Analysis

Our analysis of Donald Trump's Republican nomination acceptance speech is inspired by the rhetorical pentagram.

In what follows, we will look at the topics of the speech— the American economy, immigration, terrorism, and corruption—and the way the speaker chooses to explore them to make the audience agree with his views and support him in his electoral campaign.

We will also look at the speaker's background and at his intention with the speech. To understand the speech’s topics and the speaker’s intention better, we will also look at the circumstances of the speech, including aspects of the way the speaker was viewed and the overall political context in the US.

We will also focus on the audience, formed by those present at the Republican Convention where the speech was delivered, but also by the general American public. We will also look at specific categories of people that the speaker addresses in his speech.

Finally, we will discuss elements of the speaker’s language, focusing on rhetorical devices and forms of appeal to see how the speaker engages his audience and how successful he is at using language to persuade his audience.

You can read our analysis in the following pages!

Further help

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