Language

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Sentence structure

The sentence structure in Obama’s remarks on reducing gun violence varies in different parts of his speech.

For example, longer sentences are employed when Obama presents his proposals which are to be analyzed by the Congress: “We have to tell Congress it’s time to require a background check for anyone who wants to buy a gun so that people who are dangerous to themselves and others cannot get their hands on a gun.” (ll. 130-134);

We have to tell C…

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Tone

Obama’s tone in his speech about reducing gun violence varies from emotional to encouraging, proud, and serious.

When he talks about the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting, Obama employs an emotional tone, which suggests that he feels a personal connection to the families of victims:

So every family in this state was shaken by the tragedy of that morning. Every family in this country was shaken. We hugged our kids more tightly. We asked what could we do, as a society, to help prevent a tragedy like that from happening again. (ll. 37-41)

Obama emphasizes his emotional tone by referring to victims and families by name and using the personal pronoun “we” to create a sens…

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Anecdotes

Throughout his speech, Obama introduces several anecdotes (stories with a message) meant to make his arguments more engaging and convincing.

First, Obama mentions Francine Wheeler (ll. 53-61), a Hollywood actor and also the mother of one of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims. Francine lost her six-year-old son during the shooting and, as a consequence, she began to encourage Americans to put pressure on Congress to pass Obama’s gun reform proposals. Obama quotes her to show that he has a personal connection to the …