Persuasive American Speeches Discussion, Essay Example

President Eisenhower presents this speech in an attempt to instill patriotism and trust in the new president to the American public. He does so by summarizing the many successes that the United States has achieved during his presidency and utilizes these actions to emphasize the successes that the nation will continue to achieve. Throughout the speech, Eisenhower utilizes pathos in order to connect with the audience. He does so to create a manifestation of the love that these individuals have for their country so that they are able to appreciate the words he is speaking more greatly. In “This evening I come to you with a message of leave-taking and farewell, and to share a few final thoughts with you, my countrymen”, the word “countrymen” is representative of this connection

Furthermore, logos is utilized because Eisenhower is able to refer to himself as a reliable source. As the president of the United States, he is considered to be an expert on the actions of the federal government. By stating “Like every other citizen, I wish the new President, and all who will labor with him, Godspeed. I pray that the coming years will be blessed with peace and prosperity for all”, Eisenhower is asserting himself as an authority that has the ability to judge the next presidency, which makes the content that follows appear to be more trustworthy.

While this is a persuasive speech, no opposing side is mentioned because the goal is not to convince the audience against an alternative. Rather, it is to persuade them to be patriotic and accepting of the new president. Throughout the speech, Eisenhower utilizes Rogerian argumentation because he applies he successes as a president to the successes that he expects his successor to have. For example, when he states “My own relations with Congress, which began on a remote and tenuous basis when… finally to the mutually interdependent during these past eight years”, he is drawing a parallel and himself by stating that it is likely that the new president will encounter challenges, but he, like Eisenhower will prevail.

Works Cited

Eisenhower D. Eisenhower’s Farewell Address to the Nation. 1961. Web. 9 February 2015.