Rhetorical situation

Circumstances

Barack Obama's second inaugural address was delivered on January 21st, 2013 at the beginning of his second four-year term as US President. The speech was delivered in front of the US Capitol in Washington D.C. and was attended by approximately 1 million people. It was also televised and shared widely through the media, reaching an international audience.

The speech was part of a three-day inaugural ceremony which included various traditional events: parades, balls, church services, and memorials.

There are two important elements that you should take into consideration regarding the circumstances of the speech. The first one is that the speech was Obama’s last inaugural address as President because US presidents can only serve two terms. This implies that the speaker had the experience of the first term behind him and no pressure regarding future elections.

This may be why his speech is daring in some ways. For example, this was the first inaugural address to mention gay people and gay rights. Furthermore, the speech has been characterized as very progressive in forwarding a strong social agenda: “For we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well an...