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Nathan Tackett 

Professor Kiewitz 

English Composition 1 

16 October 2020 

Rhetorical Analysis: Deaf in the Military 

            In April 2011 Keith Nolan gave an inspiring speech on some of the struggles he has

had while being deaf. When Keith was growing up, he had many obstacles and one

those obstacles was that he always wanted to join the military and they do not allow deaf people

in the military. His purpose in doing this speech was to try and fight for a way to get ranked

higher in the ROTC program to get his shot to join the U.S. Army. Keith is currently in the

ROTC program, but he has certain struggles within the program. Keith’s primary

audience are other deaf citizens that want to join the military but also to express his feelings

to many of the higher ranked officers that will not let him advance in the ROTC program in

which he cares about and works hard in. In Keith’s speech he showed that he had

the ethos, pathos, and the logos to bring his point across in his speech. 

            Keith has gained credibility or pathos by talking about his story of joining the ROTC

program and trying to join the army. Throughout his speech he talked about how he failed trying

to reach his goal of getting into the army. Since he did not make it far into his Army journey, he

switched to a different career path for a while as a teacher for the deaf. One thing that set him

back on his path to join the Army was a student of his said he wanted to join the military and

Keith said, “Ah, sorry. You can’t. You're deaf.” It was after this Keith had the motivation to try

again to join the Army. But after he heard about a path that another deaf man had taken to join

the military, he got inspired to try again. While teaching he started taking ROTC classes and
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even though they would not let him do much at first, through his challenging work and

dedication he was able to eventually get his uniform through his experience. He

has established his credibility by working hard and putting in 110% as he works towards

something, he knows he wants to do. He gained his uniform and is one of the top

cadets. If that does not give him some credibility, I do not know what will. 

            Keith showed a lot of emotions or ethos through his hand motions throughout his speech.

You can tell that he was disappointed at times and he was excited at different points while

explaining his journey. Like when he first found out he could join the ROTC program and had a

chance at becoming a member of the Army. Keith was ecstatic when they gave him his uniform

after he worked so hard for it. He showed the ethos through his body language, and I

thought it was cool how he told his story and how he communicates his emotions. You can tell

that he has had many struggles and that it is especially important for him to become a full

fledged member of the army. He has a lot of emotion on the topic because it took him a long

time to get where he is now in the ROTC program, and he cannot progress further because of his

inability to pass a hearing test. It is not easy to see someone work so hard for and strive to

achieve their goal and in the end, they just get the same response that they got in the beginning. 

            On the logic side of things for his speech he can learn and to adapt to his teachings. He

was able to learn and work hard. Through his dedication he has exceeded what people thought he

could reach. One reason they are having a tough time promoting him is because it would be

harder for him to learn than someone else. But I agree with him that he can do a lot of non-

combat jobs and still do what he wants to do and be a part of the army. Some of the non-combat

jobs that Keith can do are things like “intelligence, computer technology, map drawing, supply,

military dog training -- the list goes on.” I think it is very possible for Keith to adapt to certain
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things and I am sure they can find a place for him in the Army but there must be a reason that the

army requires you to pass a hearing test. I still think they should allow a trial run so that Keith

can have a chance to at least prove himself. 

            I feel that the speaker has effectively shared his message and through the power of his

speech. I think if enough people learn about this area of struggle and understand his point of

view Keith might be able to succeed one day and obtain his goal of joining the army.  After

doing further research in this topic I have found out that people have tried to pass laws pertaining

to this same cause but there has been no luck getting them passed through congress. I feel with

enough time there will be certain positions for deaf people that will be made available.

Hopefully in time Keith can get to his third level of the ROTC program and join the army. At the

end of his speech he said “If you remember back in US history, African Americans were told

they couldn’t join the military, and now they serve. Women as well were banned, but

now they've been allowed. The military has and is changing. Today is our time. Now it’s our

turn.” Through all the points he has made by expressing his ethos, pathos, and logos he has made

a clear and concise message why he has earned his spot to be in the military. I believe if there are

enough people behind this movement there is a possibility of this happening in the future. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
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Work Cited  

Nolan, Keith. “Deaf in the Military.” TED,

www.ted.com/talks/keith_nolan_deaf_in_the_military?utm_campaign=tedspread. 

Takano, Mark. “Text - H.R.5831 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): Keith Nolan Air Force Deaf

Demonstration Act of 2018.” Congress.gov, 16 May 2018, www.congress.gov/bill/115th-

congress/house-bill/5831/text.