in school can be difficult at times, and that life does come with complications. By doing this, Obama ensures that he retains a realistic view on education, making it easier for the students to relate to his statement.
Another fundamental statement in the speech is that everyone has a talent, and something to contribute. Therefore everyone also possesses a responsibility. This serves well as a corroborative statement, as it recalls the importance of education. To make his point clear, he employs real-life stories to underpin his claim. He conveys the stories of people who faced challenges, but chose to fight hard, and succeeded. These stories are addressed to the youngsters receiving the speech, encouraging them to step up their game, and work harder in order to succeed. Furthermore, he incorporates stories from his own childhood and teenage years, making it easier for younger kids to identify with Obama. This identification makes Obama a furthermore reliable character and front-person, which is advantageous for his argument, in order for it to shine through.
Obama similarly articulates the stories of idols such as J. K. Rowling in his speech, perfect examples of the hard work that has paid off. A rhetorical analysis of the speech is applicable. Since the speech was delivered verbally, and not in script there are several rhetorical means, whose significance is great when it comes to how the speech is received by the audience. Barack Obama starts his speech by greeting his audience with a casual greeting; “Hello everyone, how is everyone doing today? making him identifiable for the crowd of youngsters receiving the speech. This is an important thing to note, since it tells something about how the president would like to be viewed upon among the youngsters, and it is clearly visible that he wants them to see him as their equal, and not as someone high above them, the first line that he is trying to level with his audience, the young students, despite his status.
The formality level of the speech is neutral, with standard diction and few spoken words. This is important, since the receivers of the speech need to be able to maintain their interest and not be bored by difficult terms. It’s the combination of good argumentation and great political rhetoric that makes this speech very well-known, and interesting to work with. Barack Obama is known world-wide as an extraordinary orator, and this is very visible in the speech “Back to School”.
