Obama's Victory Speech

Is there a pattern in the speech writing?
What are the most common rhetorical techniques used in both speeches?
Why are these particular techniques used and why are they so effective?


Obama is a gifted spokesperson. His collected attitude towards the audience and his intelligence somehow direct the audience to become in favor of him. A pattern that is visible in his speeches are how he frequently mentions his family and Grandmother. Obama also thanks the Americans for their support in all of his speeches. His Victory Speech was shorter however, than the first two speeches we had discussed earlier. Another pattern noticeable in his speeches is how he rarely uses periods. His sentences are very long, and he rarely has any sentences that have less than 15 words in them. For example:

"This country is more generous than one where a man in Indiana has to pack up the equipment he's worked on for twenty years and watch it shipped off to China, and then chokes up as he explains how he felt like a failure when he went home to tell his family the news. "

Barack Obama uses a lot of rhetorical devices in his speeches. He tends to use anecdotes, for example:

"Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story - of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to."

He also uses inclusion, for example:

"For eighteen long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past. You understand that in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result. You have shown what history teaches us..."

He also uses repetition, chiasmus, hyperboles, and cause and effect.


These particular techniques are used because they capture the audience. The techniques win the audiences attention and draw them towards Obama. When Obama uses inclusion, it is higly effective because he relates with the audience. He makes his audience feel meaningful and important. When he uses hyperboles he inspires his audience. The anecdotes allow the audience to know that he too, is a normal human being like them, with normal personal stories, a man who just want's America to prosper and be a happy country.

Obama has wisdom and knowledge and he uses it to get what he wants.