This week President Obama gave his State of the Union Address. Obama never ceases to amaze me with his public speaking skills. Generally, I lose interest in a speech after ten minutes, but not when our President is speaking.
As Obama began to speak, I immediately noticed that he incorporated pathos into his speech. He began by talking about the shooting in Tucson, making us focus on the negative so he could make us feel hopeful for a brighter future.
Obama again used pathos to inspire us. Words like “innovation” have always inspired me, and I could not tell you why. It seems to me that it is just one of those words that carries extra positive connotations. Obama did not just use this word once, he used it over and over, and it never lost its power because he used it to talk about so many different topics. He described past and present innovations and how innovation makes us who we are as Americans. Using such a positive term to describe Americans made me proud, happy, and hopeful.
President Obama told stories of everyday Americans rising to the occasion to further give us hope for the future. Then he repeated the words, “we do big things” to make us proud of our country’s past accomplishments.
The State of the Union Address made me feel patriotic, and filled me with hope for a brighter tomorrow. Obama effectively used pathos to evoke those emotions.
