Three Main Rhetorical Techniques of Elocutio in Modern Political Speeches between George Bush and Hugo Chávez

抄録

This paper first examines and discusses the most prominent rhetorical techniques used in some political speeches in the U.S. today. Then, it analyzes and compares the rhetorical techniques used in the UN speech given by then U.S. President George W. Bush on September 19, 2006, and the UN speech given by then Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez the following day. Moreover, it explores how the rhetorical theories apply in both speeches. While Bush relied heavily on the technique of ethos in his speech, Chávez tried to counter Bush in his speech by making maximum use of the power of logos, pathos and ethos. He did this to cover up that Venezuela is not as powerful as the U.S. with the power of his oratory. Apart from the content of the speech, the purpose of this paper is to deepen our understanding of English expressions further and to explore English expressions from a new perspective by clarifying the state of the oratorical battle that makes full use of skillful rhetorical techniques. This paper draws on an oral presentation, “Rhetorical Techniques in Two Opposing Political Speeches: The Use of Ethos, Logos, and Pathos,” given at the 50th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of English Usage and Style (JASEUS) on December 19, 2021, with additions and corrections.