Rhetorical Analysis of Joe Biden's Inauguration Address Essay Example

During President Joe Biden's inaugural address, he seamlessly connected with those around the United States with his hopes and aspirations for these four years to come. During a time of division, uneasiness, and for some pure happiness, Joe Biden deliberately connected to everybody, whether it was expressing his appreciation for the frontline workers during the pandemic, or sympathizing with those affected by the pandemic.  President Joe Biden undoubtedly was able to connect to the audience by his use of illusions and unifying diction. 

President Biden invokes a feeling of respect during the initial part of his speech. He uses small illusions to bring up just how many issues the United States has tackled in the past years and to bring thought to mind about how each time - we have recovered and made ourselves a better, safer country. In the very first part of the speech he says, “Through the Civil War, the Great Depression, 9/11, through struggle, sacrifice, and setbacks, our better angels have always prevailed.” he alludes to the epochal challenges we have faced in the past, yet with each of these challenges named, we have already moved passed them by working together and pushing through it. This illusion of our past hardships supports his trust that if we unite each other and move past our political differences, then anything is solvable which at the same time discreetly hints towards the current pandemic. Later, towards the end of his speech; Biden makes a remark to evoke the audience to contemplate about the people who have spoken in Great Mall before him. He draws the importance of the place while connecting himself to influential people and moments of the past, “Here we stand looking out on the great Mall where Dr. King spoke of his dream. Here we stand, where 108 years ago, at another inaugural, thousands of protesters tried to block brave women marching for the right to vote. ” This remark connects him to the people who have stood there before him, showing how important the speech was to him. His ability to demonstrate how meaningful this speech and job is to him allows the people of the United States to gain more respect for him; showing he doesn’t blindly look past the history of the Great Mall, while at the same time making him a credible, more respectable president to those who were skeptical about his ability to be the president. 

Furthermore, President Biden develops his speech by the use of unifying diction. He uses unifying words such as “we” and “our”  constantly throughout the speech. This speech creates a sense of comfort and unity for the audience to create a feeling of unity. He stated, “We can treat each other with dignity and respect. We can join forces, stop the shouting and lower the temperature. For without unity, there is no peace — only bitterness and fury. No progress — only exhausting outrage. No nation — only a state of chaos.” His emphasis on unity and the importance of working together with his unifying terminology like “we” inherently shows how much he believes in his citizens that if we work together; we can persevere through any misfortune faced, giving the listeners who may feel uneasy about a new president in office reassurance that things will work out well and have in the past as long as things are unified and under control. Biden then spoke on the tension in the country at that moment - often the inauguration address is a time where the country is divided. Frequently you can find two different types of people on inauguration day. Some may be happy, others - furiously texting their cousins about how much gas is about to cost. He confronted the tension in the country and said, “And so today at this time in this place, let’s start afresh, all of us. Let’s begin to listen to one another again. Hear one another, see one another, show respect to one another. Politics doesn’t have to be a raging fire, destroying everything in its path. Every disagreement doesn’t have to be a cause for total war. And we must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured.” His remark and hope for everybody to settle down and just take in our country for what it is; reveals his confidence that if we are unified we can accomplish a peaceful and progressive country. Biden did a remarkable job trying to make a feeling of community during his speech at a time when many felt uneasy.

As Biden tackles his first issue with the United States - the division of our country politically and the questioning of his authority - he was able to thoroughly explain why he is hopeful for our future, and with his illusions to our success when our country has faced a time of despair before, and the many times he made remarks to the audience as if he were speaking to a community, he delivered a clear message, that undoubtedly set a good tone for his term enabling those who were skeptical at first to sit back; and feel a little less stressed about the next four years.