Clinton and Trump's speech were different and similar in many ways. Clinton used more ethos, while Trump used more logos. Both of them used pathos, but in different ways.
Clinton uses ethos by making herself relatable, likable, and credible. In her speech, Clinton talks about how her family didn't have things handed to them, and had to use whatever resources they had to build a better life. Her father painted silk screens and her mother worked as a house maid. Through her parents' struggles, Clinton learned that no one goes through life alone. This message is prevalent throughout her speech and it reassures everyone that they have support and help. The audience was able to feel a sense of unity and patriotism. Clinton also showed her credibility through her prior experience in the government. She has served eight years as a senator of New York, was the First Lady, and was Secretary of State. Her experience instills confidence in her voters in that it proves that she is fit to be president. Although Clinton's speech makes the audience feel like they are not fighting their battle alone, she fails to mention her plans to bring about change.
Trump used logos to make the audience think about the cold, hard facts, and realize how many problems need to be fixed. He presented a lot of statistics and data to prove his point and to make the audience aware of the current pressing issues. For example, Trump said, "Nearly 180,000 illegal immigrants with criminal records, ordered deported from our country, are tonight roaming free to threaten peaceful citizens." He then talks about a girl, Sarah Root, who died because of an illegal immigrant. Unlike Clinton, Trump presented his plans to correct these wrongs. To protect ourselves from serious issues like terrorism, we should come together with our Allies to defeat ISIS. Trump also speaks with conviction. He said, "So to every parent who dreams for their child, and every child who dreams for their future, I say these words to you tonight: I’m With You, and I will fight for you, and I will win for you." This sentence can leave a lasting impression on the audience that he will do everything in his power to follow through with his promises.
Both presidential candidates' speeches have similarities. Clinton and Trump both use pathos to appeal to the audience. Clinton uses pathos to give reassurance to her followers. She used phrases like "Let's keep going" and "We will empower Americans to live better lives". Words like "empower" and "better" have positive connotations and we feel a sense of strength and hope for the future. This makes her speech appeal to pathos and attract those who are guided by their emotions. Trump uses pathos to provoke higher levels of feelings like fear. He uses the fact "Syria is engulfed in a civil war and a refugee crisis that now threatens the West." because of the negative connotation of words like "crisis" and "threatens" leave an impact on us. We may be fearful about the Clinton and Trump both shared anecdotes about their experience with certain people. Clinton mentioned Lauren Manning, a victim of 9/11, to emphasize how she is motivated by the people of America to work as hard as she does. Trump mentions Sarah Root, a 21-year old girl who was killed by an illegal immigrant a day after she graduated, to accentuate how crossing the border harms the US.
I'd like to agree with the point that Clinton used more ethos while Trump uses more logos. I want to add that Clinton used ethos to her advantage. She believes that people won't want to hear how luxurious her life was, especially those in the working class. Therefore, that is why she brings up her family and her past. She understands their hardships. She goes to say that her mother taught her "No one gets through life alone. We have to look out for each other and lift each other up." It allows people to think "Yes, she may have been under the influence of politics for a long time, but it doesn't drive her away from understanding normal civilians." I also agree that when Trump uses statistical data and real life occurrences, it strengthens his argument that he should become the President of the United States. One characteristic that I noticed in Trump's speech was that he mostly talked about the negative things that have happened in America lately; for example, he talked about the death of Sarah Root. Why do you think that he talked about the more negative occurrences than the positive ones?
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