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Analysis of Political Rhetoric in "The American Promise"

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Analysis of political rhetoric in “The American Promise”

2. Divide the speech into sections. Give each section a headline.
American workers have kept the promise alive for more than 200 years.
Page 109, Line 1-15. Hard work, Individuals, American Family, Sacrifice, Dreams, Belief.
The American Promise.
Page 109, Line 16-Page 110, Line 2. “Our own lives”, Freedom, Drive, Innovation, Growth, Education, Opportunity, “I am my brother’s keeper; I am my sister’s keeper”.
The American Spirit
Page 110, Line 4-Page 110, Line 17. Wealth, Rich, Strong, Powerful, Envy, Binds us together, differences, promise.
Martin Luther King, an inspiration.
Page 110, Line 19-Page 110, Line 31. Destiny, Lincoln’s Memorial, A young preacher, “people of every creed and color”.
Be a man of your word.
Page 110, Line 33-Page 110, Line 42. No turning back, much to be done, fix, rebuild, save, protect, mend, Walk together.

3. The American Promise according to Barack Obama.
The American Promise is about being helpful, responsible, industrious, believing and not giving up. You have to look out for your fellow Americans, and the government has to make sure everyone has the same opportunities. You are not only responsible for yourself, and you rise and fall as a nation. And when you get these opportunities, you are responsible of using the opportunities. You have to be hard working even in hard times.

4. Rhetorical Techniques used in the text.
Alliteration:
“.. who weren’t well-off or well-known”
“students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors”
“keep our water clean and out toys safe”
“invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology”
“people of every creed and color, from every walk of life”
Barack Obama’s use of Alliteration creates a good flow, and makes his punch lines more memorable. It is highlighting his points and it has a very

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