Sunday, November 15, 2015

TOW #9- “President Obama Offers a Statement on the Attacks in Paris”

            Dozens of people fell to the pools of blood, escaping from the cries that filled the Bataclan Theatre, where gunmen fired towards the crowd of innocent French civilians. In an instant, families were torn as they held onto the motionless bodies of their loved ones. Bombing and shooting up six different places in France simultaneously, terrorists left over three hundred people either killed or injured. On November 13th, President Obama delivered a statement on behalf of enraged Americans in a conference, where he appealed to pathos to imply his strong desire to support and assist the French government in their war against the terrorist groups.
            His anger aroused by the injustice he witnessed occur in France, Obama uses pronouns such as “we” and “us” as evident in the quote, “This is an attack on all of humanity and the universal values that we share” (para 1,2) in order to morally justify U.S. plans of helping France in the process of seeking justice. He also recalls back to how America has “gone through those kind of episodes ourselves” and could “count on the French people to stand with us” (para, 5) in order to help U.S. citizens remember to give back to France for what they’ve done for us. To emphasize their unity in power, Obama portrays the two nations as victims of terrorist attacks and portrays his strong compassion for the families and friends in Paris, whose lives are now forever changed.  

            For me, the speech was effective, because I wanted to join Obama in offering our condolence to France throughout the speech. Through his appeal to pathos when emphasizing the values the people of U.S. and France share, Obama powerfully depicts his supportive stands.

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