Baraquafina

Sometimes we make decisions, not because they make sense, but because they seem right. One example of this in modern society is when the people buy bottled water. Forget that tap water is perfectly safe. People are wiling to invest their hard earned dollars on something that they can get for free. The reason for this is simple. In 350 BC, Aristotle outlined the three central components that he found most important to being persuasive. The ideas that he outlined are known as logos, ethos, and pathos. Even though Aristotle solidified these concepts thousands of years ago, they are still applicable in almost all modern forms of persuasion from bottled water to speeches in the race for the White House. As a result, Barack Obama’s speech to the Democratic National Convention was successful largely because of his mastery of these three principles.

            The first of these principles, logos, is to appeal to the audience through the use of logic. Even though it is considered by some experts in the field of speech to be the least important element of persuasion, it cannot be completely ignored. Barack Obama, bearing this in mind, made sure to include at least some elements of his speech that were airtight on a logical level, or at least appeared to be airtight. The most convincing examples of logic that he used in his speech were in regards to finding a middle ground in bipartisan politics. He says that “we may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies.” Because he is addressing an audience that is largely unfamiliar with every subtle nuance present in the countless issues that face politicians, such general statements of logic are all that are needed. Although this component needs to be present somewhere in the speech, it is far from the most important.

        Aristotle’s next component of rhetoric, ethos, is significantly more important. This encompasses the speaker’s ethical appeal, character, or credibility. Even though standing before ten of thousands of fanatical supporters does much to bolster Obama’s credibility and character, he clearly fine-tunes his speeches to take this element one step further. He showed political tact by acknowledging his lack of inexperience, a common criticism of his ethos, and using it in such a way that he is now separated for the corruption and the public’s typical negative view of politics. He also emphasizes the connection between himself and the Democratic Party, and then between the Democratic Party and presidents such as Franklin Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. This, by extension, bolsters his character because these two are largely considered by both Democrats and Republicans to be successful presidents. He also boosts his relative ethos by fervently attacking that of John McCain. He makes heavy correlations between McCain and George Bush, a figure considered by much of the public to be of poor character. However, he makes sure to disguise such attacks ahead of time by praising McCain’s military service to the country.

            However, the tool that Obama utilized most effective in his speech was Aristotle’s third and most important element in the art of persuasion. Pathos is the speaker’s ability to appeal to the audience’s emotions.  Even though they may have eventually been overdone, Obama included the use of anecdotal stories that show that he can relate to the plight of everyday Americans. These stories elicit anything from heart-wrenching sorrow for laid off factory workers to absolute furry at the notion of jobs being sent to China. Obama appeals to the audience’s love of family when he mentions the promise that he makes to his daughter’s when he tucks them in at night yet incites suspicion of McCain for the notion of shipping jobs to China. Obama was extremely effective in recognizing that few things are more powerful in influencing people’s decisions than their emotions. People were not logically convinced to spontaneously applaud during his speech; they simple were overcome by emotion or “felt” that it was appropriate.

            The principles of logos, ethos, and pathos are powerful tools of persuasion that Obama used effectively throughout his entire speech. The same tools are the same reason that Americans are willing to spend money on bottled water, even though they can get that water for free. They ignore this lapse in logic and buy them because the bottles’ ethos is well represented by use of well-established names. Their pathos is supported by use of vivid pictures depicting fresh springs and frosty mountains. Obama, similarly uses these three elements of persuasion by ignoring the logical issues that most Americans are actually not that familiar with, and instead focusing on the things that make him look credible and that move them emotionally. The Senator is incredibly successful at utilizing the fact that numbers are not important when a crowd is angry with his opponent, and believes that he is someone of outstanding character. Much like the genius marketing campaign that convinced Americans that they needed to pay a dollar for free water, Obama’s speech ensures that among his thirsty audience of millions, he is the purchase that just “feels” right.