Intention

In this part of the study guide, we will consider what Michelle Obama’s intentions were when delivering her speech during the Democratic National Convention in 2016.

Michelle Obama’s main intention with the speech is to convince the audience to vote for Hillary Clinton, who, in her opinion, is the best candidate for the presidency of the US.

Supporting Hillary Clinton

In the first part of the speech, Michelle Obama’s intention is to show the audience some of the reasons why her husband was a suitable father and President of the US. She highlights some of his features and suggests that their daughters, Sasha and Malia, have benefited from his noble character:

You know, it's hard to believe that it has been eight years since I first came to this convention to talk with you about why I thought my husband should be President. Remember how I told you about his character and conviction, his decency and his grace — the traits that we've seen every day that he's served our country in the White House. (ll. 1-7)

In the example above, Michelle Obama relies on pathos and creates the feelings of nostalgia and admiration in the audience. Through this example, she also invites the audience to remember ...