Richard Nixon's Speech Rhetorical Devices

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In 1952, Richard Nixon was running mates with Republican presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower. Eisenhower, however, was on the verge of cutting ties with his running mate due to allegations that Nixon had received gifts from lobbyists that totalled to a staggering $18,000. In a last-ditch effort to save his candidacy and his reputation, Nixon took to the small screen to talk to the American people. He hopes to change the minds of the American people so as to clear his name of any wrong doing with what would become known as the “Checkers Speech.” Throughout the speech Nixon utilizes many rhetorical devices so as to solidify his argument. At the beginning of the excerpt, Nixon says “that’s what we have and that’s what we owe.” This is in respect to his financial records, which he released on …show more content…
This is a bid to remind the American people of his involvement and his fortitude while under attack. This at the same time invokes ethos in respect to the fact that he was at one point a prominent lawyer. By bringing this case up, Nixon is trying to tell the American people that he is smart and educated while not directly saying it. This is an attempt to portray himself as the best choice for the American people. To wrap up his speech, Nixon asks a few rhetorical questions to build suspense and really bring it home. He asks questions like “why do I feel so deeply” so that he can set himself right up to tell the entire country on national television that he loves America. This was at the time of the Korean War, so tensions were high and patriotism was up; Nixon’s statement was an attempt to play off of those feelings and bolster his approval ratings. In one final attempt to evoke a response, Nixon makes an appeal to fear in which he claims that America is in danger; he most likely means from communist threat. He then tries to assure people that if they vote Eisenhower, they would not have to
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