Obama’s Appeal to Ethos is Strengthened by His Appeal to Pathos Essays

Senator Barack Obama came to Germany to speak to the people of Berlin about the deep and enduring bonds Germany and America have with one another. Senator Obama’s speech was to use ethos and pathos to electrify and to motive hope to the audience. In Obama’s speech, presidential candidate Obama’s appeal to ethos is strengthened/ weakened by his appeal to pathos. To start, at that time Obama was not yet elected for presidency, his speech was for an effect to inspire the people of Berlin. Obama gave his speech as an attempt to the audience to see him as an astute senator, but to see him honorable to be the next president. Obama used ethos in his speech such as, â€Å"Both views miss the truth: that Europeans today are bearing new burdens and taking more responsibility in critical parts of the world; and that just as American bases built in the last century still help to defend the security of this continent, so does our country still sacrifice greatly for freedom around the globe.† (Obama, 24). In this sentence Obama uses ethos to inspire the Berlin people and to bring to them the truth that had happened, to walk down memory lane and to see how much the Berlin people all have progressed. Senator Obama also points out how much the United States has helped out in the past and even continues help in the future. â€Å"They cut off food and supplies to more than two million Germans in an effort to extinguish the last flame of freedom in Berlin†¦, The size of our forces was no match for the larger Soviet Army†¦, when the largest and most unlikely rescue in the history brought food and hope to the people of this city.† (Obama, 7-8). As an attempt Obama had mentioned this along with many more examples was to seem trustworthy to the people of Berlin. Ob... ... look awful to a country which gave aid when that country could least afford it. It is better to recognize the bravery and the heartwarming help of kindness America has given to many countries at that time and till this day. In the end, Obama’s speech had more pathos than ethos. In the beginning it seems that Obama was using ethos as equally as pathos. But, Pathos is more used than ethos, because of the emotion grabbing sentences Obama uses to grab the audience and to manipulate it. From all the pain the people of Berlin had gone through at that time, Obama wanted to use that reason to move the people of Berlin. Obama’s appeal to ethos is strengthened by his appeal to pathos. Even though, pathos is used more, it does strengthen Obama’s speech. Works Cited Obama, Barack. â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Language Matters. 3rd ed. Debra Frank Dew. Southlake, TX: Fountainhead Press, 2010. Print.