Essay Sample: Political Campaign Ad

The ad whose link has been provided is one of the campaign ads which Barrack Obama, the former US president used to persuade the people of America to re-elect him. Obama presents himself more appealingly as he reminds the electorates that the decision lies with them. Some of the issues Obama addressed to accompany his success included strengthening the middle class. According to him, the middle class looked like the foundation on which the development of America laid (Political Campaign Ad Rhetorical Analysis, 1). The rhetoric presented in the ad is mostly Aristotelian Rhetoric as opposed to the metaphors that may have been used to pass the messages. Obama speaks directly to the audience citing the likely causes of the problems the American residents have faced. He doesn't look happy suggesting that something might have been wrong and needs to be addressed. The persuasiveness of the ad is what brings about the rhetoric.

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The tone of the ad has a significant influence on the perception of the narrator. The ad starts with a piece of music and then Obama begins to speak with a tone which is too consoling and attracts the audience's attention quickly. The music and the first few words Obama says are appealing thus giving the ethos of the ad. The look on Obama's face is a little bit sad (Political Campaign Ad Rhetorical Analysis, 1). The sadness is responsible for the pathos that has occurred due to the unfulfilled promises from his first term of presidency. In as much as the speech is perceived as boiling political temperatures, Obama appears to be ethical as he gives his speech, thus giving his electorates a simple choice to go by when the electioneering period reaches, no wonder the title of the ad is 'the choice.' Obama appears to be interested in evading all political defamations which will present only one choice to the voters; re-electing him. The rhetoric presented in the paragraph is his ability to persuade using appealing words which leaves the audience with only a single option by which to go.

Based on the length of the ad (which is approximately 60 seconds), Obama could not say much. He focused on the matters that could be prioritized. He knows the source of the problems imposed on the people of America and thus majors on what is factual and which Americans would love to hear. He says that they have tried to use the past policies to improve the living standards, but they failed to work. Therefore, he gives them a plan of how he and his government, if re-elected, will operate. The mention of the middle-class empowerment directly shows service to the people (Fowles, 2). The reason behind that claim is because the majority of Americans are counted under the middle class. Mentioning them, makes the middle class feel that they are also recognized and feel part of the plans. He says in a quote that "Over the next few months you have a choice to make. Not just between two political parties or even two people. It's a choice between two very different plans for our country". The statement presents Obama as not being selfish to count himself but care about the decisions of the entire American country.

Some of the words Obama has used in the ad gives evidence of appeals. He feels that he formulated some of the policies which turned out to be unbearable to the Americans. He is destined to serve them better, and that's why he starts most of his sentences with the word "we" to prove a relationship between him and the target audience. For example, he says "We tried that top-down approach. It's what caused the mess in the first place." the phrase can be used to show that Obama was having two options (Political Campaign Ad Rhetorical Analysis, 2). One is that he was outlining the problem to help direct his people to the other option. The second option is that he appeals to everybody and acknowledges that the problem is caused and borne by all of them. The use of 'we' is responsible for the success of rhetoric in appealing to the passionate audience.

In conclusion, there is successful employment of the rhetoric which is exclusively Aristotelian in terms of its strong persuasive nature. Obama has presented both the ethos and the pathos in a very successful manner. He started with an appeal for a problem that he feels has been caused by both him and the electorates; a move that is ethically acceptable. While addressing the issue, he appears to be sad, a move that shows the pathos side of the ad. The success of the rhetoric in the ad is also based on how he utilizes his short time limit to address the most critical issues without branching into stories and much of the past achievements and failures. According to the short campaign speech, his re-election could be of great importance to the American citizens. If he could be able to dwell on the highlighted issues, then a vast improvement could be realized.

Works Cited

"Political Campaign Ad Rhetorical Analysis." Andrewgrant223, 17 Sept. 2012, pp. 1-2 andrewgrant223.wordpress.com/2012/09/17/political-campaign-ad-rhetorical-analysis/.

Fowles, Jib. "Advertising's 15 Basic Appeals (by Jib Fowles)." Venturaenglish02fall09's Blog, 28 Oct. 2009, pp. 1-13. venturaenglish02fall09.wordpress.com/advertizings-15-basic-appeals-by-jib-fowles/.