Barack Obama's Remarks on Trayvon Martin (Speech Analysis)

In President Obama’s speech after the Trayvon Martin ruling, he uses pathos, ethos, and logos to restore understanding of the African American perspective about the shooting, in the circumstances of previous events.

President Obama uses pathos in his speech by using pure emotion coming from his heart. Obama says many things that shows how he feels about the Trayvon Martin situation. Obama uses certain emotions to make the audience feel the way he wants them to feel. He uses meaningful language to get his point across, so people are more in tune to what he is saying. Obama uses many meaningful sayings and quotes in his speech. One of the most memorable quotes that he has said was, “and [he] judge[s] people… Not by the color of their skin, but the content of their character. Therefore, this shows how passionate Obama is about the conflict that is affecting the world. What also stuck out to Obama was his thinking, “this could have been my son.” This relates to how Trayvon Martin could have been him 35 years ago. There are so many similarities in physical and mental appearance between them, which would have resulted in Obama being the one who died. Obama wants to draw the listener's attention, especially the African American community. This is mainly because he is relating to the people who have dealt with segregation, racism, etc. He is relating to numerous people so they understand that they are not alone and that their president understands everyone's positions. President Obama in the beginning of his speech already planned out how he was going to persuade the listeners into what he was saying. President Obama is a man who is admired by many people, so when he used connections and relations it truly got the people's attention and they felt compelled to support him. Most emotions used in speeches are mostly used by politicians and activists who rely on appealing to their audience's feelings. This makes them feel a certain way and persuades them into wanting to change something. The first quote that is used is inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. In using this quote, Obama’s point was clear that when judging other people, skin color should be ignored. It is also viewed by many that it should not be a factor in evaluating their competence or moral stature.

President Obama showed ethos or credibility during his speech when relating to the Trayvon Martin ruling. He did this by understanding his power and duty as president and by understanding our union is not up to par. A quote that represents how Obama is using his power and credibility is, “As president, I’ve got some convening power.” This basically states that he has the power to bring people together as one. In addition, there's textual evidence that is said in his speech, “Not a perfect union, but a more perfect union. The tone that is given in this quote draws the listeners to trust in what he is saying. President Obama used ethos throughout his whole speech to gain the trust of many people. Obama delivered his speech with confidence and elegance which makes the people believe him more thoroughly. The first quote means that with his power he can bring people together for a better outcome of all these tragedies. The second quote represents that even though we aren't a perfect union right now, we are gradually getting better. As long as Obama continues delivering confidence he will keep drawing more people to believe and trust him to lead the country.

Obama uses logic and factual information throughout his speech to connect his beliefs to the people. He also wants to make sure his message is getting across clearly without it being one sided. A quote that President Obama used to show his factual side is, “A history of racial disparities in application of criminal law.” This shows the statistics of how this problem has gone back for years without a solution. Another quote that was used for more of a logical reasoning was, “If Trayvon Martin had been armed and of age, would he have been able to stand his ground?” The question is, would things be different if he had the right to bear arms? All of these quotes show the thought process of President Obama. He delivers his opinion but still holds on to the structure of statistics and logic in his speech. His first quote is idolizing the idea that racism has been a problem for many years and that it needs to be fixed. The second quote is more of a logic question as well. Obama goes through all of the known facts and events that have been happening recently which causes for speculation.

After President Obama’s speech the Trayvon Martin ruling, ended up using pathos, ethos, and logos. This was to re-establish understanding of the African American perspective of racism. This speech was important because it used pathos and ethos mostly, to grab the audience's attention. Obama was very confident with his delivery of the speech which also made the audience believe everything was going to be alright. Obama had many thoughts when it came down to it, but the main question was, if Trayvon Martin was armed and of age would it have ended differently. Obama will truly never know the answer, but he used his emotions, credibility, and logic to have his audience trust in him and his words.