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Chase White

Jolynne Berret
March 17, 2016

Gun Control Reform


One of the most heated topics in America is gun control, it is one that can create tension,
or even a full on debate depending on how passionate each person is, but it is also one of the
most important. The speech I have decided to write my essay on is President Barack Obamas
Gun Safety reform speech. I listened to it live via NPR, I have found that in reading his speech
that he is incredibly good at utilizing each individual part of the rhetorical triangle, ethos, pathos,
and logos, in his speeches to get his point across, or at least his speech writers are.
In this remarkable address, he utilizes pathos more than any of the other parts of the
Rhetorical Triangle to get his point across. He begins by speaking about Gabby Giffords, who
was nearly shot to death in a horrible attempt on her life, he then goes on to name more
unspeakable tragedies, including mass shootings, suicides, domestic violence, etc. He finishes the
speech by speaking on a young man who saved three young girls by taking bullets for them, he
called him a hero, by this point there would not be a dry eye in the audience.
One of the arguments that people use against stricter gun control laws is that it is removing
one of their rights, going against the Second Amendment: The right to bare arms. One of my
favorite quotes from the speech that I agree with, which is one of the arguments that I have used
as well is, Our right to peaceful assembly - that right was robbed from moviegoers in Aurora
and Lafayette. Our unalienable right to life, and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - those

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rights were stripped from college students in Blacksburg and Santa Barbara, and from high
schoolers at Columbine, and from first-graders in Newtown. First-graders. And from every
family who never imagined that their loved one would be taken from our lives by a bullet from a
gun. This statement is utilizing the pathos part of the rhetorical triangle, he is using this part to
play on our emotions as humans, to help get his point across that he believe that there should be
stricter gun control laws.
The Ethos in his speech is all over the place, but first off, it comes from him, he is the
President of the United States of America. He goes on to talk about Gabby Giffords, an Arizona
Senator who narrowly survived an assassination attempt, using her not only for ethos but also
crossing over into pathos, I will expand more on this later. He goes on to list: Joe Manchin (Dem),
Pat Toomey (Rep), The National Rifle Association, George W. Bush, and Senator John McCain,
just to name a few. The reason these people names is to show many people who are in support of
stricter gun control laws, to me, surprisingly enough the NRA is one that is not opposed to it, I
dont believe that they are wanting the gun laws as strict as what the President has made them.
He then goes on to state actual facts, which brings us to the logos part of the speech, about
how many people have been killed each year by gun violence, either on purpose or by accident.
He also speaks on how it will take voters, many voters to make the changes necessary, and on how
long it took for Womens rights, African American rights, and LGBT rights. He states that it does
take a long time, which in government, everything takes time, that is fact and opinion.
The President of the United States of America, though he may not be the most popular
person in the entire country, knows how to move people with a speech. He used the rhetorical
triangle in every way he possibly could, by even getting the audience involved at the actual press
conference. Even if some people disagree with what he says, or what his actions were, they must

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admit that his speech was powerful, and moving nonetheless.

President Barack Obama, January 05, 2016 https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/


2016/01/05/remarks-president-common-sense-gun-safety-reform

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