"Faith in America" Mini-Analysis

            The point of the speech by Mitt Romney is to convince people that being a Mormon would not affect his presidency, and that religious diversity is very important to America and he wants to embrace that. His audience is the people of faith in America. For Ethos, he says that he is simply an American, to make him seem neutral to all beliefs and prove that being a Mormon will not affect how he handles affairs. However, he also goes on to say how he will never back down from his beliefs, which may enhance his credibility for some, but for others with no faith, it may worry them that if something came up that aligned with God’s will and not the will of man, he would choose God’s will. He sneaks in how he was a former governor of Massachusetts, and he makes references to major historical figures in America, such as the Founders and Martin Luther King Jr. to back up the credibility of his subject. He tries to use the fact that he is religious, to prove that making an oath on the Bible will have more meaning to him, and to increase his credibility as a possible presidential candidate.

            For Pathos, he uses examples of how hard early Americans worked to find religious freedom to appeal to American pride. He also shares how a founding father welcomed anyone of any faith, as long as they were a patriot. He shares examples of religious extremists (violent Jihad), to show how important it is to band together and embrace religious freedom. His main point is to appeal to the unifying feeling of being an American.

            For Logos, much of what appealed to emotion and was used to increase his credibility, were also points of logic. Such as his reference to the founders and how they cherished religious freedom, and “in God [they] trust[ed]”, but still being an American was the most important part. His purpose is to convince others of how important the role of God was in the creation of this country, and that it should still be today.