Robert F. Kennedy and Bill Clinton gave a speech about a tragic event which darkened the lives of the citizens of the United States. These two people have their differences, however, both President Bill Clinton and Robert F. Kennedy had a similar purpose for why they gave their speeches, and both had a similar use of ethical appeals, logical appeals, and emotional appeals in their speeches to give their audience a common message about how they feel the United States should move forward as a country. These speeches demonstrated a common purpose with common uses of emotional, logical, and ethical appeals to push United States Citizens to move forward from their loss in a way that honors the deceased's memory and fulfills their legacy. Both, …show more content…
Kennedy use ethical and logical appeals in somewhat similar ways that expresses their main purpose. Granted, their are many differences that each of them use a specific element, however, some of these techniques are used in similar ways to guide United States Citizens. For example, President Clinton uses an ethical appeal when he states in his speech that, “ But I have to tell you that Hillary and I also come as parents, as husband and wife, as people who were your neighbors for some of the best times.” In other words, he is saying that he and his wife are combing to the site of the bombings as normal parents that are concerned for their families safety and the well being of the country. When he states this he is making himself seem like a normal parent to make people understand him better and increase his credibility to the situation in progress. Kennedy uses an ethical appeal when he states that, “ I can only say in my own heart that I feel same kind of feeling. I had a member of my family killed, but he was killed by a white man.” To put it bluntly, he is saying that he feels the pain of the people who lost Martin Luther King as their leader because he has felt the pain of his brother’s assassination which makes him a more understandable person also increasing his credibility as the speaker. President Clinton uses logical reasoning when he states that, “My fellow Americans, a tree takes a long time to grow, and wounds …show more content…
For instance, President Clinton use an emotional appeal when he states that, “ This terrible sin took the lives of our American family, innocent children in that building, only because their parents were trying to be good parents as well as good workers; citizens in the building going about their daily business.” In short, he is saying that this act took the lives of innocent people and children that were doing nothing other than their daily business and providing for their families. He uses this to indicate that the people of oklahoma were senselessly killed but people who had no reason to kill them. Kennedy uses an emotional appeal when he states that, “ On this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it is perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in- you can be filled with bitterness, with hatred, and a desire for revenge. We can move in that direction as a country, in great polarization. Or we can make an effort as martin Luther king did, to understand , and to comprehend.” Based on the quotes in this paragraph and the last, In their speeches, “ Oklahoma Bombings Memorial Address,” and, “ Eulogy for Dr. Martin Luther king Jr.” President Bill Clinton use ethical, emotional, and logical appeals to express thoughts and feelings about the tragic occasion, and that the United States should move on in a way that