Charisma, Assertiveness And Fluency

Barack Obama’s overwhelming victory is clearly due to his incredible communication skills, charisma and rhetoric use which I think he probably gained in his vast experience and career as a Harvard lawyer. As he speaks to groups of people he tries to connect and mesmerize the whole instead of a specific individual or the cameras. This gives the feeling that he is interested in knowing all of the people’s opinions and talking to us as a whole. Obama also uses his hands to stress the points he is making, giving us hints on what he is getting to. In parts of his speech he uses the forensic tense to back his opinion on facts and to thank the people who made his dream possible but it is mainly composed in the demonstrative tense to show what he, on this day, conquered. “This is your victory. And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. And I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime -- two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.” Yet, he then in one clean sweep, congratulates each and every person in the audience informing them that in fact, the victory is really theirs. Through the deliberative tense president elect also talks about the problems that he sees ahead and the needed help for his presidency to help and stay in American History.

Unlike other speeches Obama uses Pathos to conquer American hearts through subjects as hope, opportunity, change, union, and history. We clearly see that Ann Nixon Cooper’s example is used as a pathos to support those who voted for him and to make those who didn’t reconsider their vote. “This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old. She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons -- because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.” It also serves to make Americans consider this day as a historic milestone , a day which changed the lives of many Americans who never thought they would see an African-American being elected as a U.S. president during their lifetime. A mere 40 years ago, on the morning of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King, a brave, modern, African-American prophet, who had a huge dream for America, had been murdered. This seemingly impossible dream is now becoming reality.
We have won more than a unique president but a fluent, bright and assertive rhetorician which I look forward seeing in office. I sincerely hope Barack Obama surrounds himself with the best men and women the United States has in both parties and completes an outstanding presidency and leadership for the nation and for the world. That is my dream for this presidency.