Speech Rhetorical Analysis

"The Dream Is Now" Video

     The speakers in this video are all undocumented youth who have established lives in the United States speaking to the government officials in Washington. The fact that they are undocumented people makes them credible to be speaking about being undocumented youth in America. This is their ethos. They establish this by explicitly stating who they are. Their speeches use a lot of pathos with their facial expressions and their statements proving how they are normal people who are fearful because of their situations. They are students who are eventually going to be unable to attain their goals because they aren't documented Americans. They are essentially "pulling at your heart strings" in order to gain a reaction from Washington. They are trying to reason with government officials (logos) by trying to get them to take action. They are starting a movement in hopes of getting enough attention.

                                    

 

"Sec. Janet Napolitano: Securing the Border is Only One Part of Immigration Reform" Video

     Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano establishes her ethos simply by the position she holds in relation to the audience which is the general American public. She is the designated speaker in charge of the department that handles security of the nation's borders. This makes her credible in what she is saying because people recognize her position. She is able to make suggestions and people will be willing to listen. Sec. Napolitano is using logos by stating facts that the US border security has been increased, effectively. She gives examples of the security measures that have been put in place. She is also appealing to emotion (pathos) by using language such as "bring illegals out of the shadows so they can get right with the law." By stating this, she is trying to appeal to the listeners and get them to jump on the bandwagon. She is trying to get them to believe that what she is saying is the truth. 

     Both videos use each of the three rhetorical devices: ethos, logos, and pathos. They use them in different ways because they are coming at the immigration issue from different angles. The speakers in both videos have credibility in what they are saying because of who they are and what they are representing. When it all comes together, however, both videos have the same goal. The goal is to further raise awareness about illegal immigrants in the United States. In essence, they are both attempting to "bring illegals out of the shadows so they can get right with the law," as stated by Sec. Janet Napolitano. The undocumented youth want to be able to come out of the shadows without being deported in order to live their lives as "normal" as possible. They want to identify with their peers rather than just appear as though they fit in. While this is the goal for both, the youth mainly use pathos to get their point across and Sec. Napolitano uses logos.