Resident barack obama’s style of rhetorical figures in the state of the union addresses from 2010 to 2016

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY - PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA’S STYLE OF RHETORICAL FIGURES IN THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESSES FROM 2010 TO 2016 Submitted to the Faculty of English Language in partial fulfillment of the Master’s degree in English Language Course code: 60220201 By NGO BINH ANH KHOA Supervised by NGUYEN THI KIEU THU, PhD HO CHI MINH CITY, DECEMBER 2018 v TABLE OF CONTENTS CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY i RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS .ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii ABSTRACT iv LIST OF TABLES x LIST OF FIGURES xi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study 1.2 Rationale of the study 1.3 Aim and objectives of the study 1.4 Research question 1.5 Scope of the study 1.6 Significance of the study 1.7 Definitions of key terms 1.8 Organization of the thesis CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 10 2.1 Introduction 10 2.2 Discourse 10 2.2.1 Discourse Analysis 11 2.2.2 Critical Discourse Analysis 13 2.3 Genre 14 vi 2.3.1 The characteristics of the State of the Union Address genre 14 2.4 Rhetoric 16 2.4.1 Canons of rhetoric 18 2.4.2 Style 18 2.4.3 Stylistics 19 2.5 Rhetorical figures (figures of speech) 20 2.5.1 Schemes 21 2.5.1.1 Phonological schemes 21 2.5.1.2 Grammatical and lexical schemes 21 Antithesis 23 Asyndeton 23 2.5.2 Tropes 23 2.5.2.1 Figures by comparison 25 Metaphor and simile 25 Personification 27 2.5.2.2 Figures by association 27 2.5.2.3 Figures by contrast 28 2.5.3 Other types of figures of speech 28 2.5.3.1 Climax 29 2.5.3.2 Definition 29 2.5.3.3 Description 29 2.5.3.4 Paromologia 30 vii 2.5.3.5 Parenthesis 30 2.5.4 The function of rhetorical figures 30 2.5.5 The rhetorical figures in the selected speeches 31 2.6 Previous studies 33 2.7 Conceptual framework 34 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 36 3.1 Introduction 36 3.2 Research instrumentation 36 3.3 Sample and sampling method 37 3.4 Data collection procedures 39 3.5 Data analysis procedures 40 3.6 Validity and reliability 42 3.7 Pilot Study 43 3.8 Summary 45 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 47 4.1 Introduction 47 4.2 Results and discussion 48 4.2.1 Antithesis 48 4.2.2 Asyndeton 50 4.2.3 Climax 53 4.2.4 Definition 55 4.2.5 Description 59 viii 4.2.6 Metaphor and simile 61 4.2.7 Parenthesis 63 4.2.8 Paromologia 64 4.2.9 Personification 66 4.3 Major findings 69 4.4 Summary 72 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 74 5.1 Conclusion 74 5.2 Implications 75 5.3 Limitations of the research 77 5.4 Recommendations for further research 78 References 79 Appendices 87 Appendix A: State of the Union Address 2010 87 Appendix B: State of the Union Address 2011 111 Appendix C: State of the Union Address 2012 133 Appendix D: State of the Union Address 2013 156 Appendix E: State of the Union Address 2014 177 Appendix F: State of the Union Address 2015 198 Appendix G: State of the Union Address 2016 223 Appendix H: Definitions of all recurring rhetorical figures indentified 242 Appendix I: Metaphors in the selected speeches 246 ix Appendix J: Antirrhesis – Entities whose opinions Obama rejected 261 Appendix K: Comparison – Countries which Obama compared the US to 265 Appendix L: Exemplification – People presented as examples by Obama 266 Appendix M: Metonymy – A list of metonyms used by Obama 268 Appendix N: Paromologia – A list of problems admitted by Obama 271 Appendix O: Results from Plagiarism Checker X 277 x LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1: President Obama’s State of the Union Addresses (2010-2016) 39 Table 3.2: The results of the pilot study 44 Table 4.1: The tokens of antithesis 48 Table 4.2: The tokens of asyndeton 50 Table 4.3: The tokens of asyndeton (three listed elements) 53 Table 4.4: The tokens of climax 53 Table 4.5: The tokens of definition 55 Table 4.6: A list of American values in the selected speeches 56 Table 4.7: Token counts of personal pronouns 57 Table 4.7: The tokens of description 59 Table 4.9: The tokens of metaphor and simile 61 Table 4.10: The tokens of parenthesis 63 Table 4.11: The tokens of paromologia 65 Table 4.12: The tokens of personification 67 Table 4.13: The most frequently used recurring rhetorical figures 69 Table 5.1: Recurring rhetorical figures by category 74 xi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Conceptual framework 35 Figure 2: Data analysis procedure 46 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to the study The world of politics is an extremely sophisticated domain in which language plays a decisively pivotal role in helping politicians persuade and influence others to understand their ways of thinking and to implement political, social and economical ideas via carefully written and meticulously presented speeches Hence, it is important that politicians know well the necessary tools and use them in their speeches so as to convince others and to win over their supporters, and one of such tools which are ever present in such oratory presentations is rhetoric, which is an area of study whose origin can be traced back to ancient Greece (McCroskey, 2006, p 5) and which has consistently endured for more than two millenia since its conception One of the most well-known rhetoricians is Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), whose compositions, entitled Rhetoric, form the enduring foundation on which later texts and studies conducted on the subject were based (“Aristotle’s Rhetoric,” 2010, para 1) Rhetoric, hence, continues to be a relevant area of linguistics which is still heavily studied and extensively applied in the modern days because, as stated by Beard (2000), rhetoric skills are instrumental in capturing the attention of the others and in convincing the audiences to follow the orator’s views (p 36) Furthermore, as posited by Fafner (2000), classical rhetoric is still employed at present when writing or analyzing a speech (as stated in Nielson, 2009, p 9) Successful politicians, according to Jerit (2004), therefore incorporate a multitude of rhetorical figures in their speeches in order to obtain affiliative responses from the people to whom they speak, thus consolidating their images as competent, charismatic and trustworthy leaders who deserve the people’s votes A number of studies have therefore been conducted on the interactions between politicians and their audiences via the thorough analysis of video footages, specifically on the rhetorical figures used to evoke applause and positive responses from the audiences (Atkinson, 1984; Bull, 2006; Bull & Miskinis, 2014; Heritage & Greatbatch, 1986) Furthermore, there is also a large volume of studies conducted specifically on the rhetoric of various powerful politicians, namely the heads of state, many of which applied Aristotle’s three main means of persuasion – ethos (the persuasive appeal of the orator’s character), pathos (the appeal to emotion), and logos (the appeal to logical arguments and reason) – to analyze the rhetoric of prominent figures in the world of politics (Andersen, 2008; Lim, 2002; Assmundson, 2008; Menz, 2008; Nielsen, 2009; O’Connell et al., 2010; Batluk, 2011; Eriksson, 2011; Bird, 2011; Alvi & Baseer, 2011; Alvi & Baseer, 2012; Baseer & Alvi, 2012) Among the most accomplished politicians in the world, Barack Obama – the forty-fourth president of the United States of America and the first one to be of African-American descent – is without a doubt one of the most respected names in the field of poltics for a variety of reasons, including his humanitary and optimistic messages which remained consistent throughout his two terms in office Like every politician, to persuade the people to support him and to vote for him, Barack Obama made use of multiple rhetorical figures in his speeches to soothe the concerns of the people and at the same time touch upon subjects which were at the time, and some of which are still, controversial in the United States throughout his career as a senator and then as the President, among which are the topics of gay rights, gun control, racial segregation, war, economic development and many more To achieve his agenda, to win the support of the people, and to stay in power, Barack Obama times and again displayed his mastery of the art of rhetoric and his oratory skills, which have been highly praised and even compared to those of speakers of high calbier such as John F Kenndy and Ronald Reagan – outstanding names in the world of American politics themselves (Mendell, 2008) To be compared to such important and outstanding personalities in history is a great honor; thus, it stands to reason that President Barack Obama’s linguistic style – namely his style with rhetorical 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 the Affordable Care Act Congress's decision to keep Guantanamo Bay prison Supporters of sending troops to war Unfair trading practices inside the country People who neglect childcare Congress's decision not to raise Minimum Wage Short-sighted employers who care about money more Violent extremists/terrorists Russian aggression Congress's decision to continue the Cuban Embargo Congress's new sanctions on Iran Anti-Semitism Muslim haters Supporters of government surveillance program TV pundits smearing the Obama administration People who reject change Cumbersome procedures in the government X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 263 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 Greedy corporations The rich who dodge tax with offshore accounts Supporters of old energy People who claim America's enemies are stronger People who claim America's military is weaker ISIL's ideology Those who doubt Obama's commitment to terrorist threats Supporters of bombing other countries Haters of people of color and religions Politicians who choose their own voters instead of the other way around X X X X X X X X X X 264 Appendix K: Comparison – Countries which Obama compared the US to No Country China Europe Russia South Korea India Germany Japan Total: 2010 1 2011 4 0 14 2012 1 1 2013 1 0 1 265 2014 0 0 2015 0 0 2016 0 0 Total 14 Appendix L: Exemplification – People presented as examples by Obama No 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Name mentioned Michelle Obama Joe Biden John F Kennedy Ronald Reagan The Founding Fathers Republican Judd Greg & Democrat Kent Conrad Robert Kennedy Robert & Gary Allen Kathy Procter President Eisenhower Secretary of Defense Speaker of the House Brandon Fisher CEO of Master Lock Jackie Bray Bryan Ritterby Warren Buffett Tom Coburn Jill Biden Obama’s grandfather Obama’s grandmother Bob Gate Hilary Clinton John McCain + Joe Lieberman CEO of Siemens Aung San Suu Kyi Hadyia Pendleton Menchu Sanchez Desiline Vicher Brian Murphy Speaker of the House Andra Rush 2010 X X X X X 2011 2012 X X 2013 X X 2014 X X X X 2015 X X X 2016 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 266 X X X 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 Misty DeMars Estiven Rodriguez Nick Chute John Soranno Tom Harkin & George Miller Senator Rubio Amanda Shelly Steve Beshear Cory Remsburg Rebekah & Ben Erler Scott Kelly Vladimir Putin Pope Francis Alan Gross Speaker Paul Ryan Martin Luther King Total X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 11 267 16 10 X X (2) X Appendix M: Metonymy – A list of metonyms used by Obama No 10 11 12 13 14 15 Metonym Main Street (businesses and companies) Wall Street (banks and financial institutions) Washington (the government) The left and right (the Democrats and Republicans) The right (the Republicans) Pennsylvania Avenue (the connection between the White House and Congress) Election Day politics (politics where politicians attack try to attack one another) Our shores (the USA) Facebook (technological achievement) Google (technological achievement) Thomas Edison (for inventors) The Wright Brothers (for inventors) Sputnik (scientific breakthrough) Apollo (scientific breakthrough) Information Age (the twenty-first century) 2010 2011 2012 X X X X X(3) X(4) X(4) X X(6) 2013 X 2014 2015 2016 X X X X(2) X X X(3) X X X X X X X(2) X X X X X X X X X X 268 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 Black-and-white TV age (the old centuries) Colors (the US flag) Detroit (the car industry) Steve Jobs (for inventors) Warren Buffett (for the rich) Buffett’s secretary (for the workingclass) More boots on the border (border patrols) 50 stars and 13 stripes (the US flag) Ribbon-cuttings (for the openings of new businesses) A thousand birthdays, graduations, anniversaries (for the shootings’ victims lives) Gabby Gilfords (for victims of shootings) Newton (shooting) Aurora (shooting) Oak Creek (shooting) Tuscon (shooting) Blacksburh (shooting) Red, white & blue (the US flag) 9/11 generation (for those born in the 2000s) eBay (representing big corporations) Tesla (representing X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 269 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 big corporations) The top one percent (the rich) The Pentagon (the US Department of Defense) Collection of red states and blue states (the US as a whole) George Washington Carver (for inventors) Grace Hopper (for computer scientists and military personnel) Katherine Johnson (for mathematicians, especially females) Sally Ride (for physicists and astronauts, especially females) Silicon Valley (for technology companies) Beijing (China) Moscow (Russia) Voices (for the people) Total X X X X X X X X X X 14 10 19 270 10 12 X(6) 19 Appendix N: Paromologia – A list of problems admitted by Obama No 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Problems 2010 2011 The government cannot recover everything from the Recession X Unemployment problem X Wall Street prefers to invest in big companies, not small ones X Obama's lack of clarity in explaining his policies X The deep divide in the government/Congress X The Democrats' shortcomings X The Republicans' shortcomings X Greedy CEOs are still out there X Greedy bankers make people miserable X Cheating lobbyists work for corporations X Divisive officials in the government/parties X The media not taking a serious stance on political issues X Obama admits he cannot everything alone X Obama administration's shortcomings X Differences in the philosophies of the parties X X The old-fashioned government needs reform X The terrible state of education X The terrible quality of X 271 2012 2013 2014 X X X X X X 2015 2016 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 schools Immigration issues Bad infrastructure Unneeded/costly regulations Flaws in the healthcare laws The government overspending the budget Costly healthcare The need to cut more costs The divide in the government Income Inequality (between classes, between sexes) Irresponsible/powerless regulators to control the banks The government cannot bring all jobs overseas back Unfair tax code which help the rich pay less than workers Unfair trading practices Companies avoiding taxes by operating overseas The lack of skilled labors Low budget for teacher salary Tuition debts for graduates The government cannot keep subsidizing tuition International graduates cannot stay after getting X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 272 X X 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 their degrees Oil is not enough Clean energy does not pay off right away The government cannot solve all problems Financial firms breaking laws repeatedly scot-free Increase in income tax Loopholes in the tax code The tax code needs reform Washington subsidizing millionaires Washington is broken Deficit of trust between Wall Street and Main Street Divide between Washington and the States Corrosive influence of money in politics Slow executive branch Budget cuts leading to more losses Health care needs reform How the government pays for Medicare High gas prices Good people cannot afford a home Good people cannot refinance Some kids cannot go to preschool/school Middle-class parents cannot afford preschool Costly higher education X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 273 X X 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 Taxpayers cannot keep subsidizing rising tuition Low minimum wage (including federal minimum wage) Skepticisms caused by the nature of the US's democracy Emergences of cyber threats America cannot solve every problem abroad Voting rights need reform The controversy of gun control Problem with the budget Some people cannot realize the American Dream Unneeded tax breaks for fossil fuels Everyone needs to act faster against climate change Changing to clean energy is tough Unemployment insurance needs reform Change in education is hard People of color have problems staying in school Earned Income Tax Credit is not enough for single parents Most workers have no pensions Social Security checks are X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 274 X X X 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 not enough Evolving terrorist threats Negotiations with Iran may fail Long and costly wars Recession domestically and globally Costly basic childcare The USA has no sick/maternity paid leave Past trade deals not live up to expectation Fighting against pandemics is not enough Politicians always campaign instead of working Politicians care for their images more than working Divided opinions on women's right to choose Divided opinions on police shooting and accountability Criminal justice system needs reform Change hurts working families Technology replaces jobs Companies face increased competitions overseas Workers cannot easily ask for a raise Companies are less loyal to communities Families face poverty Young people cannot start their careers X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X 275 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 People cannot retire easily Job security issues Retirement benefit issues Disagreement on healthcare reform Workers have no wage insurance People fighting to maintain the status quo Changes overseas affect the USA's international standing Sanctions against Cuba are ineffective Many people feel powerless Politicians choosing their voters Campaign finance needs reform X X X X X X X X X X X 276 Appendix O: Results from Plagiarism Checker X (From Chapter to Chapter only) Plagiarism Checker X Originality Report Similarity Found: 18% Date: Sunday, September 09, 2018 Statistics: 4195 words Plagiarized / 23442 Total words Remarks: Low Plagiarism Detected - Your Document needs Optional Improvement 277 ... according to the findings in the pilot study, the details of which would be presented more clearly in the upcoming Chapter 34 President Obama’s State of the Union Addresses (2010- 2016) Rhetorical figures/ figures... State of the Union Address yet (Diaz, 2017) Therefore, that address in 2009 was not included in this paper while the remaining seven State of the Union Addresses during the period from 2010 to 2016. .. METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction The study aims to identify the recurring rhetorical figures which appear in all of the State of the Union Addresses delivered by President Obama from 2010 to 2016 Hence,