A Rhetorical Analysis of Barack Obamas Interfaith Prayer...

December 14, 2012 was a heartbreaking day for America, as twenty children and six adults lost their lives in a school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut. Two days later, President Barack Obama addressed the nation with an interfaith prayer vigil at Newtown High School to help remember those who had lost their lives, and also to convince the nation that changes need to be made. Obama asked America to make an effort to prevent future tragedies such as this one by caring for our children and using our power to help those around us. Through the use of eulogy, appealing to emotions, and structure, the speech attempts to persuade its audience, America, to make an attempt to avoid future tragedies in order to protect our citizens and to help make America a safer place. Due to the misfortune of this event, Barack Obamas speech was a eulogy. He used this style to honor the victims who had lost their lives in this shooting, as well as touch on previous tragedies such as those in Tucson, Aurora, and Oak Creek. After quoting scripture, Obama opened his speech by saying, We gather here in memory of twenty beautiful children and six remarkable adults. He honored the victims by giving his love and prayers, and by naming each of the victims who have lost their lives in the shooting. Although Obamas purpose of this speech was to ask the nation to make a change, it was also to honor those who got killed in this catastrophic event. Because he named each specific