STRATEGIES OF CONSTRUCTING APPEALS IN OBAMA’S VICTORY SPEECH

Abstract

One of important things that a speaker should pay attention in delivering a speech is constructing appeals. By constructing appeals in the speech, it will make the well-organized content of speech to be more influencing and convincing. In addition, constructing appeals in the speech is also primarily essential as it particularly impacts to the audience’s feeling. As Baird stated (1981: 19) the feelings toward the speaker are important determinants of listeners’ acceptance of the speaker’s message. Constructing audience’s appeals is an important point in communication in the objective of persuading audience (Baird, 1981:199). By constructing appeals in the message, the speaker can also motivate the listeners to attend the message and to persuade them. In addition, the speaker not only needs to give people reasons for doing or thinking things, we also need to stir their emotions so that those actions or thought are strong and long lasting. As a matured politician having well experienced in public speaking, Obama has many inspiring speeches which achieved immediate popularity around the world. Many of his speeches are broadcasted in video sharing web site like YouTube, garnering many views and being watched by million views around the world. One of his inspiring speeches is his victory speech delivered right after he won U.S. presidential election. Obama's victory speech is a powerful example speech in communication on how to connect with and inspire audiences. He gave his victory speech at Grant Park in his home city of Chicago, Illinois. There were tears of joy in Chicago when America's new president-elect Barack Obama took to the stage to speak to his supporters. It was watched by an estimated crowd of 240,000. Considered one of the most widely-watched and repeated political addresses in recent history, Obama's speech focused on the major issues facing the United States and the world, all echoed through his campaign slogan of change. Obama’s victory speech consists of influencing people's beliefs, values, attitudes, and behaviors. He persuaded people when he somehow convinced them, to think what he wanted them to think, feel what he wanted them to feel, or do what he wanted them to do. As a learner, I am interestingly interested to analyze strategies of constructing appeals in Obama’s victory speech as it is a model of great powerfully inspiring speech.