Persuasion in President Biden’s Inauguration Speech

Abstract

Persuasive strategies are very significant as they are found in all human interactions in every aspect of life, particularly in politics. They take place in a way which is recognized and understood by the audience or the addressees. Such strategies are used by speakers in order to influence others to modify and/or change their beliefs, values, attitudes, and way of thinking. They are used to convince others by a certain idea or a concept as well. They also reveal a lot about the identity of the speaker. In other words, persuasive strategies must persuade the addressee at the end. Therefore, this paper examines the persuasive strategies found in President Joe Biden’s Inauguration Speech. It aims at highlighting the persuasive strategies used to reveal the identity of the speaker. In the micro-analysis provided by this study, segments of speeches are illustrated to verify the illocutionary act in order to know the speaker’s intended meaning in terms of Searle’s Speech Act Theory based on the five categories of speech which are: assertives, commissives, expressives, directives, and declaration. Afterwards, the use of deictic pronouns such as: the first-person singular pronoun “I” and the exclusive and inclusive “WE” is analysed based on Fairclough’s assumption in Critical Discourse Analysis with the aim to either show the speaker’s integrity or to give a devoted and close impression. A brief explanation is provided to facilitate the process of understanding the meaning behind its use. Lastly, the use of Aristotle’s persuasion appeal as: Ethos, Logos, and Pathos is examined. Ethos is used to show truthfulness. Pathos is used to express emotions and feelings. Logos is used to support arguments through logical assumptions and facts. The findings indicate that multiple speech acts can occur in a single utterance with different connotations based on the context. The excessive use of a certain act can be significant. The analysis of speech acts reveals a lot about the speaker’s identity and the relationship between the speaker and the audience. It also shows that the use of deictic pronouns can be strategic and persuasive as well. This is simply because inclusive “WE” can include both the speaker and the audiences to show unity and solidarity. The exclusive “WE” can include the speaker but not all the audiences. Finally, the process of persuasion can be emphasised by significant resort to logos, which can also reinforce ethos appeal. Keywords: Aristotle’s Persuasion Appeals, Biden’s Inauguration Speech, Deictic Pronouns, Persuasive Strategies, Political Discourse, Speech Acts Theory