Response to Faith in America

The purpose of this speech is to gain support for a presidential election.  Specifically by speaking on religion and loyalty.

Ethos:  In this paper, Mitt Romney often refers to history.  He speaks of the founding fathers and their commitment to building a nation under God.  He displays some of the similarities between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other churches, and speaks of the values he learned growing up in the family he did. Doing this, he seeks to establish credibility.  He hopes that showing his respect for the founding fathers will help others respect him (technically an appeal to authority logical fallacy).  He hopes that by showing the similarities between his church and the churches of others, those listening will feel more able to connect with him.  He also hopes to establish himself as a good person based on the values he was taught as a child.

Pathos: Mitt Romney speaks passionately about God, something that many people believe in.  He speaks of how anyone who worships the Almighty is a friend to him.  He speaks of the trouble and hardship our predecessors faced as they struggled to both establish this nation and to maintain it.  There is almost nothing people get more worked up about than their religion.  As Romney appeals to that, he hopes to establish himself as an ally to their passion.  People also tend to feel very strongly about their country.  By referring to our nation’s trials, he hopes to instill a pride and a desire to better the country.

Logos: Mitt Romney clearly outlines how his beliefs will not interfere with his role as president. He broaches topics like keeping God on U.S. currency and in the pledge of allegiance.  He speaks of many of the current challenges that the United States faces. Logically, people want to know that they can trust their president to make the best decisions for them.  Addressing current events also helps people to know that Romney is on top of our country’s problems and prompts them to think about the ways that Romney could help solve those problems.