The importance of the space exploration is founded on an intense sense of patriotism and competition. In his speech, President Obama uses pathos to convince the audience that supporting NASA is the duty of every American. He does this by beginning with an anecdote of the shock American’s felt when the Soviet Union was the first to launch a satellite into orbit. And proceeds to appeal to their patriotism by rehashing how America responded to the Soviet Union’s achievements. He hopes to make them feel the same pride that he feels when he says that “For me, the space program has always captured an essential part of what it means to be an American -- reaching for new heights, stretching beyond what previously did not seem possible.” He uses the emotions of pride and patriotism to push for further research. Throughout the second half of his speech he uses the pronoun “we” often so that the audience feels that they are playing a very important role in continuing space exploration. He closes with a fond memory that anyone that was alive during the 60’s has a vivid memory of, the moon landing. He attempts to simulate the same excitement they felt then to the future of NASA.
I think President Obama's speech uses pathos effectively. By making reference to a challenging yet patriotic time in American history the sympathy towards the past is unconsciously directed at the current indicative. If someone in the audience noticed his use of this appeal I wonder if it affected the amount of some people had for his indicative.
ReplyDeletePresident Obama uses Pathos throughout his speech to connect with his audience. I agree the use of "we" is extremely important and unifies the audience as a whole, as a country. Obama's goal was to persuade American's to support NASA, by appealing to the audience's patriotism and nationalism. The audience feels it is their duty as Americans to support NASA and revive the support Americans had in the 1960s.
ReplyDeleteI see how President Obama utilizes pathos to invoke a sense of patriotism and build a relationship with the audience. I like how you pointed out that his use of "we" helps him with this connection. Also, it appeals to the audience because they feel important so they want to support NASA.
ReplyDeleteThe comparison with the space race is a very effective use of pathos. I think that you analyzed Obama's language as well as his attempts at paralleling past events well. By using a proud moment for America, such as winning the space race, it really does change the mood the audience may feel and channel that feeling into the modern issues Obama is talking about.
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