In his March 4, 1929 inaugural address, Herbert Hoover focuses on the “ideals and aspirations for America.” Hoover proposes criminal justice reform and declares that a “large responsibility rests directly upon our citizens,” while embodying an upbeat, positive tone. The former president communicates his proposals to the entire nation, so he angles his ambitions to apply to the typical American. Hoover creates a sense of power, and a contrasting sense of unity by appealing to ethos of the audience, using parallelism, and incorporating anaphora into his work.
Hoover lures the audience into his ideas by appealing to their ethos with the constant use of three pronouns: I, we, and our. He pleads, “I beg your tolerance, your aid, and your cooperation.” The overall attitude of this address is inclusive, however, when necessary, the occasional use of “I” portrays Hoover’s dominance. He utilizes the first person singular pronoun precisely 22 times through the speech. Each use increases his credibility in the eyes of the American people as he assures his leadership position. Hoover often integrates “I” into the address in order to ask the audience a favor and insure their cooperation. In opposition, he fills the majority of his monologue with the communal pronouns “we” and “our.” Hoover announces,“We aspire to distinction in the world, but to a distinction based upon confidence in our sense of justice as well as our accomplishments within our own borders and in our own lives.” He is speaking for the nation as a whole, because he is now the leader of the entire country. As a result of this inclusive rhetorical method, the citizens feel like a part of the progressive future plans and Hoover gains their trust. With the application of various pronouns, Herbert Hoover captivates the readers by appealing to their ethos.
Through parallelism, the former president draws attention to the most important messages in his work. The reformation of the criminal justice system is one of his most important objectives. So, he articulates, “Crime is increasing. Confidence in rigid and speedy justice is decreasing.” He uses this method to give each point balance and equality. Due to the similar format, these ideas are fluid, and therefore more persuasive. At the same time, he juxtaposes these two contrasting ideas to convey his point with more meaning. This stark contrast becomes a focal point in the essay. The divergent elements form a single impactful point. Hoover also uses parallelism to highlight the greatest purpose of this address: the “ideals and aspirations for America.” In the concise section prior to his conclusion, Hoover repeats the words aspiration and ideal four times. He discusses the “realization of these ideals and the fruition of these aspirations” and asserts, “There is no short road to the realization of these aspirations.” This reiteration is an intentional tactic to drill the most significant proposals into the citizens’ minds. Furthermore, the placement of this recurring parallelism is strategic. Hoover concludes his address with his strongest, most important notions so that the US citizens will not forget them. Thus, the president’s use of parallelism, specifically the use of an antithesis and his calculated placement, emphasizes his leading claim of the speech.
Likewise, former president Hoover sets up corresponding ideas in a uniform format to make his beliefs easier to remember. While discussing his future aspirations for America, Hoover talks about “a new economic system, a new social system, [and] a new political system.” With the use of anaphora, Hoover stresses the importance of each system he discusses. As a result, the American people are able to clearly imagine his intended path for the future. Additionally, he concludes the inaugural address by listing the many benefits of our country and the accomplishments we have made. He lists these by creating three sequential sentences beginning with the phrase, “In no nation.” This calls attention to Hoover’s prominent opinion that the United States is superior to the other nations. The use of anaphora creates focus on this closing statement and a sense of patriotism in every audience member. These unvarying introductions to Hoover’s principal statements creates rhythm that heightens the significance of each idea.
In his inaugural address, Herbert Hoover creates the idea of a positive future for the nation. He focuses on his plans and desires for the country, catering to the average American citizen. He proves his power with the use of “I,” but is very inclusive with the use of “we and our,” appearing to the ethos of the audience. Moreover, he includes parallelism and anaphora in his work to enhance his statements.
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English 206 Blog 