Comparison of the inaugural addresses by Bush and Obama

It's a tradition for the new American president to deliver an inaugural address on January 20th. And when we compare these addresses， we can easily define some similarities and differences in terms of structure and content. The following is the comparison of two inaugural addresses by Bush in 2005 and by Obama in 2008.

Stylistically， similar rhetorical devices， language styles， sentence structures and logical frames are all displayed in these two speeches.

First， various rhetorical devices are employed including parallel structure， metaphor， alliteration， antithesis， repetition， reiteration， synecdoch， assonance. For example，"defended by citizens， and sustained by the rule of the law and the protection of the minorities"（parallel structure in Bush's） "to seek and sopport"（alliteration） "the shipwreck of communist"（metaphor） "every mind and every soul"（synecdoche） "rising tide of prosperity and the still water of peace"（metaphor in Obama's） "Where the answer is yes， we intent to move forward. Where the answer is no， programs will end."（antithesis） "the most prosperous， powerful nation"（alliteraton） These rhetorical devices can add phonetic beauty， increase the language power， stress the speaker's purpose， reflect his emotions， and arouse the public's sympathy. what's more， the president's literary talents and language competence.

Second， there are also some similarities in language style. Most of the words are commonly-used and easy to understand. Their speeches are informal， simple， and filled with colloquialism. The two presidents are good at using phrase groups and short sentences to illustrate their meaning."the United States will ignore your oppression and， or excuse your oppressor. When you stand for your liberty， we will stand with you."（in Bush's） "Homes have been lost； jobs end； businesses shuttered."（in Obama's） By these simple sentences， we can easily sense the seriousness of the current conditions and the eagerness to take actions. This style is suitable for public speeches because of the different language and education background of the public who are from home and broad.

Not only are the speech structures similar， so is the content. The themes such as freedom， liberty， equality， cooperation within the allies， assistance with the poor nations and the concerted efforts to confront the tyranny are all mentioned in the two."there is only one force...and expose the pretensions of the tyrants... and that is the force of human frredom" "and all the allies of the United States can know...the concerted efforts...is a prelude to our enemies' defeat"（in Bush's） Such meanings are also conveyed in Obama's address.

Besides， Bush and Obama both have a clear organization. They speak to their own people， to the poor nations， to the allies and to the enemies respectively. They praise their own people's values-"hard work and honesty， courage and fair play， tolerance and curiosity， loyalty and patriotism"（in Obama's）"the exercise of rights is ennobled by service， and mercy， and a heart for the weak"（in Bush's） They work alongside the poor countries to liberate their people and develop their economy. They honored the friendship with all the allies and express the resolution to defeat the tyrants. Despite the various words and sentences， following this order， we can get a clue what he says about.

And then， "fathers" and "ancestors" and "God" are the words both mentioned. This shows the American respect for those who foundered the country， the American's belief in God and their continuance of pursuing freedom， equality and human rights. By quoting this， every American citizen is bound together by the cultural integrity and history.

The inaugural addresses bear some resemblance， but there are still some differences and unique points in each speech， such as the world background， the stressed parts and the current issues.

When Obama delivered his speech， the United States were facing the economic crisis， global warming， nuclear expansion and terrorist attacks. So he attaches great importance to how the government responses and how the nations around the world should work together to tackle the global problems. While， when Bush made his speech， the America was involved in the Iraq War. So he paid much attention to the military and soldiers and the terrorism. From paragraph 3 to 13， he talked about the reason to defeat the tyranny. From 14-18 and 19-22， Bush uses two similar patterns to call on the people across the worlds and within America how to behave in front of the tyranny. Such details about military can not be seen in Obama's speech.

In conclusion， despite of the diversity in structure and content， the inaugural addresses by Obama and Bush both contribute to the same purpose-making a country"of the people， by the people and for the people" survival and stronger.