Blog Post #2: Presidential Rhetoric (Due 9/13)

Go to the president's website at http://www.whitehouse.gov.  Choose a recent speech by the president (http://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room) and use the five canons of rhetoric to analyze and evaluate the speech.  Use these questions to guide your analysis:  What type of proof does the president use?  How is the speech arranged?  Describe the stylistic elements of the speech, such as use of metaphor or rhetorical figures.  If you can watch the speech, describe the president's delivery.  How might memory have been an important part of creating and delivering the speech? Overall, was the speech effective?  Why or why not?