A Rhetorical Analysis of US Presidential Farewell Addresses : Bill Clinton's and George W. Bush's

Khalid Shamkhi Sharhan

Volume : VI, Issue : XII, December - 2017

A Rhetorical Analysis of US Presidential Farewell Addresses : Bill Clinton's and George W. Bush's

Khalid Shamkhi Sharhan

Abstract :

Rhetorical analysis is a type of analysis which explores the rhetoric of the text, the means of persuasion, by applying the canons of classical rhetoric such as invention, arrangement, style, memory and delivery. This paper uses these canons as tools of analysis to investigate the farewell addresses of two American presidents, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. The analysis aims to show the similarities and differences between the two texts in terms of three canons of rhetoric, invention, arrangement and style. The paper has revealed that the two addresses are generally similar in the employment of the three canons. The differences between the addresses are related to the extent and manner the two presidents employ each of the canons.