Analysis

In this study guide, we will look at President Barack Obama's 2015 State of the Union address. Here is a brief summary of our main points:

We will first look at the topics the speaker explores, namely economic issues and foreign policy. To understand the topics of the speech we will look at the speaker and the circumstances of the speech. Barack Obama was the US President at the time and the speech is a traditional part of the political year, which requires the US President to address Congress periodically and discuss the situation in the country and prospective legislative measures and reforms.

We will see that the speaker’s intention is to convince the audience—formed of Congress members and the American general public—to accept his vision for future reforms and measures concerning childcare, education, taxing the wealthy, or combining diplomacy and military force in foreign policy.

Finally, we will look at the language devices that the speaker uses to achieve his intention, such as his appeal to trust and reason, and the use of repetition, enumeration, and rhetorical questions meant to engage the audience and make them accept his views and act on them.

You can read our full analysis of the speech on the following pages!

Further help

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