John Kerry Advert
http://pcl.stanford.edu/campaigns/2004/
In this advert, John Kerry is seeking to appeal to the electorates to consider him for the presidential seat for which he had been mandated by his Democratic Party to contest. This was at a time when he was trying to sell his policies to be supported instead of his opponent. It was indeed a hotly contested election in which he was competing against President George Bush, an incumbent who had been holding the same office during the past four years. In my rhetorical analysis, I would like to say that the advert was properly designed. In his statements, John Kerry used a series of rhetorical strategies to help him appeal to his target audience.
Besides, this advert makes a good use of pathological appeals. By saying, ‘Making America energy independent of Middle East Oil,’ Kerry seeks to logically appeal to the Americans who are fed up with the scramble for energy amongst the world powers such as US, Britain, China and Russia. Over the years, many countries have broken into civil war as a result of the struggle for the limited oil resources. Therefore, if elected as the next president, Kerry will ensure that US is not involved in any such wars. Instead, it will rely on its own resources to produce its own energy. I would like to point out that this statement actually made a logical appeal to the electorates because it is possible to possible for US to fully depend on its oil deposits. Besides, it can allocate funds to be used in alternative energy sources such as natural gas, solar, wind and other green energy sources. He appeals to many people since his ‘ideologies advocate for noble policies which have been lacking in the previous regimes’ (Heinz 27).
Finally, this advert makes a pathological appeal. This is noticed when the presidential hopeful talks about things which entirely touch on the welfare of all the Americans. For instance, he says that he will introduce an effective plan for a healthy and stronger Americans. He adds that he will create more job opportunities and affordable health schemes especially for the ordinary Americans. If he creates jobs for the Americans, he will help them to improve their living standards as they actively participate in building the nation. This was a wise choice of words because it enables him to communicate his policies in an appealing manner. It implies that he is concerned about the lower and middle class citizens which of course constitute a large portion of the American population. They should all rally behind him since his presidency will be fruitful to them.
Works Cited
Heinz Kerry, Teresa. This Moment on Earth: Today's New Environmentalists and Their Vision for the Future. New York: Public Affairs, 2007. Print.
