September 21

Respond to Speeches

As an audience member, I want you to think of yourself as a “low information” voter. You do not watch much news. You work at night in a factory, have two kids getting ready to go to college. You make a decent living, but are a little worried about your retirement and your health insurance costs.

Watch both videos as this “low information” voter. You have to vote in November and haven’t made up your mind about either candidate. You are going to watch the speeches with an open mind.

First, explain the most notable ways each candidate appeals to you as a voter. Does he use any of the language devices we just learned about to appeal to logos, ethos, pathos? Then, decide who will get your vote. Next, justify your decision. Once you finish writing, I should see a clear argument that supports your decision. If you like what another student says, quote them and add to his/her statement. (As an aside–I hope you noticed I didn’t have to use he/she because they are both men:) Due Monday morning.

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Posted September 21, 2012 by tashak38 in category Uncategorized

About the Author

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area--Big Up to the East Bay

72 thoughts on “Respond to Speeches

  1. Maliko Pearson-Chock

    Maliko Pearson-Chock
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English
    Period: 02
    23 September 2012

    In both presidential candidate’s acceptance speeches I notice that they each had their own ways of creating an emotional appeal to the audience, also know as pathos.Mitt Romney used it by telling his audience about his family making it seem like he was a very family oriented man. Also what I noticed about Romney’s speech was that he spent most of his time attacking Barrack Obama instead of talking about what HE would change in this economy and our government. While as Barack Obama talked about what he’s done these recent four years he was in office, and what he plans to achieve in the next four years if he were to win. This changed my ethos on Romney because instead of talking about what he’ll change himself, he chose to focus on Obama much more than the important matter at hand, therefore I viewed him as an odd choice for a candidate for presidency. I mean do we really want someone in office who didn’t discuss what they or their platform wanted for our country until the very end of such an important speech? I would have to disagree with those of you who said yes. Barack Obama on the other hand shortly after talking about his own-self spoke about exactly what he wanted for the country if he were to run this upcoming election. He also talked about how even though it’s not very noticeable all the things he’s done in his previous four years that he still has done a great deal of things to improve our country. My ethos of Obama is that he is a great man who’s gained little respect and credibilty for what he’s done for America while in office these last four years. As a man who works hard to make a decent living for his wife and kids I think I would have to go with Obama, because if what he’s said about Romney and the republicans campaign is true(which It is) , he would be the only logically choice. I say this because I honestly don’t know as much about politics as I should at my age, so when I heard this in Obama’s campaign I realize that the lower and middle class citizens would be receiving the increase in taxes while the high income citizens would not have to pay as much as I did, and personally that’s an ridiculous. Obama repeatedly says how we should all be equal and all have equal opportunity regaurdless of where we’ve come from or what we have experienced and that is why during this election Obama shall be receiving my vote.

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  2. valeria

    Valeriua Diaz
    Keeble
    AP English
    23 September 2012

    Boith candidates start off their speaches towards their audience by being funny and getting the crowd comfrotable with them. Although, Obama does not spend a lot of time on telling jokes like Romney did. he only showed his love and appriciation to his wife and both of his daughters as well as his vice precident. Obama focuses on the rest of the speech on stating facts like what goals he has reached. For example, he mentioned his achievment on investigating the 911 case and get Osama Bin Laden killed and he did. he also pointed out that he wants to make the United States a safer environment and more indepentant from other countries because he feels that all the people that live here have a purpose and are smart enough to be our future. he wants to provide college for young adults and cut the oil prices. Obama focuses on a lot of piecemaking strategies and education on the citizens of the United States. obama also focuses on the middle and poor class a lot and says that he disagrees with Romneys choice in his taxes plans. On the other hand, Romney constantly uses jokes through out his speech to interact with his audience. I am guessing he feels more confident in his speech if he keeps making people laugh and “boo” to Obama’s actions. He talks more about the economy and how he wants to provide a lot of new jobs and cut taxes for the rich. but not for the poor. Romney believes that what this country needs is new jobs and not a pieceful environment for the world. he says that he worries about the families that live here in the USA and not about the world.
    I will vote for Obama because I love his idea on making world piece. i want my kids to be able to go to college and feel safe in where they live. I love the fact that Obama not only cares about the United States but also on the world and I connect to that. i want to feel safe here and I know by choosing Obama will mean health insurance that I can count on. I did not connect to Romneys humor and I did appriciates Obama’s sufisticated speech.

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  3. Caleb M.

    Caleb Matthews
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English, Period 2
    23 September 2012

    Both Romney’s and Obama’s speeches used pathos and ethos to connect to the crowd, however, Romney used pathos to his advantage more than Obama did. Mitt Romney told a story about his parent’s relationship and his father’s tragic death. The story made him seem like he was more of a light-hearted and emotional candidate. Romney used ethos by praising America repeatedly for it’s accomplishments, bravery, and optimism, making the crowd feel better about themselves and to gain a sense of pride. Obama on the other hand used logos and ethos more than pathos. He gave reasoning on why he should raise taxes on the rich and lower them for the poor. Also, Obama gave legitimate reasons on why he was running for President, unlike Mitt Romney, who only stated the obvious on what is going wrong in and around America. Ironically, both candidates made jokes about each other’s campaign goals and reasoning by using ad hominem attacks.
    As a voter that is not very informed, with two kids getting ready for college, that also works a night shift at a factory, I would vote for Obama. He appeared to be more knowledgable on finding solutions for hard workers such as myself, and lowering college fees for students like my kids. Romney, on the other hand, only talked about the challenges that Americans face instead of giving solutions that he could make to fix them. Overall, Obama appeared to be the more experienced candidate that could help my kids and I look forward to a brighter future.

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  4. Jasmine Johnson

    Jasmine Johnson
    AP English 11 1st Period
    Ms. Keeble
    23 September 2012

    Both Barak Obama and Mitt Romney appealed to me in several ways. Romney used pathos a lot. He consistently mentioned the “American Dream” in which all of us want. He caused me to feel emotions of optimism and hope. At the same time, I don’t know what changes he’s going to make. Throughout his entire speech he spoke of the American dream, money, and what president Obama hasn’t done. I felt he spoke more about Obama and his term as president than he did about the true issues at hand. That makes me wonder if he actually has a plan. I don’t want a president who is going into his first term with the intentions of essentially, winging it. On the other side, Obama used pathos, ethos, and logos in his speech. That made his speech more appealing of the two. The speech began with his wife, Michelle Obama, introducing him. That drew an emotional appeal from me because it showed that, like us, Obama is human and has a family to take care of and worry about too. Then he used evidence from his term to show how he has improved America and prove his credibility. He talked a lot about what he has done and what he plans on doing. He admitted that it will not happen over night but his intentions are to make it happen. Out of the two, I feel Obama is more suited for the position of president. It seems like he has a plan and he’s done this before. He has experience and when he speaks, he’s more informative. After Romney’s speech I felt hope but after Obama’s, I felt informed and a sense of progress. As a low information voter, I’d rather feel informed than hopeful.

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  5. Adria W.

    Adria Watson
    Ms.Keeble
    AP English 11, period 2
    23 September 2012

    Romney and Obama both use pathos as a way to reach out to their viewers. The way Romney uses the term was using his family as a way to get Americans to see where he came from and get a deeper look into who he is as a person. Obama uses the term by bringing up what this country has been through the past eight year and is giving the viewers the truth into what we need to do to keep up the change we need. Romney;s speech appealed to me in way that I did not believe his words or anything he was saying. What I mean by that is I feel as if his words were not truly his. In Romney’s speech I never really got the information of what he wanted to do to make America a better place. Instead I noticed him mentioning up Obama’s faults and mistakes and how he hopes to see a difference if he became president. Also he came off as a person who does not really know what to do with the middle class and who just wants to strengthen the upper class. As a low information voter, this man would not have my vote to Romney. Obama came off more as a people person where Romney,on the other hand, seemed as if he was forcing himself to be that type of person. Obama’s speech basically stated that he started the change and all we need to do is keep moving forward with it and not give up on the changes we have made as a nation this far. His tone reminded me of when we watched the “Rachel Maddow Show”. the tone was very amplified. Their is so much a president can do and we, as Americans, can not depend on one person to make the change in that nation and that is exactly what Obama is trying to do. His speech mad it clear that he want to give the people a voice in what our nation should be shaped as and how we need to strengthen the biggest part of it which is the middle class. As a viewer Obama’s speech gave me a sense of comfort that Romney’s speech didn’t and that was that we do not have time for hopes and risk anymore. My vote goes to Obama because I have to think about my future and education and he had the best way to make it better for not just me, but others who are stuggling as well and for believing that America will get better in time but we just have to do what we need to as the people and make a statement for ourselves.

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  6. Brittany-Ann V. Dela Cruz

    Brittany-Ann V. Dela Cruz
    Keeble
    AP English
    24 September 2012
    Mitt Romney and Barack Obama are the candidates running to be the President of the United States. In their acceptance speech, each candidate had a legitimate as well as a convincing plan that could possibly benefit America in later years. Both speeches had a very positive appeal. The logos, pathos, and ethos used brought notice to their human-like character and understanding of their plan to stop the crisis that America is having today.
    Being in the situation I am in, I would vote for Obama. He did not continuously give his opinions nor persuade me, he simply pointed out each problem that is present, and gave definite plans in solving them. He made me believe that he understood what the majority, not a small ration, but majority of the people in this country is suffering through. Being a person that is old, in need of health care, and children ready to be in college, I have no other choice but to vote for him. Obama’s methods and realistic plans win.

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  7. jessica altadonna

    After watching both speeches, it showed evidence of who really has potential, most of the remarks Mitt Romney gave really angered me. Such as ” I wish Obama had succeeded, because i want America to succeed.” Like really ? Obama tried and is trying his best, alot was on his plate to fix after Bush left. In my eyes its very unfair to Obama, to be punished for whats been given to him. I love how obama said “Now ive cut taxes for those who need it,middle class families,small businesses, but i dont believe that another round of tax breaks for millionaires, will bring good jobs to our shores, or pay down our deficit, i dont believe that firing teachers or kicking students off financial aid will grow the economy orhelp us compete with the scientist or engineers coming out of china, after all weve been through i dont believe that rolling back on regulations on wall street will help the small buisness women expand, or the laid off construction worker keep his home, we have been there, we have tried that and we are not going back,we are moving forward America” that was just bautiful, it shows he in not selfish , he thinks of the unfortunate,as he always has. Mitt Romney doesnt see how it will effect the economy if he is elected, his ideas he has will not help , more people will be on the street,less education, he wants everything for the millionaires , everyone should pay taxes, but what about the unfortunate that cant afford the taxes , its horrible how he thinks, Both used pathos, and logos, but truley in my heart Obama deserves to win , and i truley believe he will.

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  8. Rachel N.

    Rachel Novak
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English Language & Composition
    23 September 2012

    As a low informed voter with an open mind, I took away various opinions and feelings from hearing both Romney and Obama speak in accepting their nominations for President of the United States. Obama and Romney used various uses of pathos to create several levels of emotion in the hearts of America. Obama used a deep level of pathos to inspire the nation of America. He repeatedly used the phrases “hope” and “forward” to show America that he wants to not only inspire us, but tell us the truth that these changes will take time. As a voter with little information this would have stirred inside me deep respect and awe that this president still believes in America. That he is not trying to sugarcoat our circumstances, but lay it plain and give us hope. Romney used pathos as well to create an angry fire within voters who receive low information. He criticized Obama and said that no significant changes have been made. As a low information voter, I must already feel burnt out and tired. His speech is easier to believe and easier to react to. It’s easier to complain rather than hope. It’s easier to give up than keep trying. Romney uses this to appeal to the side of voters that are discouraged and hopeless.
    In the end I would vote for Obama because he actually makes me feel excited and motivated that he has the best intentions to better our country. Romney sounded like he was complaining and bitter towards our country. How encouraging is that attitude? All in all, a president who promises to tell the truth and do his best wins my vote.

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  9. arileni naranjo

    Arileni Naranjo
    Ms.Keeble
    AP English11 Period:5
    September 23,2012

    Both the speeches included ethos and pathos in them but what made both of the speeches very differently from each other was that Romney was just talking about his background and family which was pathos in order to get people to vote for him but he wasn’t going into detail and telling us what he was planning to do , to make America a better place for people to live in he was just going on about his life and how he over came his obstacles and he kept attacking Obama and saying”I wish president Obama would have had succeeded” but then again a lot of things can’t be done in 4 years. While in Obama’s speech he spoke about what he was planning to do and how to improve America as a president and also Obama gave out more information of what he was planning to do for the people and the economy. As a low information voter, i would vote for Obama. Since he gave out more information of what he would do to make this a better country to live in. Also as a factory worker im thinking of what would be the best for me and my family’s future , and that would be voting for Obama because he knows what he wants to do an what he plans to do unlike Romney just talking about his background.

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  10. Joelynn D.

    In both speeches, the use of pathos and ethos was heavily depended on. In Rommney’s speech, he used a lot of pathos by talking about family, college, etc. which are all topics that voters can relate to. Obama did the same because he also talked about college, family, as well as small businesses, etc. As for ethos, both candidates tried to prove their authority; Rommney by saying how he ran business, etc. and Obama by saying he is the current president. They also both used Ad hominem attacks towards each other by saying how the other is not as well-suited as he himself is, and humor to lighten the mood while insulting(in a way) the other candidate.
    As a low informed voter I would have given my vote to Obama because he addressed some problems more then Rommney did. Although I personally feel that neither went as in depth as they should have, Obama at least mentioned some issues and talked about where he stood. Rommney on the other hand only complained about how little Obama did, but didn’t give any suggestions or opinions about where he stood. Also as a low informed voter, I would have felt more drawn to Obama’s speech as well because he seemed to be more hopeful and optimistic compared to Rommney.

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  11. Sarai Polanco

    Sarai Polanco
    AP English
    Ms. Keeble
    24 September 2012

    Both Romney and President Obama provide mulitiple sources of ethos, logos, and pathos. Each candidate begins by breifly joking around, and opening up by speaking of their families. But soon after, their approach quickly changes. Romney takes viewers on a rather well set up drama, relying heavily on the emotions of his viewers, instead of speaking with numbers, figures, and such. In contrast, President Sarai Polanco
    AP English
    Ms. Keeble
    24 September 2012

    Both Romney and President Obama provide mulitiple sources of ethos, logos, and pathos. Each candidate begins by breifly joking around, and opening up by speaking of their families. But soon after, their approach quickly changes. Romney takes viewers on a rather well set up drama, relying heavily on the emotions of his viewers, instead of speaking with numbers, figures, and such. In contrast, President Obama spins his tale by providing viewers what he has accomplished in his short, yet effective four years of presidency. Overall, each candidate provided a well composed story in which any low information voter could be easily swayed to vote for either, without knowing what said politician believes, or better yet what their platform stands for.
    In the position of a low information voter, my vote would most plausibly go to President Obama. My vote would not go to President Obama because he is black, nor because voting for him seems like the popular thing to do. But rather, whatever little information I know about him, he seems like man of action. Whether others like it or not, Romney is strongly against immigration, and I as a daugther of former immigrants, greatly resent that. President Obama however, has done what he can for immigrants. While it has not been much, it is much more than Romney hopes to do for them. I also resent, that Romney is attempting to cut money from students who need it the most. My Upward Bound program has been cut, due to severe budget cuts. While this has happened under Obama’s presidency, other Upward Bound programs still survive. But if Romney comes into office, all hope for Upward Bound programs to be funded is close to non-existent. Overall, to put it short and sweet Romeny would not get my vote because of the little to no help he does not want to give to the under dogs, the same so called under dogs who are the “Future of America.”

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  12. Canyon R

    Canyon Riley
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English 11
    23 September 2012

    After listening to both Romney’s speech and President Obama’s speech, I would say that both are equally compelling. Before Romney spoke, there was rock music in the background while Obama’s had none. Although I was eager to hear both speeches, the music for Mitt Romney really suited him well. What I also noticed about Romney was how he told me that I “Deserve a better America”. I agree too in the sense that Obama has promised Americans that he will change this country for the better in many ways but this change is not happening as fats as I want it to be. But the one downfall of Mitt Romney’s speech is that it appealed to the values of how this country should be, rather than how he is going to fix it. Obama on the other does not sugar coat anything in his speech. He knows that more progress needs to be made in this country but he has the power to only do so much. Obama cannot make laws; he can only enforce them or veto them. He can give suggestions, but it is up to the legislative branch to accept them. Personally, I would take Obama’s side because even though some of he has very expectations for changes, I rather shoot for the stars and miss, than to shoot for gutter and make it.

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  13. Abraham Nelson

    Abraham Nelson
    Ms.Keeble
    AP English 11
    Period 5
    23 September 2012

    The first speech I heard was Mitt Romney’s and around the fourteen minute mark, I heard Romney begin to use pathos when he began to talk about his childhood and how his father was born in Mexico and left during the Mexican revolution and later led a automobile company and became the governor of Michigan. He told the story of how he wanted to break away from his father’s shadow and see if he could make it by himself. Most of his speech was storytelling and humor which I believe he was trying to do to make the crowd relax and to humanize himself since people like to call him stiff and his wife even addressed that subject in her speech. The next speech I heard was from President Barack Obama and from the very beginning he began to joke with the crowd about his family and then starts to use pathos when talking about his younger days when he first spoke at the Democratic National Convention. Once thing that made Obama’s speech different from Romney’s is that he showed facts and evidence of what he did to help the economy and America like car companies, products being made in America, and the war. After watching both candidates, I would choose President Obama again for a second term because of the evidence he said in his speech, the things he said about Romney in his speech and how he would fix the rest of the things that need help. One thing I liked and noticed in Obama’s speech was around the twenty sixth minute mark, it sounded like he was using slippery slope when he said, “Over and over, we have been told by our opponents that bigger tax cuts and fewer regulations are the only way; that since government can’t do everything, it should do almost nothing. If you can’t afford health insurance, hope that you don’t get sick. If a company releases toxic pollution into the air your children breathe, well, that’s just the price of progress. If you can’t afford to start a business or go to college, take my opponent’s advice and borrow money from your parents.” Candidate Mitt Romney just talked about his life and to be honest, the thing about the rose didn’t sound right. To me, it sounded like a chapter out of a book because of the way he said it so I don’t think that is true. He also used pathos more than President Obama and I believe he was trying to get the voter who loves a great story to go with their candidate. So if I was to think of myself as a “low information” voter and basically went off those two speeches, I would have to choose President Barack Obama for a second term.

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  14. maria fajardo

    Maria Fajardo
    Keeble
    AP ENG.11
    Period 2

    Romney and Obama both have ways in their speeches that they try and make people attract to them and seem more appealing. They both used alot of pathos to reach out for peoples attention. As someone with two children going off to college i’d say that Barack Obama is a smart choice to elect for president. He would be a good president because he has two children as well and he can relate because he knows having kids is expensive and he was already president or the U.S. and we know how he works. He does give alot of help to education and will be a good help since going to college is important and all education is important. I do believe that Obama will give a positive impact to the United States and should be re-elected as president of the United States.

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  15. Dartise jones

    Barrack Obama and Mitt Romney appealed to the viewers by using pathos and ethos. Romney uses ethos most of the times he wa smainly stating facts and evidence to let people know that we need change. Obama used ethos so people will feel bad and want out people in need this really convienced his audience also some of the pathos he used helped. The Logos he used was just to set people up with ethos, and pathos. Mitt Romney kept talking about Obama and how he`s doing a bad job all of them were ethos. His logos sounded like he got the information mixed up. If i was a struggling parent i would vote for Obama because he`s for all of the low pay people. Only way people would fought for Romney if they`re rich.

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  16. David Martinez

    These two speeches are quite incredible when looking at them through a different lens and by lens I mean a “low information voter.” Obama and Romney used similar tactics to appeal to people like me, a “low information voter.” They used certain types of language to make it easier for someone like me to understand them. Since I don’t know much about them they appealed mostly to pathos and ethos regarding education. Both Obama and Romney used humor to lighten the mood and show a different side to them, a side which I can relate to. Obama used ad hominem attacks on the Republican party by suggesting that their plans are all the same. He states that they only have one “prescription” a Tax Cut for everything but only for millionaires. Obama states he does tax cuts for people who need it like the middle-class families and that is what appeals to me. What he suggests is something that I as family man can agree with. It makes sense to me to have a plan that doesn’t aid people more fortunate than me.
    Romney’s speech is actually a lot more appealing to me. Romney explains how he grew up and that makes me relate to him because of the emotion he brings in. He uses pathos a lot and it really moves me as a family man when he talks of his mother and father and the day his father died. His parents shaped him and the way he grew up means he understand me and my struggles. Romney appeals to my sense as a father and it makes me feel like i can trust him to understand what I’m going through. the pathos suggestions he makes make me really believe in him to do the right thing because he understands what we in the middle-class went though. Although eventually he did get out of that, he still has some idea of us lower class people and that is what we want. Romney uses anaphora to convey what he wants us to feel. Not only that but his ad hominem attacks are quite convincing too, especially when he states, “you know there’s something wrong with the kind of job he’s done as president when the best feeling you had was the day you voted for him.” He definitely sounds very convincing and his experience is what makes him more suitable to be president. That is an appeal to ethos and it is certainly good because of the success he has had. Romney is very convincing and the appeals he offers are those i can really trust. He is a man that knows of my struggles and i can trust to create better opportunities for my family and me. This is why I, as a “Low Information Voter,” would vote for Mitt Romney.

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  17. Heather H.

    Heather H.
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English 11, Period 2
    23 September 2012

    Watching both Obama and Romney’s acceptance speeches at their respective conventions from the viewpoint of a low-information voter, I was very torn as to which candidate my vote should go to. Both President Obama and Romney used pathos, as well as large amounts of humor. In each speech, there was a surprising lack of logos, which disappointed me immensely. I was expecting more statistics, which one would think would be a useful tool to sway votes. A large portion of Romney’s speech was dedicated to enforcing the point that he had family values, which, as a worker with children, would appeal to me. Family, however, should have very little bearing when it comes to politics. Obama mentioned his family and made some sweet remarks, but his speech was not saturated with ideals of the nuclear family. Romney time and time again brought up religion, which goes against the separation of state and church. I believe religious views can taint a politician’s motives faster than anything else. Instead of focusing on what is best for the country, views become manipulated by talk of a large scoreboard in the sky and how to get on some deity’s good side. Finally, Romney focused on dreams, rather than strategies to make them a reality. Obama stated the cold, hard, inconvenient facts of this country’s situation, and also had sensible solutions for the issues. Presented with these speeches, and after making the conclusion that Romney rambled about a perfect America rather than the truth of the matter as Obama did, I would vote to reelect Obama.

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  18. Haley Rosano

    Haley R.
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English, Per. 2
    23 September 2012

    Pathos and ethos were very vivid in both of the candidates speeches. Romney tried to capture people through pathos, by telling stories about his family while Obama mainly appealed through ethos. You could really tell what kind of a person he was by his speech. He clearly stated what he wanted for this country, what has been accomplished and what needs to be done over time. Obama will receive my vote for this election. Obama had a more positive and humble tone to his speech; not praising the things that he has done, but not degrading the things that he has accomplished. President Obama makes it very clear that there are more things that need to be done for our country to be successful, and with another four years in office, we will be surely on our way to victory of a comfortable country. The fact that Obama wants to give tax breaks to the lower income class is great. It really is the millionaires that should be paying more because they make more. How do you expect low income people to pay more money that they don’t have? Also, Obama-Care has helped thousands even millions of people. I dislike the fact that Romney gives the vibe of “If you don’t have medical care from a private company then you’re out of luck.” Obama cares about everyone and looks at the large spectrum of things while Romney looks to impress his fellow Republicans which will not end in his favor. Obama is going to help our country get to where it needs to go. Romney pointed out that Obama hadn’t done everything that was promised in hes four year term, yes they were large promises, but does Romney think that he could do every single thing that he is promising? Obama has admitted that he wants to take this second term to live up to his promises; why not give him the chance to? If Romney wanted this country to succeed, he would not only mention the things that have not been done in our country, he would recognized the good and tell how he was going to build off of that. Obama has brought change to the United States, and he will keep providing that until he no longer can.

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  19. Alicia Oseguera

    Alicia Oseguera
    Keeble
    AP English
    Period 1
    23 September 2012

    After watching both speeches of Obama and Romney I noticed both used ethos and pathos to appeal to their viewers. In the case of Romney, he told the story of his dad being governor of Michigan without having completed college. This is pathos because he is trying to catch the viewer’s emotions. Throughout Romney’s speech he is just trying to act as an ordinary man by talking about his life and his wife. While, in Obama’s speech more logos are being used just like mentioned before in an earlier response, by Obama talking about the future plans he has for the United States. For example, he mentioned that in these last four years as president he was able to end the war with Iraq, catch Osama, and lower the costs of students who want to go to college. In both speeches they are using ad hominem attack by both attacking each person’s character. They both want to win and get a lot of votes so they both attack each other’s personality.
    I would give my vote to Obama because his speech seemed more appealing. He was able to make me believe him and actually believe that he is telling the truth. When in Romney’s speech it seemed as if he was just focusing on trying to be portrayed to the viewers as a normal guy just like everyone else. Romney just made it seem as if he was just lying. Not only was that but Romney just criticized Obama’s accomplishments in his term of presidency without really expressing the plans he has. Obama was able to describe the different plans he has set for the future of the United States while Romney was only capable of naming the failures of Obama. Also, Obama saying, “You didn’t elect me to tell you what you want to hear but to tell you the truth”, shows that he knows what he is talking about and makes the viewers believe that what he says is the truth. Overall, my vote will go to Obama because he was able to show me that he is being who he is and not trying to act like someone else.

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  20. Mary Jane Manzo-Abeyta

    Both candidates used humor and empathy to appeal to their voters. In their speeches they both used logos, pathos, and ethos. They both starting on a personal note to show that they can relate to the average person. Something that was very common in their speeches were that they kept attacking each other. Romney had a very convincing arguement, but I don’t like his plan about taxing. I feel that we need to make a strong middle class and I didn’t get that response from Romney. He was also talking about investing in a stronger military and I’m against war so I wasn’t really fond of that. However, in Obama’s speech he was talking about making a stronger middle class and tallked more about the issues. True he also attacked Romney, but I felt as if he was more concerned with what he will in his next term than just slandering Romney.

    After viewing both speeches my vote would go for Obama. I like this plan on making a strong middle class and keeping the improvements he made. I think what he did his first year was a huge improvement from where we were econmically. Even though he has ideas and they sound like a good idea but I know that it will take time for everything to work out. I also love that one of Obama’s theme was moving forward. I believe that it gives us some hope to believe in. Overall I believe that Obama is the right choice and he will continue to do good for this country.

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  21. Angelica N. Garcia

    Angelica N. Garcia
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English 11
    24 September 2012, Period 1
    Both candidates for presidency notably appealed to the public by mentioning personal events to connect with us, the voters, in order to make us feel more comfortable. Obama and Romney do in fact use some of the argument terms, as a method to help convince us, the public, to vote for them.
    After going in with an open mind, in the place of a “low information” voter, Obama has won my vote for being real, and convinving me that he is capable of making a positive change over time. When compared to Romney, he mentions his father and mother in his speech to connect with us, and focuses on other issues rather than giving us information on his plan for the future. In my perspective, Romney’s speech focused more on the negative things Obama did, rather than focusing on what he wants to do to make America better. To be honest, I was not interested in Romney’s speech since the moment I noticed that he was essentially just bashing on Obama, and then I began to drift off into sleep. I would not want a presidnet who focuses on negative events to make himsef look better, yet shares no plan on how to make things go positive. On the otherhand, Obama spoke in a very honest manner that he had me paying very close attention to his speech. He was able to say that he failed at some point in time, did not accomplish all that he wanted to, and was open to share what he plans to do if reelected as president. Obama maintained a positive attitude thorughout his speech, and summarized the changes he made in the four years as president, which highly convinvced me that he is capable of many more changes that will benefit this nation. Having two kids that are getting ready to go to college, I feel more confident voting for Obama as he mentions that no child should have to put down education because of money. Obama also says, “as citizens we understand that America is not about what can be done for us, its about what can be done by us, together,” which I understand as, if Obama wins presidency I will be able to get the job I want, and I will be able to support my kids with their college expenses. Rather than having to do what Romney suggest and turn down an education opportunity, and have to borrow money from my parents .

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  22. Andrea O

    Andrea O.
    Ms.Keeble
    AP English Per.2
    24 September 2012

    The first thing I noticed about both speeches was that both candidates were using pathos frequently to not only appeal to the delegates but also to the audience. An example of Romney using pathos was when he was describing how a parent might tell their child that they can no longer play in a little league team because they can no longer afford it. An example of Obama using pathos was when he was talking about how he wants to fix the country by re-building the schools, roads and our country overall instead of going into wars were many lives were and have been lost. Both candidates also use humor to appeal to the American people thus making them seem more human and closer to the middle class. In addition , both candidates attacked their opponents but while Romney kept saying that Obama had failed and didn’t give facts or examples ,Obama actually gave examples such as Romney’s lack of knowledge on foreign politics to tell voters why his opponent is not fit to be president. I noticed Obama used allusion to refer to the Declaration of Independence and even to Abraham Lincoln. He also used Logos to talk about the country’s dependence on foreign oil and anaphora when talking about what his presidency and those who supported him had done. Romney, on the other hand mostly talked about his life and his parents lives but didn’t actually go into details about his policies or the key issues that will be decided in this election so he basically uses ethos as his main tool so that he could demonstrate he was part of “The People”. After watching both speeches and carefully thinking about what each candidate offered in his speech , I feel compelled to vote for Obama because not only did he recognize that times had change and that he made mistakes, but also gave facts and addressed key issues. While Romney made some interesting points, I never heard him speak of reasonable solutions he could offer to begin to solve the country’s problems but rather felt compelled to sympathize with him based on his continuous use of ethos, as I have mentioned before. All in all , I would vote for Obama because he seems to already have plans on fixing our situation rather than making promises that may not be kept.

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  23. Efrain Enriquez

    Efrain Enriquez
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English 11
    Period 1

    The first thing i noticed about both speakers is the fact that both of them talked about Obama’s presidency. It even seemed like Romney spoke more about the president than Obama himself. The two candidates addressed pretty much the same topics: foreign policy, obamacare, pro-life against pro-choice, the economy, and even renewable and non-renewable energy. Both of them used comedy to appeal to their audience as well. However, Romney focused more on where the Obama administration failed, and Obama pointed out his successes. I noticed that Romney spent most of his time either talking about his personal experiences in America or attacking Obama’s presidency. Very little of his speech was specifically about what he would do to make America a better country to live in for everyone. I noticed that he mostly used ethos to appeal to voters, and he even made allusions to Neil Armstrong and President Kennedy. He also attempted an appeal to Latino voters by talking about his father’s migration from Mexico to the United States. The people who organized the RNC also focused in on a man holding a poster that stated, “Hispanics for Romney.” Romney also appealed to women throughout his speech. He specifically used the example of his own cabinet, which he said was a majority of women. Overall, it seemed like Romney tried making Obama look bad in an attempt to make himself look like the better candidate.
    Obama seemed to have a well organized speech. However, I did notice some logical fallacies in his speech. One of them was the inclusion of a false dilemma. He said, and I quote, “And on every issue, the choice you face won’t just be between two candidates or two parties. It will be a choice between two different paths for America, a choice between two fundamentally different visions for the future.” He stated that both presidential candidates will lead the country in different directions, something that is not necessarily true. Obama used ethos to appeal to his audience, but he mostly used logos. A majority of his speech was about his successes as president. The successes of his foreign policy, his belief in renewable energy and cutting down on fossil fuels, and his trust in the American people. Obama used the story of his grandparents to gain an appeal to the pathos of his audience, similar to how Romney used the story of his parents. Obama doesn’t directly bash his competitor very often, and he even made some allusions to things that were said at the RNC. Overall, Obama’s speech was more focused on asserting the idea that he will continue to lead America in the right direction, and less focused on proving that Romney will fail.
    Acting completely on the appeal that both speeches had to me, a presumably middle class factory worker with two children, I would vote for Obama. He seemed really confident in his ideals, and he didn’t stoop so low as to bash his opponent every few minutes. Obama also asserted that he would not raise taxes on the middle class. This would definitely appeal to me. The biggest factor in my decision would be the fact that Obama so strongly supports education. As Obama put it, “We can gut education, or we can decide that in the United States of America, no child should have her dreams deferred because of a crowded classroom or a crumbling school. No family should have to set aside a college acceptance letter because they don’t have the money.” As a father of two children who are college bound, this would appeal to me tremendously.

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  24. Ryan Chu

    Ryan Chu
    Ms. Keeble
    September 23, 2012
    Ap English, Period 1

    Both of these speeches both have a lot of Pathos and Ethos. They both also bring up subjects that everyone is worried about like economy, gas prices, and jobs. I noticed that Mitt Romney brings up some subjects in a way and transitions to something different. He mostly talked about himself and his family and uses ad hominem attacks against Obama. Obama on the other hand uses Logos because he already is president so he can back up his claims. I would say that Obama got my vote, because Obama sounds more energetic with a hint of amplification and he has a better stance. Also he gets right to the point for his plans for a better future of America. He pulls up subjects that people are worried about and how he is going to solve them. In all Obama appeals in a way of knowing what he is going to do. Mitt Romney doesn’t get my vote because his voice is kind of dead and his stance is to mellow. I don’t want to hear about his family’s history and his stories of himself. He doesn’t pull up any subjects that he thinks should be solved but instead talks about what he is going to do and what Obama isn’t.

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  25. Veronica Valdez

    Veronica Valdez
    Ap English
    Ms. Keeble

    Both Romney and Obama made incredible speeches and used humor to make their audience more comfortable. They also used ad hominem attack towards one another to refer to what the other opponent plans to do if elected. I thought Obama’s speech was more appealing to the people because he is trying to open up more jobs for Americans and is considerate that medicare is expensive. He uses ethos in order to gain the support he needs in order to get re-elected and plans to finish what he started in 2008. He is also considerate of the fact that college is too high and wants to help middle class families send their kids to college which is why he wants to cut the tuition in half since he says no child should be delayed of fulfilling their dreams of going to college. Obama actually cares about the people of this country while Romney only cares about winning the election. Yes Romney talks about making changes soon, but Obama is trying to make changes so they can last longer and not backfire in the long run. Obama used anaphora to get his point across to his audience while Romney used A LOT of emotions and didn’t really have any facts to back up his speech. Obama stated many facts in his speech which to me is pretty convincing. Obama uses false dilemma about the future changes of America. Romney talks about what Obama has done instead of focusing on what he plans to do which is an example of red herring. Romney uses allusion to refer to Neil Armstrong and Steve Jobs.
    In my opinion, Obama would be the best choice to vote for because he understands the difficulties of what the Americans have to go through in order to succeed and wants to make it possible for us to be able to succeed in doing whatever we dream of being or doing. He also is doing all he can to make it possible for middle class families to live comfortably and not worry about being able to pay their bills. As for being a “‘low information’ voter, who doesn’t watch much news, works at night in a factory, has two kids getting ready to go to college, makes a decent living, and are a little worried about retirement and health insurance costs,” I would certainly vote for Obama because he is the one that appeals to me the most since he is trying to cut tuition costs, not make the middle classes pay more in taxes and has health corporations that I would be able to afford for my retirement.

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  26. Brandon Cummings

    In both speeches, pathos and ethos was used as many of the other responses have pointed out. Romney used his ethos to apeal to people of higher statue, while Obama used ethos to get more response and support from the lower, middle and higher class by stating that he wants to enforce more methods in order to improve society as a whole and not by just one selected class. Romney appealed to the audience through the use of pathos by telling key brief stories about past current events intitling to his life which to some might seem irrelevant and to some affective. I believe his way of pathos was quite affective because it gets an emotional response from the viewers of his speech and voters of America. In Obama’s speech, he uses more logos than Romney by talking about his plans for the future and how they will statistically help America. Obama addressed problems on a global scale and not just on an American scale. He through points about events happening all over the world as a strong president should. They both used ad hominem attack, to attack their running mates. He key’d on each others views and sanctioned how they each wanted to improve the United States of America. Honestly, with all the nonsense and views of Mitt Romney, I think I’m more in favor of President Obama because his beliefs are very similar to mines and not only because he’s black but keying on his last term, President Obama really improved are economy and nation from what it was with the Bush error.

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  27. Alexia George

    Alexia George
    Keeble
    AP English 11
    Period 1
    23 September 2012

    The Republican and Democrat acceptance speeches were interesting and entertaining. Both parties used an appeal to ethos, pathos and logos, some more than the others. Romney used pathos to grasp an emotional appeal about how corrupt our world is by criticizing how much of a failure Obama is. Whereas Obama uses a more legit argument with an appeal to logos; persuasion through facts and statistics. Being a middle class citizen that doesn’t know much about the campaign parties’ ideas is a struggle. I would choose to vote for Obama rather than Romney for various reasons. Most of Romney’s speech was about his background and bashing Obama. He complained about how Obama did not follow through with his plans, yet he didn’t explain how he would achieve his plans. In Obama’s speech, he was clear on what and how he will change America. In comparison as how Romney stated his five steps. Being that Democrats is about the people, Obama would get my vote so that I know it would benefit me, The People.

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  28. Zoey Madsen

    Zoey Madsen
    Ms.Keeble
    AP English 11
    23 September 2012

    The techniques both Romney and Obama used in their speeches were very noticeable and identifiable. Although if I was a low-information voter, I would be completely gullible. I would completely fall to the emotional appeal through pathos and enjoy the amount of comfort it made me feel. As though the candidate and I had something in common or could relate to each other. I would also fall victim to the simple dialogue and amplification to justice that they both use. Although I must say, Romney’s techniques were much more noticeable. Romney made sure his tone, dialogue, and even his facial expression was drenched in a welcoming, sympathetic tone.
    If I was a voter I would definitely vote for Obama. I would vote for Obama because his plans are much more evident than Romney has informed us. Obama has conveyed hopeful and positive visions of what he wants to do to help the economy and what he wants to do for the country. Obama has improved things in the country and if Romney becomes President I honestly am not convinced that he would do better than Obama has. Obamas plans are much more likely to be affective in another term than Romneys plans if he became the new president. As an adult with children going to college soon I want my children to be able to afford it without a full-on struggle. With Obama’s plan, their struggle will be far less likely. I believe Obama has good morals. I believe he is trying to do what is right for the people as well as the economy, not only what can immediately save the economy. It will be a long time until our economy is squeaky clean and those who don’t understand that are in for a surprise. Both candidates appeal to audiences in many ways. I would vote for Obama. In my opinion, Romney does not resemble a responsible president.

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  29. Kiloni D

    Kiloni Driskell
    September 22, 2012
    AP English 11, period 2
    Ms.Keeble

    I really enjoyed Presidents Obama’s speech and Mitt Romney. First i watched Romney’s speech and i realized he was using ad hominem attack toward Obama. Romney states, “I wish President Obama had succeeded because I want America to succeed. But his promises gave way to disappointment and division.” Romney wasnt the only one doing the attacking, Obama as well was doing the same. They both used humor to pump the crowd up and gave their speeches a little excitement. Romney used pathos when he was talking about his parents and those people who has to work two jobs to make their family hold together. Obama on the other hand used ethos reminding us about the young woman he met at a science fair who won national recognition for her biology research while living with her family at a homeless shelter and the man who lost his leg fighting in the war. Romney doesn’t really explain his plans he just talks about what is wrong with America except for trying to address his plans. Obama explains how he and we the people of America are going to be moving forward as a whole. Restating that all we need is a little hope.
    As a voter who knows very low information about the campaign and the candidates, my vote would go to Obama because he tends to give us the truth as he says in the middle of his speech, “You didn’t elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear. You elected me to tell you the truth”. That is what i need in a president. I do not need someone to tell me that we are in a crisis when i already know what is going on. Except for mouthing off about how America is in a national debt and what were doing wrong. I need someone to Tell me how we are going to change and that is what Obama did. I am a voter with two kids who are ready to go to college and i have a descent paying job and i am worried about retirement and health insurance. i think moving forward is best for me and my family.

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  30. Thomas Tran

    Both Obama and Romney had appealed to the viewers using pathos and ethos. Romney was friendly to his audience by talking about him and his family for about twenty minutes. In Obama’s speech, he uses more logos than Romney by talking about his plans for the future and how they will statistically help America. In both speeches, Romney and Obama both use ad hominem attack as a form of persuasive argument to win the votes of their viewers and the opposing party. As a low information voter, I would give my vote to Obama. Obama portrays himself as a people’s person and has plans for the future that he used in his speech. Most of Romney’s speech was towards his background and attacking Obama because he didn’t “keep his promises”. Romney’s speech was appealing towards his crowd instead of informing them. As a viewer, Obama’s speech had given me the information I needed to give my vote to him as a middle class factory worker thinking about me and my family’s future. I vote for Obama because he is willing to bring America forward with due time rather than a risk Romney wants to take in hopes that America will succeed or no longer exist.

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  31. Natasha Ramirez

    Natasha Ramirez
    Keeble
    Ap English
    Period 5
    23 September 2012

    After listening to both speeches, I had realized a lot of things, one, that President Obama used a mixture of literary terms such as pathos when he mentions that a solidier with an amputated leg inspired him and ethos when he brings up that by 2020 he can cut oil imports in half .The second thing I had noticed was that compared to Romney , Obama gave out way more information about what he plans to do for the people and the economy. He mentions that he was able to stop the Iraq War, will make the middle class strong ,and says that instead of sending people out the counrty for jobs that he will help them stay in the country.Obama gave out this variety of options to the people to help the country.
    Now, Romeny’s speech was not as well done as Obama’s. Romney brought up a lot of pathos, such as recalling how his father became govener of Michigan without completing college, and what the people should hug their kids longer to make their days better. Romney did not talk much about his plans until about the last twenty minutes or so, even then that wasn’t enough to show were he stands in the elcetions. His speech wasn’t as informational.
    After viewing these two men speak, hands down I already knew who I’m going to vote for and that is Obama. Obama talked about his concerns of changing the country and really wanting to see it turn back to the successful place we were once pround to call the United States. Romey did not try as much and was more concerned to get the people in the heart than in their mind.All in all, Obama was the better canidate in the two speeches.

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  32. Tanzeel H.

    Tanzeel Hak
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English 11, Period 2
    24 September 2012

    In both speeches, pathos and ethos was used as many of the other responses have pointed out. I agree with Hannah, Mitt Romney did use pathos more, especially when recollecting the story of his parents. Romney is using emotions instead of facts. Sarcasm was also used very often. Both candidates made jokes to probably make the audience more comfortable. I think Ross is right, Mitt Romney does make himself seem like a friendly person. Romney was trying his best to appear as a “people person.” Just like many presidents before, both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, want everyone to think they are going to do everything for “the people’s best interest.” Everything about the speeches remind me of the story, Just How Stupid Are We.
    For the situation, I would have to say, I’d vote for Barack Obama. I think it is a pretty easy decision because through watching the speeches and just doing a little bit of research you can tell that Barack Obama stands more for the people. While, Mitt Romney only stands for the rich, in most aspects. Mitt Romney wants to slowly stop funding Medicaid, which covers nursing home care for aged and infirm parents and grandparents. Without Medicaid’s safety net, it isn’t clear what those Americans would do, and Romney doesn’t have any good answers. So if I’m not sure about my retirement and health care, putting my future in Romney’s hands would not be a smart decision. Romney also plans to cut funds for education, which will make getting a good education even harder. The only ones that will be able to get a decent education will be people, who can afford private schools. Barack Obama’s stand on education is just better. Mitt Romney being a very wealthy man, doesn’t understand the hardships many Americans go through.

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  33. Aaron Chon

    Aaron Chon
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English
    24 September 2012

    Both Romney and Obama appealed to their respective crowds using elements of humor in order to calm and better associate with the audiences. Both also fire ad hominem attacks at one another, but in a way that does not offend the crowd; rather, it is done in such a way that is more entertaining than not. Both of the candidates use elements of pathos to reach the people in describing their views for the future of America. My personal view is in favor of Romney because President Obama talks a lot about ideas that are unrealistic, although these are primarily masked by tools of speech. Romney seems to have ideas of what can and can’t be done, and unlike Romney, he does not try to cover up his flaws, but rather tries to justify his points. President Obama has had his chance, and he has not made the change that America needs, and he claims that his work needs even more time to accomplish, instead of offering new options. The main problem is that Obama has his head in the clouds about what he will do in the future and how America will get there, but the issues now have to be fixed first. Whether Romney would succeed or fail miserably as president is unknown, but it hasn’t happened yet, so that chance should be given.

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  34. Jonathan victorio

    Jonathan Victorio
    Ms.Keeble
    Ap English and Comp
    23 September 2012

    Both of the acceptance speeches made by Obama and Romney were very convincing going in with an open mind. Listening to both of the speeches it sounded like both candidates were very engaiging with their crowd, making them think they are the ones to lead America into a brighter future. Romney liked attacking Obamas character, ad hominen attack, and his beliefs toards leading the American people out of the deficit. Mitt Romney liked Zoning in to his Future helper and vice pesident and used humor toards him to make people laugh. He had them in the edge of their seat saying that Obaa could not afford to take the ail off the piece of wood but dug it in deeper.Romney liked to usea lot of his personal experiences to get his followers to think in his shoes and see that he did ot have it easy getting to where he is at. But yet again how are Mitt Romneys life experiences going to help out America coe out of the dark tune it is in, if it looks like he cant get any facts to prove a point. In the other hand Obama like to use logos to explain to his followers that he did have events and statisic to back up his events. He also used some what thos o specifically point out a certian grup of people benifittting from Obamas precisdency, like Johan O. said, “The girl that won top reasercher in her biology research and went home to her famil living in the Homeless shelter and celebrated with her family”, Oama said “thanks to this i still have hope”. He believes that the way America is going in his presidency will result in a much greater and brighter America. Overall to me, one of them was more convincing and it was Obama, if I had a choice to vote now, without a doubt I would be one more voter to Obamas favor

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  35. Johanna G.

    Johanna Go-Oco
    Keeble
    AP English, Per. 2
    23 Sept., 2012

    Both Romney’s and Obama’s speech were detailed with logos and pathos, but Romney’s speech was very different from Obama’s speech because he often attacked Obama’s character instead of talking about his plans of creating a better country. If I was a parent who made a decent living and I had two kids who are getting ready to go to college, I would vote for Obama. I think that this would be the better choice because in his speech, he says, “…no family should have to set aside a college acceptance letter because they don’t have the money…”, this quote from his speech appeals to me because it shows me that he cares about the future of my kids. His speech also made me feel reassured because he wasn’t boasting about himself; he directed his speech to the people of the United States and their achievements. In Romney’s speech, I felt as if there was a negative tone because he was only talking about Obama’s failures half the time. My vote would clearly have to be Obama.

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  36. Gonzalo Haro

    Gonzalo Haro
    Ms. Keeble 1st
    AP 11 Lang. and Comp.
    September 24, 2012

    Both Romney and Obama gave very good speeches at their respective conventions. I think that Romney was using pathos a lot more than Obama. Half of what Romney said during his speech was either his feelings or some cute little story to get people to cry for him. Obama stuck to problems and solutions. He didn’t get sidetracked and start talking about his kids or other people’s kids. Obama stuck to his goals, the nation’s problems, and logical solutions to fix those problems. Obama used logos. Romney was thinking about U.S. problems, but ones that only applied to someone’s immediate community, while Obama addressed problems on a global scale. My vote, without a doubt, goes out to Obama. To me it’s a very clear choice because I would like someone that cares about the world, and uses logic as his biggest tool, rather than someone that focuses on a particular group of people, and uses emotional appeal to gain support. Plus, Obama wants to help out the lower and middle class in order to improve society as a whole. Romney seems to be focused on the middle class. Workers like me need a leader that cares about society as a whole because what happens to one social class, ends up affecting the rest. My vote goes for Obama, he talks about solutions, not wishes.

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  37. Mercedes Gore

    Mercedes Gore
    Ms. Keeble
    APEnglish 11
    September 23,2012

    When I watched both of them I noticed that they had used pathos on the viewers, Mitt Romney had stated that his father was a carpenter and how he worked his way up and became the governor of Michigan. I think that he was trying to prove his family wasn’t always rich and that he has some sympathy to give to the voters. On the other hand Obama had a different approach he was being funny and getting the voters to laugh by saying “And if you’re sick of hearing me approve this message, believe me so am I.” I thought that this was funny also which means that he was trying to get the voters to laugh and like him more for it.
    The candidate that I picked was Obama because I liked how he would mention that the universities could lower down their tuition and how by 2020 he will cut our oil imports in half which will be good so that we don’t have to depend on the other countries for oil. Another reason is that if I need insurance for heart surgery or something I can get full coverage not a limited one. I did like some of what Romney said like the fact that we will not raise taxes on the middle class, and then when he said “Obama just wants to talk to Iran” I did not like that because I am against war I would want my kids to feel safe and not be in another war that could end badly or not. And if I had kids I would not want to take that chance, which is why I disagreed with Romney and chose Obama. For the fact that war is a big thing and not just to result to violence every time there is a threat. Obama at least wants to end the wars, and make the United States a bit safer for everyone. So Obama would be the best choice for someone like me who wants my kids safe in this country, make college affordable for my children when they want to go, and to have insurance for myself and family when tragedy hits.

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  38. Rachael B.

    Rachael Brandt
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English 11, Period 2
    23 September 2012

    Both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney use a lot of pathos to get people to sympathize with them and with that sympathy, they are probably most likely to get people vote for hin since it appeals to their own personal views. Both also used their ethos, credibility, and personality to attract the people so it would seem as if they were like the average citizen, struggling through the economy and governmental issues. In Obama’s speech, he would use a lot of anaphora as a way of getting the big ideas across to the audience. Romney used a lot of ad hominem attack to make himself seem like a better candidate to vote for. As a voter with two kids ready to go to college and with the question about my retirement, I believe reelecting Obama seems to be the right choice. Obama as president seems to care about education for children and the fact that not many have the money to afford all of it and they have to turn to grants and loans. With tax cuts for the middle class and the poor I would be able to help support ny kids’ dreams of attending college. With the focus mostly about the future of American education and recreation of jobs, he did not mention much about retirement plans but my focus is for my kids. Since I work in a factory, the Obama administration plans on recreating factoring jobs in America. I do not have to worry so much about being shipped overseas for a job that I could possibly get here. If I cannot retire as early as planned, it is not a big deal as long as my kids could receive a good education so their future is set. Obama’s plans for the next 4 years seem to be impressive and might actually have benefits to the majority in which I am included in.

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  39. Caitlin H.

    Caitlin Huie
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English 11
    24 September 2012

    Romney and Obama appealed to us in similar ways. They both used humor to make us laugh and to show that they’re no one to be afraid of. In their speeches, they also used anaphora, and ad hominem attack. Both of them also use a lot of pathos and ethos. They tell stories that are relatable to us and that make us emotional. Obama says, “No child should have their dreams deferred because of a crowded classroom…” Because I’m supposed to be a parent, what he says is what I believe too. I wouldn’t want my children to have their dreams delayed. He’s appealing to my emotions to make me vote for him. Romney does the same too. He says, “… my children deserve better. My family deserves better. My country deserves better.” Of course I think my family deserves better. He’s making me feel that my family and I deserve better and that voting for him will make that happen. If I were to vote, I would vote for Obama. In my opinion, he talked more about what he thinks he should do to make the country better. It sounded like he knew exactly what he needs to do to make his plan happen. Even though both used ad hominem attack, I think that Romney used it more than Obama. That doesn’t show me what his plans are to make things better. In the role as a parent, I think Obama’s methods are more suited for me. It seems like I’m more of a middle class person and Obama does what he can to make the lives of the middle class better.

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  40. Amacalli Duran

    Amacalli Duran
    AP English/ 1
    Ms. Keeble
    24 September 2012

    In this hypothetical situation, being a “low information” viewer, I am greatly impacted by the pathos used in each speech. In this hypothetical situation, it is obvious that I work hard to support my family and insure that they are able to utilize resources to the best of their advantage, including college. Mitt Romney attracted my attention because of his own family examples. The story of his parent’s marriage and also the countless references to how his family raised him on proper foundations, allows me to relate to him. Being a factory worker, who works hard hours to support my family, shows how family oriented I am. Hearing a candidate for president who represents the same morals and values that I have allows me to “believe” I gain a better understanding of him. Hearing Obama’s speech also impacts me through emotional appeal. Obama mentions how he wants to improve education and wishes for no child to have to throw away a college diploma. I am a hard working mother who has to send two children through college and want the best education possible for them. Obama gains my support through this argument because he has the same aspirations and dreams for my children that I do. The candidates also gain my support through logos. Both candidates use proof based on the economy of America. This makes me form the conclusion that they are up to date with all of Americans issues. However as a “low information” I create this conclusion through assumptions, instead of actual evidence.
    At last, in this hypothetical situation, if I had to chose, I would chose to elect Mitt Romney as president. Mitt Romney’s morals and values enable me to relate to him, which allows me to feel comfortable. Relating to him creates a form of trust, as well as, allows me to feel as though he is like any other American. As well, Obama’s plan for Obama-care forces cuts on Medicare which will not benefit my retirement. At last, Obama’s plan to export more would cause me to work more, which in the end causes me to see my family less. Overall, my vote lies with Mitt Romney.

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  41. Elisha Hussain

    Elisha Hussain
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English 11, Period:5
    23 September 2012

    In both Obama and Romney’s speeches, pathos, ethos, and logos were used. They both used humor to appeal to the crowd of people. While Obama was talking about the accomplishments that have been made so far and those that will come in the future, Romney was talking about Obama’s failures. Like Hannah I also believe that the speeches contradicted each other. Romney used pathos when he talked about his parents and told us how they had a hard life, but made it to the top with hard work and determination. Obama used a lot of logos, because he repeatedly mentioned his successes and how being president for another term would benefit all Americans. While both candidates used different ways to capture our attention, they also used ethos.Both Obama and Romney were appealing through ethos, because they tried different tactics in order to get us to vote for them. As a middle class “low information” voter who has a middle class job, and two kids preparing for college I honestly think I would vote for Obama. The reason I would vote for Obama is because in his speech he tells us all of the promises he made four years ago, and how he fulfilled majority of them. It makes me believe that he has a lot of potential to bring back our economy to how it was a decade ago. Also, the reason behind my vote is that throughout Romney’s speech he never presents an articulate plan to lead
    our nation. Basically his speech was to appeal to us, and get us to vote for him. These videos showed me that Obama will clearly be a better president for America!

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  42. Jessica A

    Jessica Arbitman
    Ms.Keeble
    AP English 11, Period 5
    22 September 2012

    In their speeches, both Romney and Obama appealed to the audience through the use of pathos. Obama would reiterate and emphasize hope by casting into his speech numerous encounters with typical people who experienced life-changing events. For example, towards the end of his speech, Obama spoke about the young sailor who had his leg amputated above the knee due to a grenade. Obama mentioned that despite the young sailor’s struggles, he continued to live a life full of joyful experiences–like riding a bike with his fellow wounded sailors– with his new prosthetic leg. After concluding his story, Obama said, “He gives me hope.” (38:16) By stating, “he gives me hope,” Obama was able to convince the audience that there is a possibility for recovery, despite the tough times and struggles the nation has gone through. Obama’s stories brought up a sense of courage and empowerment in me because of the astounding things that people are able to do, and hence their appeal to pathos.
    Romney appealed to the audience through the use of pathos by informing the audience of his whole life story, which in my opinion was rather uncalled for. He mentioned that children deserve an “unconditional love” (11:15) and that if children were to drift asleep wrapped in their parents love–and god’s love– “this world would be a much more gentle and better place.” (11:55) Both candidates used humor to appeal to the audience and their emotions, but sometimes these humorous statements were a direct attack toward their opponent’s platform. In Obama’s speech, at some point, he would attack Romney, for example, he mentioned that the Republicans were “more than happy to talk about everything they think is wrong with America, but they didn’t have much to say about how they’d make it right.” (8:16) In Romney’s speech, half of the speech was spent on disclosing his life story to the audience, and the other half was spent criticizing Obama’s presidency, rather than substantiating his goals for America with concrete proof. I cannot take Romney seriously. Obama would receive my vote, because he presented himself as a goal-oriented individual. Rather than criticizing his opponents campaign, he spoke, in detail, about what efforts he would make as president to restore the country to full vitality. His voice itself is a drive for his campaign, because his voice means business, as opposed to Romney who stuttered about 15 times throughout his speech. Obama made his campaign about the people, not about him. Unlike Romney, Obama emphasized the word “you” to expose to the audience that this election is about the choices the voters make. Given my circumstances as a “low information voter,” Obama has my vote, because after viewing his speech, I am able to come to conclusions that he’ll have my life situated faster and better than Romney would.

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  43. Ross H.

    Ross Hatlen
    Keeble
    apeng 11
    September 22, 2012

    In their respective speeches Romney and Obama used jokes and sarcasm to appeal to their voters. Romney used his ethos to apple to people. he was friendly and looked like someone that you could sit around with, yet he did not use any facts to prove what he was saying it was all just emotions. Obama on the other hand used a lot of anaphora to show what he means. Obama also uses a very big false dilemma about the future of america. Obama talks about what’s going to happen in the future while Romney talks about what is going to happen soon. They both used ad hominem attack, to attack the other person, they are running against. they also used allusion to other people in history like Neil Armstrong and Steve jobs.
    As a voter I would vote for Mitt Romney. I am a voter with two kid that are going off to college and with Obama saying things will get better in the next ten years, will not help them now. Obama is not going to be there in ten years he will not be able to anything then. He needs to work to make things better now, not just let the next guy handle it.. They are going to be into a new workforce that with Obama will not let them get new jobs. With Obama-care there will be cuts on medicare, that will not help me in my impending retirement. i also might get my job removed if Obama’s plan to get more jobs back to america works they might not be any room for me. I work in a factory so if Obama wants to export more I will have to work more to meet these demands. Romney will not cut the army taxes keeping jobs for them to be secure. They will be able to keep working for the government. So they will not have to look for new jobs. The Republican party will cut are dependence on foreign oil. They will give skills to the new works . Are trade will be increased, decreases are debt. They will help out small bushiness. He does not want to raise any taxes on the middle class. With all this in mind for my current situation I think Romney will triumph over Obama.

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  44. Hannah R.

    Hannah Reddy
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English 11, Period 2
    24 September 2012
    Both of the acceptance speeches were very similar. They also both used pathos, appeal to emotion. However, I believe Mitt Romney used it more, specifically when he talked about his mother and father and the story about the roses. The two speeches almost contradicted each other because in one speech Romney says one thing about President Obama, while President Obama goes back and says that that is what Romney plans to do. If I were to vote for one of the two candidates, I would choose to reelect President Obama. Given the role of a “’low information’ voter, who doesn’t watch much news, works at night in a factory, has two kids getting ready to go to college, makes a decent living, and are a little worried about retirement and health insurance costs,” I looked at the two speeches who addressed my situations more. And comparing the two speeches, President Obama talked more of what he will do, while Romney talked a lot about what President Obama has done.

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  45. Jashleen Singh

    Jashleen Singh
    AP English Period 2

    After viewing these speeches, I believe the best candidate with the most potential to improve our country is Obama. He uses both pathos and ethos to connect with the voters of America. As he first enters the stage, his speech starts off with a reference to his wife and children. This makes the viewer feel he is a family man, and that they can relate to him.

    Also, in the beginning of the speech he states,”Everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone has their fair share, and everyone plays the same rules” which he also repeats towards the end of his speech. Obama expresses that he believes everyone should be given equal opportunities, no matter what situation they currently find themself in. This can convince someone to vote for him simply because they can feel like they aren’t given equal opportunities as someone who has more money, or someone in a better physical condition, or even someone younger than themselves.

    Obama has hope for our country. He plans to build on his improvement over the past four years. His opponent, Romney, cannot do so and will only reverse our progress. Obama has a plan, and rather than taking from those who are less fortunate, he seeks to provide education, jobs, and more success, right here in our own country. The opposing party only states what they believe is wrong, but does not reveal a plan to fixing anything, besides what they have already done to get us in the dilemma that we find ourselves in today.

    He ends his speech by mentioning nation building and the importance of citezenship. Obama expresses his hope that he finds in our spirit regardless of the situation,which motivates him to improve our country. He states that we are not entitled to our success but that we have to earn it, and also that we are credible for the success that we have achieved so far. All in all, I believe Obama is the better candidate to vote for in this upcoming election.

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  46. Dominique

    Tonight I watched both Romney and President Obama’s speeches. I watched Romney’s first, and I had no idea what this man had to say or how he would say it. The first half of his speech was about his life, and throughout it I had no idea of what he wanted to do for our country, but finally he said he would make more jobs. Then I wanted Obama’s speech, where he got right into his goals and plan for America. In both these speeches, both canidates used examples of ethos, pathos, and logos throughout both of their speeches and some had greater impact than others. For my final decision, I would choose Obama.
    One reason for why I picked Obama was because I didn’t like Romney’s acceptance speech at all. He talked about his personal life for more than half of the whole speech. I feel like he didn’t have much to say about what plans he had, so he just tried to win the audience over by his irrelevant life story. All Romney did was refer negatively towards Obama and tried to make him look like the bad guy, saying how he hasn’t succeeded in doing anything for this country and has only made things worse. In my eyes I don’t think that he is fit to be president.
    My second reason for choosing Obama is because I was moved by his speech and his plan for America. I always believed that there was something different and special about Obama, and there is, he genuinely cares for the people of America. Obama went into his speech right away and clarified how he has kept and fufilled his promises, proving Romney and his accusions wrong. I also liked his overall dream for America and how he has accomplished a lot and tries to plan out what will benefit every single person in America no matter what ethnicity, religion, or class.
    In conclusion, I chose Obama because I believe he has done alot for this country so far, and in the next four years I believe that he is going to take us even further even if it takes a while. Like he said, it isn’t going to be easy, but together as a country we can do it.

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  47. Oscar Gonzalez

    Oscar Gonzalez
    22 September, 2012
    AP English
    Ms. Keeble
    1st Period
    After watching both speeches I am still indecisive on who will be a better match for this country as a president. Candidate Romney seems to approach me more in the logos way, he did spend most of his time talking about the flaws of Obama’s presidency. It seems like he did not have much to say to the people, also if you ask me he seemed to have been trying to gain pity from the audience/voters by saying his father was mexican. As if that was working for him, to me it just made it worse. Then there is Obama’s speech which got to me in just about every way (ethos, pathos and logos). He talked about the war in Islam, pain behind the recent recession, and the fear that, “dreamers should not fear deportation from the only place we have called home.” As Obama said in his speech, not only did Obama have good points and things to say, but he also used humor as a way to get the audience’s attention.
    After giving it some thought I would have no problem with Barrack Obama being elected for his second term. He has not brought America down, as Romney said he did. He is not only worrying about the country’s economy but also the well being of the world, he wants less pollution, and a greener environment. The president not only addressed his accomplishments, but he also gave promisses for new ones to come. I have “HOPE” in Obama because I am a ‘Dreamer’ and Obama has done something that Romney would have never though about.

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  48. David D.

    I really enjoined watching both Romney’s and Obama’s speech. Both Romney and Obama used humor to get closer to the audience and make them feel more comfortable, in addition they both attacked each other I there speeches. What I didn’t like though was that Romney was mostly attacking Obama in his speech instead of talking about other things. Romney clearly “His promises gave away to disappointment.” ( 7:37) he attacks Obama not just there but many times more. I also noticed that they used sarcasm to be humorous, and to attack each other at the same time. I noticed that Obama used pathos during his speech. He said it was thanks to us that an undocumented can go to college and have a career; he used this to get sympathy from the audience. Also he uses Anaphora in his speech, I noticed that he said “We the people” many times. With everything Obama said to me during his speech he got to me, I felt like he was being true to me, he wasn’t bull shitting me about anything. I really like the quote Johan Ocegueda had about what Obama said “I was not elected to tell you what you want to hear, I was elected to tell you the truth.” This showed me that Obama was being straight with me. If I were to vote for a president this year I would vote for Obama.

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  49. Alicia Gonzales

    Alicia Gonzales
    Ms. Keeble
    AP English
    5th p.

    Both of these speeches are filled with elements, such as Logos, Ethos, and Pathos. These candidates have appealed to me the most in terms of Pathos, by causing me to feel emotion and sympathy for what it is that they said.
    For example, Obama saying “This isn’t our future.” or “Students shouldn’t have to put aside a college acceptance letter because they can’t afford it!” An example how Romney caught my attention with Pathos is when he said things such as, “We should hug our kids alittle longer.” or something like “Believe everything is going to be okay.” because by him saying this caused me to feel a soft spot, hoping that things “will” be okay, that love and being there for our kids “is” beneficial.
    Although they both did a good job in being convincing and speaking their minds within these speeches, I strongly feel that Obama did the better job. First of all, Obama is a better speaker in my opinion. He speaks strongly and with confidence and hope, something that seemed to truly catch the audiences’ attention. I feel that he gave better examples of his vision for America. As he stated in his speech, by voting for whatever candidate we choose, we’re choosing a certain pathway. Each Candidate is a different pathway option, and therefore we need to understand and analyze their vision, their hope, and their motivation.
    I’ve always been a fan of Obama, because I admire his hope, what’s important to him, and what he talks about in his speeches. He is really big on education, especially by being a parent, because he understands. He believes that our Nation is blessed by God, and askes that God blesses our states. I admire Obama as he presents himself as a person, a husband, father, a dedicated, successful man, and president that believes success can and will be achieved. His speech actually gave me hope, and caused me to think about my own life and what is important to me, such as God and my education. Romney on the other hand didn’t truly touch my heart.

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  50. Johan Ocegueda

    Johan Ocegueda
    AP English Period1
    Keeble
    September 22, 2012

    Both Romney and Obama were really convincing in their speeches. Both used a lot of humor to try and get the audience to feel some what more comfortable. I also noticed that both of them directly attacked each others thoughts. Romney used the fact that Obama was not able to change much and actually states that Obama failed at being a good president. He clearly says “I wish president Obama would have had succeeded” as you can see according to Romney, Obama failed to achieve his goal and failed to give us the Americans what we wanted. But Obama did not back down, he attacks Romney just as well as he was attacked. As I said he uses sarcasm to both make us, the audience laugh and actually enjoy to speech but also to insult the plan and the thoughts of Romney. I also noticed that Obama uses pathos to get to the people. For example he mentions a little girl that won first place in a science fair, and celebrated with her family at her foster home. He uses this story to get into our hearts and give what he believes a little bit of sympathy. He also used Anaphora a lot, he repeats a lot of word to create a sense of excitement and to pump us up. And with all this t Obama got to me, he made me feel like he was being true with me. He said it himself, he says “I was not elected to tell you what you want to hear, I was elected to tell you the truth”. I felt like Obama really knew what he was talking about, he talked like he had a plan and knew what to do. And Romney really did not make me feel like that, he was just attacking Obama’s ideas most of the time. So my decision is Obama , he felt like he actually cared about the people, and that is what America needs.

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