Rhetorical Analysis of Hillary Clinton's Concession Speech Essay Example

Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of state and a 2016 presidential candidate, gave a concession speech following her loss of the 2016 election. The speech makes use of various rhetorical devices to convey a deeper meaning to the audience. The audience is primarily made up of Clinton’s supporters along with some of her detractors. Her supporters are feeling extremely disappointed over her loss and are also frustrated at the outcome. This results in Clinton using specific language to appeal to their emotions and ultimately help them feel better. This can be seen through her usage of pathos, repetition, and figurative language. These three rhetorical devices are the primary ones used in the passage which combined with Clinton’s tone to become an effective and heartfelt concession speech.

An appeal to pathos is an effective way to get a specific emotion through to the audience. In the case of this concession speech the goal is to show that while Clinton shares the feeling of disappointment with them they must remain hopeful for the future. This is effective because appealing directly to the audience's emotions is the one of the best ways to get people to feel a certain way. A quote from the speech that demonstrates her use of pathos is “I know how disappointed you feel, because I feel it too”. It is also used later in the speech when Clinton praises the supporters that assisted her campaign either through donations or going door to door. The effect of this use of pathos is making her supporters feel better about their accomplishments and efforts despite her losing. This can be seen in the quote “And to the millions of volunteers, community leaders, activists and union organizers who knocked on doors, talked to their neighbors, posted on Facebook… to anyone that sent contributions, even as small as $5, that kept us going, thank you”. Overall, one of the key rhetorical devices used by Clinton is pathos which is effective because it appeals to the audience’s emotions which is a very important factor during a concession speech. 

Another key rhetorical device used in the speech is repetition. Repetition is the repeated use of a specific word or phrase in a short window. This is usually done to emphasize the word or phrase. It’s an effective rhetorical device and can be used to make the audience feel a certain way or to help them remember something important. In this speech Clinton repeatedly uses the word “we” throughout the speech. This repetition helps the audience feel like Clinton understands how they feel and that she reciprocates those feelings. It also makes the speech sound more personal and kind. If Clinton alternatively addressed only the audience directly or only talked about herself the speech would come off as cold and distant. It’s use also helps to soften the frustration and sadness that many of her supporters are feeling due to her losing a monumental election. This is not the only example of repetition in the speech. Clinton uses the word protecting multiple times throughout the speech. This is done to emphasize the word and ensure that the audience remembers that as a key takeaway from the speech. This can be seen in the line ”Making our economy work for everyone, not just those at the top, protecting our country and protecting our planet”. Clinton wants to stress the importance of protecting the country and the planet so she decides to say protecting twice in a single sentence. Overall, repetition is a common rhetorical device used throughout the speech which is done to add emphasis to specific words or phrases the author wants the audience to remember.

The final of the three main rhetorical devices used by Clinton in the speech is figurative language. Figurative language is used to create comparisons or explain ideas more effectively by discussing non-literal ideas. This can be done through similes, metaphors, personification, and more. Figurative language makes it easier for the audience to understand what the speaker is trying to convey. Clinton uses figurative language in the speech effectively to get her point across. This can be seen when she discusses the American Dream. The American Dream is an ideal version of America in which equal opportunities are available to everyone which allows the achievement of high aspirations and goals. This is figurative language because the American dream is not a literal dream but instead a common idea of an ideal country that politicians should strive to create. This can be seen when Clinton says “We spent a year and a half bringing together millions of people from every corner of our country to say with one voice that we believe that the American dream is big enough for everyone”. Instead of having to explain exactly what she and her supporters believe in she instead called it the American dream which is a commonly understood phrase. Overall, Clinton used figurative language to explain what she means in a more efficient manner that is also easier to understand.