The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Speech
When addressing critical issues, most public speakers rely on pathos, ethos, and logos in their speeches. This helps them to focus not only on the facts and statistics but also on the audience. For example, on May 24, 2022, President Joe Biden addressed the public by delivering a speech on the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
Rhetorical Devices in Joe Biden’s Speech
Ethos
At the beginning of the speech, the audience can see the presence of ethos. For example, shortly after introducing the matter being discussed, the following: “I spent my career as a senator and as Vice President working to pass commonsense gun laws” (The White House, 2022, para. 17). Ae saw that the element of ethos the President’s authority President, making his statements sound credible.
Pathos
Another speech element is pathos, which is used to deliver condolences to the victims and their parents. According to Joe Biden, “To lose a child is like having a piece of your soul ripped away” (The White House, 2022, para. 7). Here, one can see the presence of pathos through the aim of evoking emotions of sadness and empathy in the audience.
Moreover, the President uses emotional language when describing the national tragedy, saying that losing a child is “suffocating” and creates “a hollowness in your chest, and you feel like you’re being sucked into it and never going to be able to get out” (The White House, 2022, para. 7). With this approach, the objective was to find support from the public.
Logos
Lastly, logos are present in the speech when establishing specific logical relationships. For example, the President claims, “When we passed the assault weapons ban, mass shootings went down. When the law expired, mass shootings tripled” (The White House, 2022, para. 17). As a result, the audience can see the clear cause-effect connection in this phrase. Thus, logos is established through the involvement of factual information concerning gun control and its influence on the audience’s reasoning.
Reference
The White House. (2022). Remarks by President Biden on the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Web.