Rhetorical devices
Michelle Obama uses several rhetorical devices to make her speech more convincing and appealing to the audience, including allusion, direct address, and repetitio…
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Allusion
In her speech, Michelle Obama makes several allusions which stir an emotional response in the audience.
First, note that Michelle Obama alludes to her husband's nomination as the first African-American Democrat candidate for the US presidency and her own speech at the 2008 Democratic Convention: “...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.” (ll. 1-4)
Furthermore, she makes several allusions to Donald Trump and his actions. She alludes to Trump’s accusations about her husband’s ethnicity and citizenship (ll. 26-28); to his way of bullying…
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Direct address
Michelle Obama addresses her audience directly several times. She does his through imperatives such as “see” (l. 53), “hear me” (l. 151), and “look” (l. 73) but also through the repeated use of the personal pronoun “you”: “So don't let anyone ever tell you that this country isn't great, that somehow we need to make it great again. Because this, right now, is the greatest country on earth.” (ll. 140-…
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Repetition
Anaphora, which is the repetition of the first part of a sentence, is employed several times in Michelle Obama’s speech. For example, she talks about the different categories of children who need guidance and direction in their lives. The purpose of this example is to show that children of all backgrounds need a suitable President whom they can consider a role model and whom they can trust:
Kids who take the long way to school to avoid the gangs. Kids who wonder how they'll…
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Imagery
Imagery – the use of descriptive language – helps the audience create vivid images in their minds. In the following example, Michelle Obama helps the audience imagine the way in which Sasha and Malia Obama influenced their parents and reinforced their determination to be role models for them and for children across the US:
I will never forget that winter morning as I watched our girls, just seven and ten years old, pile into those black SUVs with all those big men …
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Irony and humor
When Michelle Obama alludes to Donald Trump and his actions, she is often ironic. However, her irony is disguised by a firm tone of voice and a condemning attitude:
Someone who understands that the issues a President faces are not black and white and cannot be boiled down to 140 characters. Because when you have the nuclear codes at your fingertips and the military in your command, you can't make snap decisions. You can't have a thin ski…
