If you google rhetoric, it is defined as "the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use of figures of speech and other compositional techniques," but in rhetorical criticism or analysis you may not be looking at just effectiveness depending on the kind of lens. There are many different things that you can explore when examining rhetoric other than the ones I have used in other annotations, and I encourage you to try a lot of different things out because there is probably a lens for everything. If something stands out to you, or you think something is working well think about why. This can help you understand artifacts better.

If you were to analyze this speech in terms of neo-aristotelian criticism then you would have to determine whether or not a speech was effective. Before going into this more, I will explain what neo-aristotelian criticism is. Neo-Aristotelian criticism is considered to be the first method of rhetorical criticism created. It was made to analyze speeches and involves examining the context of the time when the speech took place, looking at the five canons (invention, organization, style, memory and delivery) and how they are used in the speech or artifact and then seeing how the speech impacted the audience.Overall what you are finding out, or trying to find out about the artifact is whether or not the rhetor achieved their intended goals or got the desired response from their audience by using possible ways of persuasion. In other words, to determine if was it effective or effective enough to achieve their goals. I think that looking at this speech overall, I would argue that it was very effective. He uses a lot of pathos which worked well with this speech. Obama brings in his audience by talking about things that people know and can relate to. He uses emotional statements that get good reactions and tries to incorporate everyone in his audience. Secondly, he does not talk much about himself. Rather than saying what he will do as President or what he thinks, he talks about what the people of this country have suffered and accomplished. He sets goals for everyone, and talks about what “we” will do in the future. Lastly, he uses repetition. When we read something we mostly remember the words we see the most. His words stick in people’s minds not only because they make us feel a certain way, but they are written and put together in a way that makes us remember specific statements because we have seen it more than once. These skills are not just limited to Obama, and can be used by any rhetor in order to make an effective speech using pathos.

This version of the speech notes every time there is applause from the audience. Looking at this, and at the video of the speech could help you examine the delivery of the speech. This part of the speech (which begins with "and so") can be seen at 12:08 in the video of the speech. Delivery is one of the five canons of rhetoric and has to do with the way a rhetor says things. This could do with behaviors and other aspects that do not pertain to what exactly is being said. Some questions that may me thought about are things like: Which words are emphasized when the rhetor is speaking? What kind of movements or gestures is the rhetor making, if any? How is everything presented? Barack Obama, for example, uses a lot of hand movements when he speaks. What do you think this does, if anything? Is this good or bad? You could think about this in particular if you watch the speech. In the part I referred to (at 12:08) when Obama says "from the grandest capital to the small village where my father was born," his hand goes up when he says grandest and lowers when he says small village. I think he does this to emphasize what he is saying. Another thing I noticed is when he finishes this part with "And we are ready to lead once more," he stresses the words "we" and "lead." Some other words he emphasizes or stresses are "all," and "each." Why do you think he does that? You can read more information about delivery in its section, as well as look at information about the other canons on the Forest of Rhetoric website. http://rhetoric.byu.edu/Canons/Delivery.htm

Repetition is very important in speeches because it makes certain statements stand out or stick in the audience’s mind, therefore it is important to look out for it. The way that Obama uses repetition in his speech emphasizes pathos. Pathos is one of the areas of the rhetorical triangle, or a mode of persuasion. The triangle consists of three rhetorical devices that helps a rhetor appeal to their audience. The other strategies included are Ethos and Logos. Ethos has to do with credibility or ways a rhetor appeals ethically. Ethos is used when a rhetor wants to present good character or credibility to their audience. Some examples may be having a respectable position or establishing one, or presenting enough knowledge to show that you are credible. Logos has to do with logical reasoning. A rhetor can use logos by presenting facts or statistics and specific examples. Lastly, pathos appeals to the audience emotionally. It is used by saying things that can evoke emotion from the audience.<br> In this part of the speech, it is not only effective nor considered pathos because of its repetition but because of what he is saying. Obama illustrates the struggles of people from many different places which represent a struggle that was faced "for us." This particular repetition shows how repetition can be used to stress something that is important to the rhetor. In some cases, these important things can be emotional which is why is would be considered pathos. You can read more about repetition and look at a lot of information on the Forest of Rhetoric site. This site goes into detail about what rhetoric is as well as different aspects of rhetoric. This link will tell you more about repetition specifically, including its rhetorical importance and different kinds of repetition. http://rhetoric.byu.edu/Figures/Groupings/of%20Repetition.htm In addition the link to the overall website where you can find more information is below http://rhetoric.byu.edu

You can watch the video for the speech or listen as you read along here if you'd like. Of course, it is not necessary to listen to or watch the entire thing but Barack Obama is known for being a very good speaker. You can study how he delivers speeches and look at the visual or physical aspects of this speech by looking at the video. The speech begins at around 2:35 In other annotations, I may refer to specific things to look at in the video of the speech so you can find the link here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PuHGKnboNY&t=180s

It can be said that there is this idea of Americans or everyone being responsible, and having to have to work together in order to accomplish things that is evident throughout the speech. This idea is something that can be looked at using ideological criticism. Ideological criticism is used to examine what some use of rhetoric may suggest about beliefs and/or values. In order to analyze something using ideological criticism you have to figure out the elements that are presented then link those elements to other suggested elements. After this you can create an ideology that you think is being formed and then you examine the purpose of the ideology. Although I skipped to the third step of this process at the beginning of this annotation, one question that can be asked when using ideological criticism is what ideology is being presented in this artifact? In order to come to the ideology that I proposed, you could think about what makes it seem like that is the ideology. For example, Obama uses "we," "our" and us numerous times throughout the speech which emphasizes and presents how everyone is included or how everyone must take action in order to accomplish things, so there is this big sense of togetherness or having to work together which I mentioned in another annotation. This is also supported by the use of the word "America" and "Americans." These words and the way they are used are all linked towards this idea which creates that ideology. Lastly, this ideology is supported with emotion evoking speech as well as other rhetorical elements in order to get people to want change and believe that Obama will be able to bring that but not alone and with the support and effort of everyone because he is telling them (his audience) that they will all be responsible.

Another way to consider this section of the speech is by using the lens of narrative criticism. Narrative criticism helps create an understanding by looking at experience. There are four requirements for something to be considered a narrative. The first is that must be made up of at least two events and the second is that the events must be organized in time order. The third requirement is that there must be some sort of relationship between the events and lastly the fourth is that the narrative must be about a linked or common subject. After you have made sure that there is a narrative, you can begin to analyze it. In this case, the events in this narrative could be the conditions that Obama mentions and what is happening to people. The unified subject or overarching issue would be crisis or a state of crisis, it can also be challenges or obstacles that we have to overcome. Continuing on, in order to analyze something using narrative criticism you have to establish the purpose of the narrative, find out what helps the narrative fulfill that purpose and then use the objective or purpose to evaluate the narrative. I think the point of this part of the speech or the narrative in this paragraph is to illustrate the problems or crisis that is being brought upon the country at the time, to emphasize the severity or urgency in these issues. This is done in order to encourage people to not back down and take action to fight it which is emphasized in the next paragraph. This is accomplished by giving many examples or relevant events that present this crisis which can be significant to many people in the audience, which would make them want some sort of action to be taken against it. I think the use of pathos (a term explained in a later annotation) in this also contributes towards achieving the objective. In conclusion I think the objective was achieved and that people were encouraged to do something or that something would be done about this crisis. I think the cheers and applause after he says "They will be met" can be considered an indication of that.

If something is about you, or someone you care about, then you are more likely to not only listen but remember what is being said. By addressing everyone, Obama touches upon all areas which calls out everyone’s attention. Including the audience is important because when making a speech, especially to such a wide audience, because a rhetor does not want to lose any of their intended audience. In order to build that important rhetor and audience relationship, they have to grab and keep a hold on their attention. This can be done by addressing them and making subjects relatable, which Obama seems to successfully do in this speech.

This idea of togetherness or working together is very prominent in the speech. This is emphasized by the rhetor's use of "we," "us" and "our" that I mentioned before. When Obama speaks about the future using these pronouns, he is emphasizing that he is not talking about what he will do or try to accomplish for the country, but what everyone must do together. However, this choice or any choice or pronouns involving groups can be good or bad rhetorically, depending on how they are used. If those words refer to a specific community that is going against the audience or a specific group, then it can other or exclude people who do not fall into that category. As a result, this can be a way to effectively get a positive or desired response depending on he audience and the goal of the rhetor. I think that in this case, Obama uses these words effectively.

As mentioned before, Obama does not use "I" after that point in the speech, and this is one of the few times that Obama refers to himself. This also is one of the most moving statements of the speech. It is a statement that appeals to the audience emotionally is not only about Obama, but is a direct statement about himself that many people can connect with. Since he was the first president that was a person of color, the significance of this shows how the country may have progressed and the changes that can be achieved. Obama is able to successfully move his audience by having something relatable for almost everyone, and also by connecting with them by talking about himself. This statement, along with many others that could be found in the speech would be another example of the use of pathos.

This part of the speech also shows an example of using threes or the rule of three which is another rhetorical strategy. This rule, or by saying the words "for us" at the beginning of a sentence three times, it will be more effective and memorable. Aaron Zelinsky talks about this (listed as number 3) and another things that he thinks people will remember from this speech in What We Will Remember from Obama's 2009 Inaugural Address Zelinsky explains that this repetition at the beginning of clauses is called anaphora. You can read what he said about this paragraph and other things in the speech at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/aaron-zelinsky/what-we-will-remember-of_b_159452.html

It is important to note that this is the last time that Obama uses the word "I." By doing this, he barely centers himself in his speeches or in this particular speech. This is a good rhetorical strategy because instead, he uses words like "we," "our" and "us." This makes the audience feel included and can build a sense of community or shows the importance of the relationship between the rhetor and the audience. Liilia Batluk talks about this in her paper, Rhythm and Rhetoric: A Linguistic Analysis of Obama's Inaugural Address You can their discussion about this beginning on the bottom of page 8 by clicking on the link provided below. http://go.galegroup.com.proxy.wexler.hunter.cuny.edu/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CA266212500&v=2.1&u=cuny_hunter&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&authCount=1