President Obama is an advocate of a higher minimum wage. He often mentions it in his state of the union addresses, as well as at many other speaking events. The following analysis aims to reveal how President Obama uses logical reasoning to persuade the audience to push for a higher minimum wage.
President Obama presented this speech (below) in April of 2014, to the students at the University of Michigan. His ultimate goal is to gain support for raising the wage.
President Obama presented this speech (below) in April of 2014, to the students at the University of Michigan. His ultimate goal is to gain support for raising the wage.
This neo-Aristotelian analysis helps us to understand the speech by focusing on the logical arguments presented as well as the manner in which the speech is delivered.
Obama uses logic to fight back against those who do not want to raise the wage. He mentioned businesses that took up his challenge to raise the wages of their employees. This is a response to the argument that raising the wage would hurt business.
The President also uses his previously successful political actions as a sort of established credibility for future success. He directly engages his audience, all college students, by mentioning his affordable education plan as well as the Affordable Care Act. He seems to be saying that his administration has seen other controversial issues through, and they will see this one become successful as well.
The President also uses his previously successful political actions as a sort of established credibility for future success. He directly engages his audience, all college students, by mentioning his affordable education plan as well as the Affordable Care Act. He seems to be saying that his administration has seen other controversial issues through, and they will see this one become successful as well.
He often makes emotional statements like, “Nobody who works full-time should be raising their family in poverty, right?” While this is also a logical statement, it could tug at the heartstrings of anyone who knows a family that is struggling.
He speaks TO the audience, not AT them. He uses plain language and doesn’t quote long statistics, but uses numbers sparingly for effect. The speech doesn’t feel “read” word for word, it is conversational. He makes himself credible to his audience, which allows him to “ask them a favor”: Go talk to your congressmen.
Obama makes it easy to see his point of view even if you do not agree with his ideas. It is important to be able to see both sides of an issue as big as minimum wage law. President Obama will likely join FDR in history as a president who made great effort to improve the lives of all Americans, not just a lucky few.
Really nice!
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