Sample:
In his State of the Union speech delivered on January 12, 2016, President Barack Obama emphasizes the themes of hope and change with which he began his presidency in 2007 and argues that in order to move forward as a nation, we must ignore politically motivated negativity and work towards answering four specific questions. After pointing out the fallacies in Rebublican candidates’ “peddling fiction” in their criticisms of his administration, Obama highlights his accomplishments and lays out his suggestions for making progress in the areas of national economy, climate change, national security, and political discourse. By addressing criticisms and highlighting accomplishments, Obama highlights past progress and encourages present positivity in order to suggest that by working together as a nation and focusing our attention on specific issues, we can ballast our prosperity, security, and maintain our national strength and identity. Through his confident, hopeful tone, simple diction, and use of both logos and pathos, Obama addresses all Americans in his speech, but specifically targets voters who may be swayed by current political rhetoric and negativity.