Blog 9

Through this course, my conception of “public discourse” has somewhat grown as I have become more open and involved in the world around me.  In high school, I had not paid much attention to public speakers other than having the thought of “what a waste of time” or “what a great speech!”  As I started really paying attention to what people have been saying, I have found it very interesting in analyzing the rhetoric people use to make their point.  With this year being home to such an important election, there was a world of persuasion out there to look at and attempt to understand.  While I was never particularly strong at distinguishing rhetoric, examples of it all around me soon became painfully obvious.  Through my new-found knowledge of rhetoric, I was able to (at least I believe I was able to) cut through some of the fluff and make determinations for myself about the true meaning behind what was being said.  Looking back at some of these election speeches, there are key techniques that I would have taken away from both presidential hopefuls.  President Barack Obama was much more gifted at conveying emotion and using that to his advantage when he spoke.  Through his entire campaign, he was able to reconnect with his target voters without having to bring up his past time in office.  Mitt Romney, on the other hand, had used rhetoric to convey his ideas towards a more logical audience.  While these techniques were both radically different, they were both fairly effective at being able to persuade their target audiences of their beliefs and ideas.  As of right now, there is no one person in particular who I would like to emulate in respect to their rhetoric.  I am more of a cut and dry person and would prefer to just get to the point rather than adding all the fluff.  That is one of the many reasons I would never be a successful politician.