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The objective of this paper is to examine Obama’s 20 weekly addresses from the perspective of Aristotle's Rhetoric. This paper will analyze the addresses in two hierarchies through the framework of Aristotle's Rhetoric. One is language rhetoric and the other is speech rhetoric. Language rhetoric used to analyze these addresses is mainly of four kinds: phonological, lexical, syntactical and textual rhetoric. Speech rhetoric comprises the three appeals of logos, ethos and pathos. This paper will take a close look at how these linguistic rhetorical devices are appropriately used in Obama’s weekly addresses and help us learn how to use Aristotle's Rhetoric in modern political addresses.
Instead of studying Obama’s addresses just in the aspects of three appeals or rhetoric methods, this paper will discuss addresses by combining both of them. Many language learners pay only attention to the meaning of words or sentences, which is far from enough in their effort to master a language. Aristotle's Rhetoric is much more than this.
2 Literature Review
The present word “rhetoric” originates from the ancient Greek word “rhetor”. With so many years having passed, the word “rhetoric” has picked up different definitions. Aristotle defined rhetoric as an art of exploring the overall feasible ways to persuade the audience into action. The theory proposed by him has profound influence on the development of today’s rhetoric. George A. Kennedy (2006:7) defined rhetoric in Aristotle on Rhetoric as follows. "Rhetoric in the most general sense can be regarded as a form of mental or emotional energy imparted to a communication to affect a situation in the interests of the speaker." John Locke, an English philosopher of the late 17th century, described rhetoric as “the science of oratory” or “the art of speaking with propriety, elegance and force”.
Now, the definition of the word has been expanded. Huang Ren (2013:1), who conducted a detailed study on aesthetic rhetoric, describes rhetoric as “the science of oratory”. He thinks it is “the art of speaking elegantly and forcefully”. Liu Yameng (2004:2) defines rhetoric as “the way of influencing ideas, judgments and actions through symbolic approaches”. In summary, rhetoric is the art of influencing people’s attitudes, emotions and ideas in an effort to reach the effects that the speaker desires.
2.1 Studies on rhetoric abroad
Aristotle is believed to be the first person developing the rhetoric system. According to him, rhetoric is not persuasion but a tool to find methods of persuasion in any issues. In Rhetoric, Aristotle uses his theory in political speeches. The most important contribution that Aristotle makes to rhetoric is that he argues that the speakers should respect facts and truth.
Besides Aristotle’s rhetoric, rhetoric is mostly used to persuade people and make the speech more elegant. The famous ancient Greek rhetorician Theophrastos (BC 285)supported Aristotelian theory. He described in his book different kinds of characters and analyzed these emotions to help speakers move the listeners better. Based on these theories, Cicero and Dionysius made further study and developed some new theories. Cicero was the first master rhetorician of Rome. He proposed Rome rhetoric, who thought the speakers must be familiar with the topics and study the disposition and psychology of the listeners. Only in this way could the addresses be efficient. The third factor is the facts proved by the addresses. In De Inventione, he presented his five canons of orator, which are Invention, Arrangement, Expression, Memory and Delivery.