Jared Pugh
Elliot Coyle
English 130W
February 5th, 2020
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19W43HoRjWLuCy2wBtCrgA_jinSJY81YbpRzXQru5xxw/edit?usp=sharing
President Bill Clinton was a beloved president during his two terms as America’s leader. He did face an impeachment trial during his second term, but those trials only improved his ratings to the highest they had ever been. People undoubtedly missed him when he left office, a mournful feeling that Bill Clinton targeted in his farewell speech at the end of his second term. In his farewell speech, Clinton uses two forms of rhetoric, pathos and logos, to address the public in ways that make them respect and acknowledge his deeds during his time as the president of the US.
All presidents have certain statistics associated with them, an example being Obama with dropping unemployment below eight percent. Presidents are branded with these statistics regardless if they are positive or negative. Clinton, during his farewell speech, referenced several statistics that he believes are directly responsible due to his campaign. Statistics he mentioned are “22 million new jobs” and “Crime is at a new twenty-five year low”. These are positive examples of logos, using statistics that people see as positive so that he can credit himself for these accomplishments.
Clinton also combined pathos and logos together with one sentence, “More than three million children have health insurance now, and more than 7 million Americans have been lifted out of poverty.” This statistics is clearly logos based due to how it references an indisputable fact that could be researched if someone so wished. The pathos part is who the quote is about, orphans and the homeless. People generally seem to think that helping the less fortunate is a positive thing, appealing to people’s fondness for helping their fellow citizens and seeing the less fortunate happier after being helped.
Clinton, like many presidents before and after him, knows how to use rhetoric in ways that make people like them and want to treasure them.
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