Rhetorical Analysis Topic

 I will be focusing on the arguments made by President Reagan and Mitt Romney because they were successful in getting me, as the reader, to agree with the points they were arguing. For my rhetorical analysis paper, I plan to analyze their speeches on the topic of separation of church and state in the government of the United States. In order to do this, I plan to compare the two speeches and the different rhetorical devices they use to determine how effective they are. While reading these speeches, I noticed that both had some similarities, such as the personal feel they established with their audience by directly addressing those they were speaking to along with complimenting their audience. This helps the speakers feel more personable to the audience that they are addressing. Also, both of the speakers called for religious freedom, which inspired their audience to stand up for their beliefs and their country as well. Both speakers also made mention of the founding fathers, which helped them establish credibility because they know the history of their country, and therefore know what they are talking about. They also established credibility by stating their former leadership roles in this country and by also stating their desire to run for and win the presidential election. I also noticed that both President Reagan and Mitt Romney talked about emotional subjects that made their audiences want to help others, through the claims that families are falling apart and our country is falling apart because of problems with drugs and crime. These two articles engaged and swayed me most as a reader, and through these points they made I plan to show that their arguments were effective.