Rhetorical Analysis Thesis Proposal

Considering his audience, the contemporary world events, and our present-day hindsight, Romney’s speech was brilliant. Considering the rhetoric that drove this genius, the tactics used to convey his message were no less remarkable. It is a special skill to be able to see the things happening in the world around you and present a convincing solution – it demands a knowledge of those events, a reciprocity towards one’s audience, and a special command of syntax to pull it all together.

            Many people will say that Romney’s speech would have been offensive towards those without a belief in God – but think about it, how many Republican’s don’t believe in God? 2007 – the year this speech was given – was the year preceding Romney’s unsuccessful run for the Republican party presidential candidate. I’m not saying that there are no atheistic Republicans, but a person that wants to win does not appeal to the minority, he or she appeals to the majority.

            So how does one appeal to the possibly offended religion-hating Republicans? Why not with logic? That seems to be Romney’s approach to the situation, and he does it well. 2007 was also a time of great political and religious upheaval throughout the world, waves that seem to be reaching their peaks today, seven year later. He brought up ISIS and other major threats to U.S. security and overall world well being, and presented at least one solution - what he thought mattered most. What might have helped him? Had the country known the horrible economic tragedy that would strike the nation in early 2008, an occurrence that would have certainly suited this great businessman better than any other person in the world.

"Faith in America"

First off, what a fantastic speech! Governor Romney gave the county a rousing concoction of rhetorical delight. For purposes of analysis, I will simply speak of his writing in the three main rhetorical categories: Logos, pathos, and ethos. Logically, the speech was valid and sound – not to mention timely – within and without. Romney began by mentioning the many threats to America’s power in the world, from China’s economy to radical Islam. He ended the speech with the same, preceded by support for the problem and followed by a solution to it.

            Pathos was certainly one of Romney’s strong-suits in this speech. His main appeal to passion and emotion was the idea of again uniting the people of the United States. He appealed to the goodness of the many different religions in America and used that to support his call for tolerance and a restoration of religious freedom – or at least putting a stop to the erosion of political freedom in the U.S. He used phrases like, “I think they underestimate the American people,” and “These are not bases for bases for criticism but rather a test of our tolerance.” He offered a sense of empowerment to his American audience.

            Romney also provided a wealth of ethos, appealing to a number of credible and powerful sources, from the then current president to John Adams and the Founders to President Abraham Lincoln – and the quotes that he used were all excellent support for his argument to re-unify the American people and re-free the America’s religions.