MIchelle Obama's DNC Speech

In her address to the Democratic National Convention, Michelle Obama declared that she “loved this country” but her speech settled primarily around the thing she found most important in life, family. She addressed the rambunctious onlookers by declaring first that she was there as a mother, daughter, sister, and wife. She shared her family values and her goals for her family, and also the reasons of why her husband Barack was running for president. She spoke with elegance and charisma, but never really riled up the crowd, nor did she have to.
In Michelle Obamas address, it is easy to point out the four rhetorical tenets in the speech.
1.) Advisory:
Michelle Obama shared her worldview and her values to all of America in this speech. First, she used the address to silence the rumors that she lacked patriotism by softening her voice and repeating her patriotism over and over again throughout the speech. She proclaimed her values growing up and why she still has them today. Values such as, “you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say you’re going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don’t know them, and even if you don’t agree with them.” Not only were she and her husband’s values mentioned, but she also wanted to make sure that the working class would be taken care of because she grew up just like everyone in the audience.
2.) Addressed:
Michelle Obama knew she would be addressing the American people in this speech and did a wonderful job at speaking to them as a citizen. She compared herself to all mothers and of herself growing up to the everyday working man. The expectations of the audience was to hear a real woman who was a mother and who was a worker and who believed in her husband full heartily.
3.) Situational:
Obama addressed the needs of the present by not excluding any person who was under scrutiny. She addressed the military families, young people, and politicians like Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden. She relayed back to the audience that she and her husband shared the same belief that “the world as it is just won’t do – that we have an obligation to fight for the world as it should be.”
4.) Stylized
Her performance seemed effortless. I didn’t think she wanted to be overly energetic or rile up the audience. She wanted to speak gracefully and when needed, raise her arms up in triumph. I think there was a high level of poise in the way she addressed the crowd who were all holding “Michelle” signs.

Michelle Obama really achieved her goal in this speech. She went out there ready to announce that she loved America and that her husband was the best person for the role of president. She cleared up Barack Obama’s unusual name and referred to him as an everyday American just as she is. She praised the youth, military, and other politicians for their hard work, but also noted that the world needed to be fixed. The audience was enthusiastic toward her and I think, got exactly what they wanted.