1. Planning essays – spoken language investigation
FGI

2. The question
How does Barack Obama establish and sustain a rapport with an audience in two different contexts?

3. Suggested overall plan
Section 1: how the different contexts of the speeches affect how Obama speaks, how he adapts his speech to different audiences
Section 2: how he structures his speeches to create interest
Section 3: his rhetorical devices (see next slides)
Section 4: the way he delivers his speeches: the way he stresses particular words, pauses, body language
Section 5: an evaluation of what you learnt from his speeches and it affected your own presentation(s)

4. Rhetoric
Public speakers use various rhetorical devices to add impact to their words. These devices can consist of choices of vocabulary, sound effects or structural patterns
Can you think of any in Obama’s speeches?

5. Rhetorical questions
Rhetorical questions- these are questions that do not require a response e.g. do you find this acceptable
Why are these powerful?
Can you find any that Obama uses?

6. Rhetorical devices
Balanced phrases – e.g. to work and to live. Can you find any in Obama’s speeches?
Antithesis – placing opposite meaning together e.g. ‘ let us shape our hoplessness into a new hope’. Can you find any?
What effects are created through these devices?

7. More rhetorical devices
Repetition – ‘ we will stand up, we will fight, we will win’ or Tony Blair’s ‘education, education, education.’
Tripling (or groups of three) – e.g. ‘Friends, Romans, countrymen’
Effect?

8. More rhetorical devices
Onomatopoeia – e.g. ‘people are clamouring for justice’
Alliteration – ‘a tapestry of talents’
Sibilance – alliteration with S
Fricatives – alliteration with V and F
Plosives – alliteration with P and B’s
Why create sounds in a speech?

9. Obama’s rhetorical devices
What the most POWERFUL sections of his speeches? Why are they so powerful?
ANALYSE their power.
“Yes we can.”
What is so powerful about this phrase?

10. Suggestions Positive and optimistic: “yes”.
The plural first person pronoun “we” suggests that everyone is “in it” altogether.
The verb “can” means that people are “able” and have the ability to solve the problems ahead.

11. Now plan your own essay!
Make sure you produce your own individual plan
The top marks go to PERSONAL and ORIGINAL THOUGHT.
Great opportunity: research his new speech about the Arizona tragedy.

12. How would you analyse it?
Think and think again!

13. Essay plan Contexts Structure and theme Rhetorical devices Delivery
Evaluation and impact