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  • Essay / Analysis of Effective Use of Rhetoric in Two Speeches

    Effective use of rhetoric is a key element of speeches because they evoke emotions and persuade the audience; allowing the speaker to establish their purpose while creating a sense of trust and transparency. A key example of this is reflected in the speeches of Anwar Sadat and Noel Pearson, who align their use of rhetoric to bridge the chasms created by past conflicts. Although the two speakers share a common goal, Sadat's “Address to the Israeli Knesset (1977)” emphasizes the need to forget past grudges and vendettas to pave the way for future generations. In Pearson's 'An Australian Story for Us All' (1996), he recognizes discrimination and the need to come to terms with the past and present for a more harmonious and hopeful vision of the future. Although the speaker's context and language implementation are very different, both speeches attempt to unite and persuade the audience to change their perception. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay Sadat’s “Speech to the Israeli Knesset” addresses the spread of hatred due to tradition and war while refuting the need for revenge. In a context where both countries are highly religious, Sadat's use of religious references is another attempt to unite individuals and force them to question past prejudices and hatred. Sadat appeals to the audience's ethos by establishing a religious context and then ushering in his own spiritual credentials as a man of faith reflected through the biblical allusions "the Merciful and Merciful" and "Peace and mercy of God Almighty …may there be peace for us all.” connecting to God because he himself is in search of peace. The irony of "destructive wars launched by man to annihilate his neighbor" highlights the ramifications of war as well as its insignificant result where there is "neither victor nor vanquished." The accumulation of negative emotive language in "breeding generations on concepts of total division and deep-rooted animosity" evokes a sense of pathos within the audience as Sadat breaks down the boundaries between Israelis and Arabs by drawing up a graphic picture of the consequences of the conflict. Sadat attempts to persuade his audience that a lasting resolution is possible and to establish a basis for international peace by building on the hope of bilateral peace between two nations. Similarly, Pearson's 'An Australian Story for Us All' highlights the need for reconciliation in order to progress and the need for a country and its people to embrace change. The incorporation of historiography into his speech reveals Pearson's audience, but also draws on Pearson's desire to confront and elicit reactions from those he cites, but more importantly, to provoke perspectives contradictory. It is when Pearson's narration gradually shifts toward a first-person narrative that the passion, conviction, and commitment to a story "for all of us" that are at the center of Pearson's presentation become provocative for the audience. The rhetorical question “How can we, as indigenous peoples, respond to the legacy of colonialism and this brutal and troubled culture by which we have been dispossessed?” ” reinforces his stated “observations” about perspectives on guilt, identity and history. Pearson incorporates William Cooper's letters "...taking of lawful property..." to allow the audience to relive the atrocities and.