Topic

The overall topics of President Barack Obama's 2015 State of the Union address are economic issues in the US and American foreign policy.

To understand the topics of the speech it is important to understand the context. State of the Union speeches are annual speeches (except the first year of the presidency) that US Presidents have to deliver in front of the Congress with the purpose of assessing the situation in the country and proposing a legislative agenda and national priorities.

Given this context, the complexity of the 2015 State of the Union address is easier to grasp and an…

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Economic issues

In the speech, the topic of economic issues in the US is explored at great length. The speaker talks about issues like employment, education, taxing the wealthy (big companies) and helping the middle class, childcare, healthcare, infrastructure, and trade: “That means helping folks afford childcare, college, health care, a home, retirement. And my budget will address each of these issues, lower…

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American foreign policy

The second topic of the speech is American foreign policy which the speaker explores by reminding the audience of American exceptionalism and leadership and the necessity to combine military power with diplomacy: “I believe in a smarter kind of American leadership. We lead best when we combine military power…

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Argumentation

Argumentation refers to the way the speaker presents his arguments, ideas, and point of view. This can be done by using either open (direct) or closed (hidden) argumentation. Open argumentation means the speaker’s views and arguments are presented in a straightforward and explicit manner. Hidden argumentation means that the speaker uses facts, examples, case studies, etc. to le…