Assignment for 9/14 - Clinton

Clinton's speech:

This is a piece of writing meant to be spoken out loud. The punctuation supports its purpose, reminding the speaker when to push through, and when to pause for effect. It is designed to pull an audience in.

Anaphora appears several times in this speech, highlighting the ways in which the speech is targeting its hearers. Beginning in paragraph 13: “But when most people are working... when others cannot work... when the cost of health care devastates... when fear of crime robs... when millions of poor children cannot even imagine...” All this happens in one sentence. Each of the above is a clause separated by semi-colons. At the end of the speech, there is another case of anaphora, this time in full sentences.

“An idea born in revolution and renewed through 2 centuries of challenge. An idea tempered by the knowledge that, but for fate, we--the fortunate and the unfortunate--might have been each other. An idea ennobled by the faith that our nation can summon from its myriad diversity the deepest measure of unity. An idea infused with the conviction that America’s long heroic journey must go forever upward.” (Paragraph 39)

Notice the progression of the verbs beginning the sentences. “Born in revolution... tempered by the knowledge that... ennobled by the faith that... infused with the conviction that...” These are fighting words. While the second sentence is in more of a running style, the rest are periodic. These sentences are primarily paratactic in nature, but build on each other in the periodic style. They are reaching towards the clarion call of paragraph 40. This is language to rouse the rabble, and it works.

The repetition that sweeps a listener along might become tedious to a reader. Whereas a reader, able to go back and underline each time a word is used, (as this one certainly did) might get tired of “America,” “change,” “sacrifice,” and “generation,” a listener is only left with the feelings and personal associations these buzzwords inspire.

Clinton’s vocabulary is not simplistic. He uses many polysyllabic words. But he also defines them as he is speaking. In paragraph 23, he says, “Our Founders saw themselves in the light of posterity. We can do no less. Anyone who has ever watched a child’s eyes wander into sleep knows what posterity is.” So far, he is assuming that his audience understands the word, if not the somewhat strange metaphor. Then he says, “Posterity is the world to come--the world for whom we hold our ideals, from whom we have borrowed our planet, and to whom we bear sacred responsibility.” He is educating as he is orating. The clauses are periodic, planned in light of the emotional response he wants to wring from his audience.

Political oratory is all about making an audience agree with the person speaking. This speech succeeds without pressing too hard on the listeners. It is a speech meant to inspire.