In seeking to apply Aristotle’s theories of discourse, as articulated in his classic piece On Rhetoric, the upcoming election in California presented itself as a reliable means for testing the oldest fundamentals of deliberative rhetoric. Looking at Meg Whitman’s victory speech titled, “I Want Californians to Dream Big Again,” many of the elements that Aristotle examined are present. Whitman’s entechnic pisteis, or artistic means of persuasion, include appeal to ethos, logos, and pathos.
In order to establish ethos as a speaker, Whitman makes several statements that allude to the quality of person she wants the audience to see her as. She informs the audience that she received a phone call from her competitor who “gracious[ly]” (“I Want Californians to Dream Big Again.”) conceded the race and then thanks him and his supporters for “the energy they brought to this campaign”. This gives her an air of integrity, as she attempts to distance herself from the deceit often associated with politics. She then later goes on to thank her husband and sons saying, “You can’t take on a challenge like this without the love and support of family.” With this statement she not only identifies herself as formidable and determined, but a family-oriented and morally upright person. Whether or not her audience personally identifies with these qualities, these are the attributes and ethos they pursue in the authoritative figures they are chosen to elect to office, and Meg Whitman is clearly aware of this.
As Aristotle points out in Chapter 3 of Book 1 On Rhetoric, the deliberative rhetoric is either exhortation or dissuasion. By pointing out what the past administration has negatively done to the state of California, Meg positions herself as not only qualified but the only option for improvement. Aristotle states, “let the virtue of style be defined as ‘to be clear,’” and in utilizing this principle, Whitman strengthens her persuasion by giving direct and clear examples of what is wrong and must be fixed. For example, she states, “During Jerry’s last term as governor, California’s unemployment rate nearly doubled to a then record of 11 percent,” and then later declares, “while politics is Jerry Brown’s business, my business is creating good new jobs” (“I Want Californians to Dream Big Again.”). By stating the problems that accumulated in the previous administration, and then directly relating herself to the solution, Whitman appeals to the audience’s logos, while increasing her qualifications and persuasion.
In order to further appeal to her audience, Whitman keeps her diction intelligently informed and yet colloquial, in order to establish herself as qualified and yet relatable. An example of this is when she proclaims, “I’m putting my heart and soul into this campaign. This gal is on a mission. And I am all in.” This statement, as well as her earlier statement about family values, appeals to the pathos of her audience. Whitman also seeks to connect with her audience and to enhance her image as a down to earth woman by using rheotircal questions, making her speech almost interactive. Whitman states, “And I want Californians to dream big again, don’t you?” Due to the fact that the answer is clearly going to be positive, Whitman connects with her audience interactively on the basis of a common desire for improvement.
With her various uses of Aristotle’s principles set forth in On Rhetoric, Meg Whitman successfully delivers a speech that is persuasive because it creates an image of personal moral principle, while applying logic and appealing to the audience’s desires and emotions.
Works Cited
Leitch, Vincent B., Cross, George Lynn, Daube Sutton, Paul and Carol, eds.The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2010. Print.
“Meg Whitman Primary Victory Speech." YouTube. MOXnews.com. 12 July, 2010.
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