Obama, Romney Speeches

The speeches we watched in class were quite interesting. Both Michelle Obama and Ann Romney appealed greatly to the audience's pathos. They constantly referenced topics which related to most Americans: single mothers trying to feed their children, hard working middle class parents trying to send their kids to school, single dad working extra hours so his kids can feel like other kids, or a couple who wants to have a child but don't know if they can afford it. Ann Romney used the line "Tonight, I want to talk to you from my heart" to captivate the audience. Michelle Obama used her personal experience to essentially put herself on the same level as most Americans. Neither speaker used much logos though, besides the personal experience of seeing people and their struggles throughout America. I think both women have credibility just because they are the wives to presidential candidates, however Michelle has a bit more because her husband is our current president and she has already been down this path. Although both speeches were captivating and well written, I don't really believe that this came from their "heart". Most political parties and their candidates have speech writers for their campaign. Both women probably had some input, however I felt a fake tone throughout both speeches that left me unable to really engage in the speeches, just like most campaign speeches.