Introduction
What has helped Michelle Obama, the former first lady, achieve a great level of success in public speaking? It is important to note that, currently, she can be viewed as a role model and a source of inspiration for every student and any African American woman in the United States. The focus should also be on the fact that ethos, pathos, and logos are rhetorical strategies that were actively used by Mrs. Obama in her commencement speech that she gave at Spelman College in 2011. These approaches need to be discussed in detail in order to explain how the speaker can attract the public’s attention and cause certain emotions in the audience or effectively persuade listeners. Thus, in her motivational graduation speech, Michelle Obama used the three modes of persuasion, such as ethos, pathos, and logos, in order to convey her main message and evoke the most positive and uplifting feelings in listeners.
Ethos in the Commencement Speech
As one of three rhetorical strategies used for persuasion, ethos means the appeal to the credibility of a speaker or his or her character. Ethos is defined by Hall as “an ethical proof based on the demonstration through the speech of the rhetor’s goodness, goodwill, and moral uprightness, all of which enhance the persuasiveness and perceived truth of the message” (qtd. in Alkhirbash 112). In her speech, Mrs. Obama appealed to her own experience and credibility as an African American woman who was oriented not only toward obtaining a good education but also to serving community needs. For example, referring to the experience of Spelman students, the speaker accentuated her own experience and will. Thus, she said, “…I am no exception. I mean, some of you may have grown up like me, in neighborhoods where few had the chance to go to college…” (“Michelle Obama Speech”). This one and other references to her own experience and views add credibility to her words, she becomes perceived as a person who possesses high moral virtues and shows goodwill toward the audience.
Pathos in the Speech
Another rhetoric approach is pathos, which is associated with the emotional appeal and provoking certain emotions in the audience. Thus, pathos is defined as “an appeal to the audience’s sense of identity, self-interest, and emotions” (Wang 107). Michelle Obama actively used pathos in the commencement speech because her key message was that Spelman graduates needed not only to develop their personalities but also help others. It was necessary to motivate students to take actions appealing to their emotions. Their mission is to lead, assist, and inspire other people to receive education and reach their goals. To attract attention to this idea and provoke emotions, Mrs. Obama told the inspiring stories of other Spelman graduates, Marian Wright Edelman and Janet Bragg, who overcame many challenges on paths to education and career. Then, the speaker accentuated the emotional words about the role of Spelman education: “With a Spelman education, you all have everything you need, right here and right now, to be everything you’ve ever wanted to be” (“Michelle Obama Speech”). These approaches helped Mrs. Obama create a certain emotional atmosphere and make students excited because of the speaker’s words.
Logos as an Approach
The third rhetoric strategy that was used by Michelle Obama in her speech is logos. Logos is defined by Lunsford as “appeals to reason of the message itself with all facts reflecting and affecting the universe” (qtd. in Alkhirbash 113). In speeches, logos is associated with providing evidence and statistics or examples to support and illustrate arguments (Zhang and Clark 22). Developing the idea of the importance of obtaining the education at Spelman college, the speaker referred to historical examples as the proof for her statements. Thus, Mrs. Obama mentioned Sophia Packard, Harriet Giles, and Father Quarles and focused on their stories and contribution to the development of education for African American female students (“Michelle Obama Speech”). It was important for the speaker to accentuate the role of supporting others while referring to the actions of such personalities as Miss Giles, Miss Packard, Father Quarles, who changed the sphere of education for minorities.
Conclusion
In the commencement speech at Spelman College, Michelle Obama was able to convince the audience to accept her vision of the students’ mission because of applying three modes of persuasion. Ethos, pathos, and logos were effectively used by the speaker to motivate graduates and provoke certain feelings and thoughts in them in order to reconsider their experience as students of Spelman College. It is possible to state that this speech makes listeners feel excited and inspired to follow Mrs. Obama’s words and develop not only their own career but also focus on others and help them succeed. The speech is logically organized, and there are no components that need improvement. On the one hand, the introductory part seems to be too long, but on the other hand, it serves for involving listeners emotionally, and it reasonably leads to the main idea of the speech. All these details along with the effective use of ethos, pathos, and logos make the speech rather effective and motivational.
Works Cited
Al Khirbash, Abdulrahman. “A Proposed Framework for Analyzing Aristotle’s Three Modes of Persuasion.” International Journal of English and Education, vol. 5, no. 4, 2016, pp. 111-117.
“Michelle Obama Speech at Spelman’s 2011 Commencement.” YouTube, uploaded by Spelman College, Web.
Wang, Lin. “Three Modes of Rhetorical Persuasion.” Sino-US English Teaching, vol. 16, no. 3, 2019, pp. 106-112.
Zhang, Lei, and Carlton Clark, editors. Affect, Emotion, and Rhetorical Persuasion in Mass Communication. Routledge, 2018.