Ethos

"This is the 37th time I have spoken to you from this office, where so many decisions have been made that shape the history of this nation."

In this first paragraph, Nixon establishes credibility because of his automatic ethos as president, and by acknowledging the amount of times he has addressed the public. By establishing this, it shows he is qualified to address the nation.

But in turning over direction of the Government to Vice President Ford I know, as I told the nation when I nominated him for that office ten months ago, that the leadership of America would be in good hands.

In this paragraph, Nixon is taking credibility for appointing Ford as his Vice President, who is now becoming the nation's leader. By mentioning this, Nixon hopes that his reputation and image in the future will be less tainted because of Ford's work.

I have fought for what I believe in. I have tried, to the best of my ability, to discharge those duties and meet those responsibilities that were entrusted to me. Sometimes I have succeeded. And sometimes I have failed.

Here, Nixon appeals to ethos by stating how he carried out his duties to the best of his abilities while serving as President. This strengthens his character because he's showing the public that he genuinely tried, despite their recent opinions.

Pathos

"But the interests of the nation must always come before any personal considerations."

This shows Nixon puts his personal needs aside to better fulfill the needs of the public, appealing to their emotions. This allows the people to overlook the past actions of their leader and feel valued.

"To put the bitterness and divisions of the recent past behind us and to rediscover those shared ideals that lie at the heart of our strength and unity as a great and as a free people."

Nixon compliments the nation on being strong and unified. He encourages them to stay that way, even through the recent Watergate scandals. This appeals to pathos because he is admiring the core values of the American culture.

"To those who have stood with me during these past difficult months, to my family, my friends, the many others who joined in supporting my cause because they believed it was right, I will be eternally grateful for your support. And to those who have not felt able to give me your support, let me say I leave with no bitterness toward those who have opposed me, because all of us in the final analysis have been concerned with the good of the country, however our judgments might differ."

Nixon thanks all of his supporters for believing in him, and all of his opposers for challenging him to be a better President. This quote can appeal to everyone in the country, because everyone can feel involved in the decisions made concerning the nation.

"...I am confident that the world is a safer place today, not only for the people of America but for the people of all nations, and that all of our children have a better chance than before of living in peace rather than dying in war."

This appeals to pathos because Nixon's talking about the youth that will be the future of America. By saying this generation will be will be more at peace than others, he is providing the nation security.

Logos

He did not appeal to logos throughout his speech. He felt his audience would respond more to emotional reason than logical and numerical reason.

Syntax

As long as there was such a base, I felt strongly that it was necessary to see the constitutional process through to its conclusion; that to do otherwise would be unfaithful to the spirit of that deliberately difficult process, and a dangerously destabilizing precedent for the future....And there is no longer a need for the process to be prolonged.

Nixon uses long and winding sentences to distract from the severity of his mistakes. He then uses short sentences to draw focus to what he wants the audience to hear and remember, such as him saying he no longer wants the bad press.

"I have fought for what I believe in."

By using a short sentence structure, he clearly gets his point across and makes it easier for his audience to understand exactly what he wants them to know.

soaps framework

Subject

Nixon and the American people.

Occasion

The actual act of Nixon resigning as president.

Audience

He's speaking directly to the people of the United States, and indirectly to the whole world.

Purpose

To inform the people of his official resignation, try to improve his reputation and highlight the positive aspects of his presidency.

Speaker

President Richard Nixon.