Forms of appeal

In “Address to the Nation on Immigration”, Barack Obama employs several forms of appeal, making it thus very comprehensive and complex. In what follows, we will look at how each of them is used by the speaker.

Logos

Most of the arguments Obama uses to argue for his case are logical. An example of such a logical argument is that illegal immigrants are too many to be all deported. Subsequently, their status needs to be regulated: “…the fact is, millions of immigrants in every state, of every race and nationality still live here illegally. And let’s be honest – tracking down, rounding up, and deporting millions of people isn’t realistic.” (ll. 49-51). Also, referring to statistics is a typical trait of the logos form of appeal.

Another example of logical reasoning is that illegal immigrants affect the economy and, consequently, once again their status should be regulated:

“All of us take offense to anyone who reaps the rewards of living in America without taking on the responsibilities of living in America. And undocumented immigrants who desperately want to embrace those responsibilities see little option but to remain in the shadows...” (ll. 9-11)

There are many other examples of how Obama appeals to logos in his speech as it is the carrying form of appeal.

Ethos

Barack Obama also resorts to appealing to ethos in several ways in his ...