Chapter 1 Discussion Question 1

1. This question has really made me think. I never have really focused too much on any particular speaker. When I think about a speaker what automatically comes to mind are politicians due to our recent Presidential Inauguration. President Obama speaking of change and our future is a person I admire. His speeches promote positive messages of hope and change for a brighter future. President Obama’s power to persuade comes from pathos because it is on a very emotional level that reaches out to people. I believe this helped him to succeed in winning the election since there has been such a sense of hopelessness in our country due to the ongoing economic failure and war. My ability to persuade others comes from ethos because I feel my personal character when necessary can be persuasive in an unemotional way. Being a woman I try to stay away from showing emotion when it comes to persuasion because I think people may interpret that as a weakness. I think the personal qualities I have that make me persuasive are my ability to speak to others, my strength and perseverance on issues I feel strongly about and a track record showing the progress I have made throughout the years. I find for the most part that Aristotle’s classification scheme does work for them because it is pretty broad and open to individual interpretation.