Response to Trump's Speech, 9/24/16

With the presidential election slowly approaching its due date, Americans stand bewildered by the ridiculousness of the two leading candidates -- Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Who's worse? Who's better? Who will lead this country to greatness, and who will set it on fire? While I can't quite answer these questions, I know one thing for certain -- Trump writes (or, at least, presents) far better speeches than Clinton. 

Trump perfectly incorporates the three components of rhetoric: ethos, pathos, and logos. Throughout the speech, he continually develops his ethos as he promotes himself to be the "savior of America." "...Our plan will put America First...My plan...I will..." Furthermore, Trumps heavily criticizes Clinton's agendas (e.g. : "This is the legacy of Hillary Clinton: death, destruction and weakness" ), and by "bringing" her down, he "builds" himself up. With pathos, Trump chose fear as the driving force of his speech. By speaking of murder, terrorism, poverty, Trump makes his audience feel threatened and scared for their lives and the future of America. Overall, the speech sends the message of "If you're scared - vote for me." Finally, Trump brings in statistical data and historical references to develop his logos. "Homicides last year increased by 17% ...Household incomes are down more than $4,000...In 2009, pre-Hillary, ISIS was not even on the map..." Trump lays out the struggles of our nation, then backs them up with statistics , and therefore sways the audience with his reasoning. 

Trump might be a little crazy, but his speech is the Art of Rhetoric at its finest!