Brockton Ballard

pd.6 09/16/2014
Henriksen ENGL 1010

Rhetorical Analysis
Obamas Voice
Rhetoric is communication that a speaker uses to persuade his audience to think or act
in a certain way. There are three main rhetorical appeals: logical, emotional, and characterbased appeals. I will argue that in Obamas remarks on the Ebola outbreak his main purpose is
to relax his audience by successfully using the three rhetorical appeals.
Obama starts immediately using character-based appeals to build instant credibility for
what he is saying. He makes it clear that the information he is using is not just his own ideas,
but facts from the experts. He begins his information with, I thought it was very important for me
to bring together our team, including our CDC [Center for Disease Control and Prevention]
Director, Tom Frieden, to hear directly from them in terms of how we are ramping up our efforts
here (1). By letting the audience know that the CDC director is directly involved with the efforts,
the approach grabs our attention and makes this piece much more convincing and makes his
purpose, which is to ease the countrys concern about the Ebola outbreak, more believable.
Towards the middle of his remarks, he builds his own credibility in order to buoy up
confidence in what he is saying. For example, Obama states,
I want to use myself as an example just so that people have a sense of the science
here. I shook hands with, hugged, and kissed not the doctors, but a couple of the nurses
at Emory because of the valiant work that they did in treating one of the patients. They
followed the protocols, they knew what they were doing, and I felt perfectly safe doing
so. [2]

Because Obama uses a direct example of himself, it builds his credibility, and since he
obviously didnt get infected, it makes the audience less anxious about their chances of getting
the disease.
When Obama names off all the countries that are coordinating their efforts to help the
Ebola outbreak in Africa, it makes the American people feel more safe and reassured that things
are being taken care of at home and abroad. For example he says,
Last night I had a call with Prime Minister Abe of Japan to solicit greater support for the
international effort. This morning I spoke with Chancellor Merkel of Germany, Prime
Minister Renzi of Italy, President Hollande of France, as well as David Cameron, the
prime minister of Great Britain to make sure that we are coordinating our efforts and that
we are putting in a lot more resources than, so far at least, the international community
has put into this process. [3]
This statement sends immediate reassurance to the audience and gives obama extra credibility
when he names off a few highly revered leaders that hes coordinating his efforts with. Obama
uses character-based appeals throughout the beginning, middle, and end in order to keep
reassuring the audience that his remarks were credible; in doing so, his audience is able to
decompress, and worry less about Ebola.
Emotional appeals are used in Obama's strategy to make his audience become attached
to his remarks as well as have the feeling of safety from the government and everyone involved
on the issue. Quickly Obamas remarks turn to the nurses who are attending to the patients who
have Ebola.
Obviously, initially, we want to express concern for the two health workers who have
been affected. Our nurses and our health care workers are absolutely vital to the health
and wellbeing of our families. They sacrifice for us all the time, not just in this case but in
the case of other illnesses that affect us. They are selfless, they work hard, theyre often
underpaid. And so our thoughts and prayers are with them, and we have to make sure

that we are doing everything we can to take care of them, even as they take care of us.
[1]
He mentions this in hopes to make his audience feel love and compassion towards the nurses
who sacrifice for us all their time (1), which in turn undeniably makes the audience feel like
there are people on top of this disease, even though nothing is said directly. Obama then
regards the disease with a strong emotional appeal when he says,
We are going to be monitoring carefully the health status of the other health care
workers in Dallas. And obviously theyre concerned. We understand that many of them
are scared. And we are going to make sure that were on the ground 24/7 to provide
them the kind of support, information, and assurances that they need to get through this
particular challenge. [3]
This remark gives a feeling of comfort and security, knowing that this disease and its patients
are being monitored on a twenty four hour basis!
Lastly, Obama uses many logical appeals in his remarks so that what he says will
logically make the audience feel safe from the disease. In his remarks, Obama explains how
this sickness is not like the flu, and so it is not an airborne disease and therefore cant travel
rapidly. For example, he says, And so this is not a situation in which, like a flu, the risks of a
rapid spread of the disease are imminent. If we do these protocols properly, if we follow the
steps, if we get the information out, then the likelihood of widespread Ebola outbreaks in this
country are very, very low (2).
By saying this, the audience begins to think that this disease is really not even that contagious.
His statement is very logical; If someone follows the protocols properly then the chances of
getting Ebola are very unlikely.
Another example of how Obama uses logical appeals is when he pushes the idea of the
need to go to Africa to help stop the disease where it started.

And so it is very important for us to understand that the investment we make in helping
Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea deal with this problem is an investment in our own
public health. This is not simply charity -- but it is also probably the single most important
thing that we can do to prevent a more serious Ebola outbreak in this country is making
sure that we get what is a raging epidemic right now in West Africa under control. [3]
This statement makes the audience think that if America goes and helps Africa, then we will be
able to prevent this disease from spreading in our country. Obamas purpose in saying this is for
the audience to see the logic in his statement and thereby be persuaded to support America in
helping the other countries with Ebola. Also these words are intended to make the audience feel
like there is a plan in action and they can relax.
In conclusion, it is clear that Obama's purpose in these remarks is to make his audience
less tense about the disease. He successfully uses all three rhetorical appeals strategically
throughout his message to do this. Obama says things in such a way that not only does the
audience feel less worried, but it makes sense to them as well, it calms their emotional distress,
and it satisfies the need for authoritative information. After listening, watching, or reading these
remarks, one may feel like Ebola was never a threat to America in the first place.