Analysis

Our analysis of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s speech at the Republican National Convention from 2004 will be inspired by the rhetorical pentagram. Here is a summarized version of it.

In what follows, we will look at the topics of the speech—immigration, the American Dream, and terrorism – and explore the way the speaker uses them to reach his intentions.

We will discuss who the speaker is and his political background. We will also examine the way he engages the audience through rhetorical devices with the intention of convincing the audience to re-elect George W. Bush for a second term as President.

We will present the audience, which includes both members of the Republican Party and the wider American and international public. We will also give you an overview of the circumstances in which the speech was delivered in 2004, focusing on the political context of George W. Bush’s first term, the war in Iraq, and American society at that time.

Finally, we will give you some insights regarding the language used by the speaker, focusing on rhetorical devices and forms of appeal that help the speaker make his arguments memorable, get his message across, and achieve his intention.

You can find the full analysis of the speech in the next pages!

Further help

Do you want additional help with analysis of speeches? See our guide to speech analysis: