AnalysisofObama'sspeech

Rhetoricalsetting:EpideicticOratoryEthos:

SincetheoratoristheAmericanpresidentofprestigeandknowshowtobeatrustworthyindividualbyexhibitingintellengence,goodsense,virtue,andgoodwill,thespeechappearstobemorepowerfulandconvincingthanacommonpeople'saddress.

paragraphoneWe'reheretomemorialize29Americans:CarlAcord.JasonAtkins.ChristopherBell.GregoryStevenBrock.KennethAllanChapman.RobertClark.CharlesTimothyDavis.CoryDavis.MichaelLeeElswick.WilliamI.Griffith.StevenHarrah.EdwardDeanJones.RichardK.Lane.WilliamRooseveltLynch.NicholasDarrellMcCroskey.JoeMarcum.RonaldLeeMaynor.JamesE.Mooney.AdamKeithMorgan.RexL.Mullins.JoshuaS.Napper.HowardD.Payne.DillardEarlPersinger.JoelR.Price.DewardScott.GaryQuarles.GroverDaleSkeens.BennyWillingham.AndRickyWorkman.

Analysis: Inthispart,thereisonlyonesentencewherespeakermakesalistofthenamesofvictims.Accordingtothewaythatcallingtheirnamesonebyone,thespeakershowsympathyandsadnesswhichcorrespondswiththefeelingsofaudience.Undoubetedly,thisdevicemakestherelationshipbetweenthespeakerandaudiencecloserimmediately.Hence,itispathosthatisusedherebyspeaker.

paragraphtwonothingwesaycanfilltheholetheyleaveinyourhearts,ortheabsencethattheyleaveinyourlives.Analysis: Asforfiguresofspeech,thespeakerusesametopherinthesentence.Theword"hole"actuallyimpliesthesadnessofpeople.Undoubtedly,thisdevicemakesthelanguagemorevividandconvictive.Ifanycomfortcanbefound,itcan,perhaps,befoundbyseekingthefaceofGod--(applause)--whoquietsourtroubledminds,aGodwhomendsourbrokenhearts,aGodwhoeasesourmourningsouls.Analysis: Asforstyle,thespeakerusesaparallelisminthesentence,whichenhancestheemotionofthespeakerandthepowerofthesentence.Thereisnodoubtthattheparallelismindicateshowsadthepeopleiswhentheyloosetheseminers.paragraphthreeEvenaswemourn29liveslost,wealsoremember29liveslived.

Analysis: Asforfiguresofspeech,thespeakerusesaoxymoroninthesentence.Theword"mourm"isoppositetotheword"remember",andtheword"lost"isoppositetothewordtheword"lived".Inthesentence,thespeakershowshowrespectabletheminersarealthoughtheypastaway.paragraphfourAnalysis: Inthispart,thespeakersatesthecontributionsthatminersmade,accordingtofirst-personpointofview.Undoubtedly,itmakestherelationshipbetweenspeakerandaudiencecloser.Therefore,pathosisusedhere.

Dayafterday,theywouldburrowintothecoal,thefruitsoftheirlabor,whatsooftenwetakeforgranted:theelectricitythatlightsupaconventioncenter;thatlightsupourchurchorourhome,ourschool,ouroffice;theenergythatpowersourcountry;theenergythatpowerstheworld.ParagraphfiveAndmostdaysthey'demergefromthedarkmine,squintingatthelight.Mostdays,they'demerge,sweatyanddirtyanddustedfromcoal.Mostdays,they'dcomehome.Analysis: Figuresofspeech,itusesparallelismtoincreasethesenseofrhythmandrhymebeautyandemphasizetheminers'hard.Thisvividdescriptioncauseshumanemotions,soitispathos.ParagraphsixSomeofthemhadalreadybeeninjured;someofthemhadseenafriendgethurt.Sotheyunderstoodtherewererisks.Analysis: Figuresofspeech,Itusesanaphora(句首重復(fù))tostrengthentheaudience'simpressionontheminers.From"so",weknowitisLogos.Thesesentencesshowlogic.Theyknewtheirkidswouldsayaprayeratnightbeforetheyleft.Theyknewtheirwiveswouldwaitforacallwhentheirshiftendedsayingeverythingwasokay.Theyknewtheirparentsfeltapangoffeareverytimeabreakingnewsalertcameon,ortheradiocutin."Analysis: Figuresofspeech,thispartusesparallelismtoincreasethesenseofrhythmandrhymebeautyandemphasizetherisksoftheminers'work.Italsohighlightstheminers'greatnessandcausestheaudience'emotion,soitispathos.Paragraphseven

Allthathardwork,allthathardship,allthetimespentunderground,itwasallforthefamilies.Itwasallforyou.Analysis: Figuresofspeech,thispartusesanaphoraandclimax.Theformershowstheminers'hardfortheirworkandstrengthentheaudience'impression.Thelatterdeepenstheaudience'feelinggradually,soitalsobelongtopathos.Andsotheseminerslived--astheydied--inpursuitoftheAmericanDream."Analysis: Figuresofspeech,itusesoxymoroninthispart.Thespeakerwanttheaudiencepayattentiontoit.Thentheyrememberthoseminers.Paragrapheighttheybecameafamilythemselves--sharingbirthdays,relaxingtogether,watchingMountaineersfootballorbasketballtogether,spendingdaysofftogether,huntingorfishing.Analysis: Figuresofspeech,itusesepistrophetoshowthelogic.Italsoincreasethesenseofrhythmandrhymebeauty.Thisparthighlightstheminers'unity.Theyloveddoingitasafamily.Theyloveddoingitasacommunity.Analysis: Figuresofspeech,Itusesanaphoratoincreasethesenseofrhythmandrhymebeauty.Itusesclimaxbetween"family"and"community"toshowtheminers'unity.paragrhphnineIt'sthesong,LeanonMe--ananthemoffriendship,butalsoananthemofcommunity,ofcomingtogether.Analysis: theuseof"anthem"ismataphor,whichshowsthesongwrittenbythecoalminer'ssonisapraiseoffriendshipandunity.From"friendship"to"community",whatthesongpraisesbecomedeeperanddeeper.Herethespeakerusesclimaxtoenhancethedegree.paragraph10Thatcommunitywasrevealedforalltoseeintheminutes,andhours,anddaysafterthetragedy.

Analysis: inthissentencethespeakerusesclimaxfromtheaspectoftimetoemphasizethelongperiodthecoalminers'familiesguardtheirralativesandhelpeachother.Rescuers,riskingtheirownsafety,scouringnarrowtunnelssaturatedwithmethaneandcarbonmonoxide,hopingagainsthopetheymightfindasurvivor.Friendskeepingporchlightsoninanightlyvigil;hanginguphomemadesignsthatread,"Prayforourminers,andtheirfamilies."Neighborsconsolingeachother,andsupportingeachotherandleaningononeanother.Analysis: theuseofpresentparticipleoftheseverbsisparallel,whichemphasizsthehardshipofsearchingforthesurvivorsandendlesshopeandstrongsupportpeoplegivetoeachother.paragraph11Inthedaysthatfollowedthedisaster,emailsandletterspouredintotheWhiteHouse.Analysis: thespeakeruses"pourinto”tostressthenumerousnumberofemailsandlettersinordertoshowtheconcernpeoplefromalloverthecountrygivetothecoalminersandtheirfamilies.Heretheuseof"pourinto"ismetaphor.Iamproudtobefromafamilyofminers.Iamthesonofacoalminer.Iamproudtobeacoalminer'sdaughter."Analysis: herethespeakerpickssomewordsfromthosecoalminers'relativesandthusspeaksinthepositionofthem.Thismakestherelationshipbetweenthespeakerandtheaudiencesmuchcloser.Hereanaphora(句首重復(fù)）isused.Thesesentencesshowmanycoalminers'relativesfeelproudofthem.Theywerealwaysproud,andtheyaskedmetokeepourminersinmythoughts,inmyprayers.Neverforget,theysay,minerskeep

America'slightson.

Analysis:

theuseof"my"and"our"ispathos,fromwhichthespeakerexpresseshissympathytogetherwiththeaudiencesforthedead,andthusnatuallyenvokesthecommonfeelingswiththeaudience.Andthenintheseletters,theymakeasimpleplea:Don’tletthishappenagain.(Applause.)Dont’tletthishappenagain.Howcan

wefailthem?Howcan

anationthatreliesonitsminersnotdoeverythinginitspowertoprotectthem?Howcan

weletanyoneinthiscountryputtheirlivesatriskbysimplyshowinguptowork;bysimplypursuingtheAmericanDream?paragraph12Intheverybeginningofthisparagraph,theoratorused"asimpleplea"torefertotherequestortherepitionofbereavedfamilies.Theunderstatementrhetoricaldevicealsoshowsasignofpathos,whichputstheaudienceintheframeofmindthattheyaregenerousandconsiderateinfrontofsuchahugedisaster.Thus,thefollowingpleawinstheapplauseofpeople.Thepetitionofthepleashowsthesadnessandthehelplesscryofthepeople,whichisanotherpathostoindicatethatthepresidentisreallysorryfortheirsadnessandstandsbytheirside.Inthefollowingsentences,wewon'tmisstoseethattherearethreerhetoricalquestionsstartwith"Howcan".Theyaredeepself-accusationsonbehalfofthegovernmentandthenation.It'salsoaPathos,whichputsthewholecountrywiththebereavedfamiliestogether.Theyalsousethedevicesofparallelismandrepititionbyvirtueof"Howcan"and"bysimply"toreinforcetheemotion.paragraph13

Wecannotbringbackthe29menwelost.TheyarewiththeLordnow.Ourtask,hereonEarth,istosavelivesfrombeinglostinanothersuchtragedy;todowhatmustdo,individuallyandcollectively,toassuresafeconditionsunderground—(applause)—totreatourminersliketheytreateachother—likeafamily.(Applause.)Becauseweareallfamilyandwe

areallAmericans.(Applause.)Andwehavetoleanononeanother,andlookoutforoneanother,andloveoneanother,andprayforoneanother.

Thereisaenthymemehereinthisparagraph.Themajorpremiseisthefirsttwosentence,whichdefinitivelydeclarethedeathofthe29coalminers.Theconclusionmaybethattheseminerscannotjointhepeopletoimplementthe"task".Theminorpremise,whichwasomitted,maybethatthedeadminerscannolongerbeonEarthanddoanything. Theparallelismstructureaboutthe"task"startswith"todo"andrevealsthatthegovernmenthasalreadyknowntheharmofdisasterandwasdeterminedtotakeappropriatemeasurestoprotectlivesandtoreducedisasteranddamage.Thesearepromisesforallpeoplealive.

Therepititionof"and"and"weare"showasignofpathoswhichaimatunitingpeopletofacethisdisaster.Therepititionof"oneanother"showsnotonlytheaimabovebutalsothewishthatpeopleshouldhelpeachother.

Alltheseweredonetocatertopeople'semotionalappeal.Itdefinitlyisauseofpathos.paragraph14

There’sapsalmthatcomestomindtoday-–apsalmthatcomestomind,apsalmweoftenturntointimesofheartache.“EventhoughIwalkthroughthe

valleyoftheshadowofdeath,Iwillfearnoevil,forYouarewithme;yourrodandyourstaff,theycomfortme.”Godbless

ourminers.(Applause.)Godblesstheirfamilies.God