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Kathleen Volpei

Professor Granillo

English 101

26 September 2018

Results require actions

“Not everything that is faced can be changed but nothing can be changed until it’s faced”

wrote James Baldwin, an African American author and social critic. Change is inevitable in life

so we might as well be ready to face it. This idea was emphasized throughout Barack Obama’s

commencement speech at Howard University on May 7, 2016. Our 44th president’s speech

consisted of words of encouragement, advice for the future, statistics, morals, and even contempt

with our current president, Donald Trump, through the use of different forms of rhetoric.

Rhetoric is the art of persuasion, and Obama definitely mastered that art in his speech through

pathos; use of emotion, logos; facts and data, and ethos; ethics. Despite Barack Obama’s heavy

use of pathos, he had a mixture of ethos and logos present as well, which contributed to a very

strong and moving speech at Howard University. His emotional testimony was meant to inspire

the students to improve themselves and build better tomorrows as new adults of society.

Barack Obama evidently has aminosities with our current President Donald Trump. This

speech was given in 2016, towards the end of Obama’s presidency as inspiration to the students

to become the change in our political climate. He states, “given the state of our political rhetoric

and debate, let me say something that may be controversial, [...] America is by almost every

measure better than it was when I graduated from college. It also happens to be better off than

when I took office- but that’s a longer story” (Obama 298-299). Obama clearly planted this
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naysayer against Trump whose campaign pitch is to “make America great again.” As this speech

was given towards the end of his presidency, it also acted as a farewell and his last opportunity to

evoke initiative in this new generation of voters. He emphasizes the importance of voting during

this commencement speech. He hopes to influence the students in a way that will make a

difference in America’s political culture, which is very hostile and full of people who think their

opinions are the only factual ones. Barack Obama was not only giving the speech to inspire the

students but also to share his views on our country as well.

Barack Obama’s speech also made the students feel special by expressing the importance

of each and every one of them in changing America’s political atmosphere. Howard University is

historically known for having a majority African American students so these students especially

idolized the first African American president. He empowered the graduates and attempted to

appeal to a personal issue when he said, “this class from big cities and rural communities, and

some of you crossed oceans to study here. You shatter stereotypes. Some of you are the firsts in

your family to graduate from college” (Obama 303). He emphasized the fact that no matter

where those students came from they all accomplished the same tasks, regardless of the adversity

they faced. They are all graduating from the same institution with the same degrees, giving them

each equal opportunities to make a difference in the world. Obama also stressed that race has

become something that divides our nation, when, inversely, it has the power to unite our nation:

“we each need to embrace our own beautiful, unique, and valid versions of our blackness,

remember the tie does bind us as African Americans and that is our particular awareness of

injustice and unfairness and struggle” (304). It is clear that racial tensions are present in our

society, but Obama wants the students to embrace their race and use it to empower others. They
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need to speak up for those who are unable and they need to spread awareness for the injustices

present and propose solutions to these injustices. He wants them to be compassionate to

everyone and to not play the victim when faced with an obstacle. Obama was motivated by his

belief that these students can and will make the world a better place. In this speech, all rhetorical

methods are present and each used in a way that make this speech influential to all the people

attending the graduation.

Pathos was the most dominant form of rhetoric in Obama’s commencement speech as its

appeal to emotion has the greatest ability to inspire those listening to make a change. Usually too

much of one rhetorical modes leads to a much weaker argument. In this case, the effect of using

mostly pathos was reciprocal, strengthening the power of the speech. Obama spoke of previous

Howard students and the variety and abundance of successful and influential alumni: “this

institution has been the home of many firsts: The first black Nobel Peace Prize winner. The first

black Supreme Court justice. But its mission has been to ensure those firsts were not lasts”

(Obama 298). He continues to show confidence that the each of the students sitting before him

could be among those alumni of firsts. By revealing his unconditional confidence in the ability

and resilience of the graduates, he gives them the confidence to believe the same, hence inspiring

them to take action. It is inspiration alone that can cause people to move mountains or take the

first steps on the moon or become the first African American president. He continues by

reassuring them that they live in a society where they have the resources and the ability to make

a difference, by stating “if you had to choose one moment in history in which you could be born,

and you didn’t know ahead of time who you were going to be [...] you’d choose right now”

(Obama 301). The newly graduated students are living in a country and a time period full of
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opportunities. This quote, which clearly appeals to pathos, by introducing the possibility that

whatever goals they have set can be accomplished, no matter what adversity they face. Although

pathos was very prevalent throughout Obama's testimony, ethos and logos were still present

which added to a very impactful and well rounded speech.

Obama’s use of ethos in this speech was displayed through the morals he emphasized.

Morals are a person's standards and beliefs of what a person should or shouldn’t do and Obama

had a lot to say regarding such things. He reiterated that if the graduates wish to make a change,

“it requires more than just speaking out- it requires listening to those whom you disagree, and

being prepared to compromise” (Obama 307). There are a lot of people in our society with

closed minded attitudes who strongly believe that they are always right. Compromise is

inevitable in life whether that be in politics, family matters, or just a simple conversation.

Listening to what someone has to say is one of Obama’s deeply rooted morals. He believes once

someone opens their ears to consider opposing views, change will start to occur. Another

instance of ethos in the speech is in regards to listening: “if the other side has a point, learn from

them. If they’re wrong, rebut them.Teach them. Beat them on the battlefield of ideas” (Obama

310). Everyone should obtain an open mindset which would help them consider other sides.

These newly graduated students have a lot of knowledge and new ideas to offer the world and

Obama wants them to do so but in a respectful manner. Alongside the appeal of emotion and

morals obama tied in statistics which covers the last rhetorical mode of logos.

Obama used statistics regarding voting to give the students an example of how much

power they actually have to make a change in this world. He informed the graduates that, “in

2014, only 36 percent of Americans turned out to vote in the midterms [which is] the second
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lowest participation rate on record” (Obama 306). He explains that every vote counts and by not

turning out to vote they allow the few people that do vote make decisions for them. Voting is a

liberty that we Americans are allowed to do and many take it for granted. Obama also mentions

the turnout of African Americans: “in 2012, nearly two in three African Americans turned out.

And then, in 2014, only two in five turned out” (306). Obama made it clear that he had several

frustrations due to the lack of voting. He mentions that politics is an easy concept it just requires

votes and this lack of votes regarding policies is why he could not get a lot done in office. In

regards to voting there could be a bias present due to the fact that Barack Obama was a president,

but the way he presented his information seemed that this usage of logos was supposed to serve

as a wake up call for the students to get them to vote and contribute as Americans.

Barack Obama’s commencement speech at Howard University inspired the masses. He

had a strong argument that consisted of pathos, ethos, and logos. It was clear that he had more

pathos present than the other two modes but in this case it had to be that way. The appeal to

emotion was the key motivator for the students to go out in the world and make a difference. The

ethos served as moral advice that would help the graduates in their future interactions. Lastly, the

appeal to logos in which Obama pointed out statistics regarding voting showed the graduates that

what he is saying is real and it provided him with more credibility. All in all Barack Obama had

a very strong argument within his commencement speech that gave the Howard University

students the courage to make a change.

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Works Cited

Barack Obama. “Howard University Commencement Speech”. ​They Say I Say,​ Gerald Graff,

Cathy Birkenstein, Russel Durst, fourth edition. W.W. Norton & Company, 2018, New

York, NY