The rhetorical appeals in the speech are conveyed by the several key factors. First, from the very beginning, Boris Johnson realized that he addressed the audience of the ‘Leave’ voters. He started with the arguments compelling to the those, whose voice in the Brexit campaign was still floating. By using the credibility of the author and his charisma, Boris Johnson clearly sounded convincing to his audience. His emotions conveyed the illusion of the future he desired for the UK after Brexit would occur (Pathos).
The canons of the rhetoric of the speech were conveyed by some effective tools, too. ‘We can see the sunlit meadows beyond.’ (Johnson, 2017) Boris Johnson used a lot of metaphors to convey the meaning of his appeal to the audience. By doing so, he certainly shaped the discourse that the Leave campaign would benefit the audiences of those whose choices were undecided. The delivery of the speech was presented in the very structured manner where each individual was touched and reached out to in some or another way. Combined with the charisma of a lecturer, the speech was very structured per se.
The logical fallacies in the speech were represented by manipulative facts about the campaign. Boris Johnson appealed to the audience that could be easily misled by the arguments applied. In addition to that, Boris Johnson applies his personal vision on the future of the UK aad imposed his vision on those who still had credibility in him as a politician. By applying such logic, he wished to convey an opinion that ‘Leave’ would be the only option for the UK that would bring it to the brighter future. Besides, he did not present any arguments for the remaining campaign and thereby caused even greater confusion. Hence, the speech contained a lot of indirect fallacies.
- Boris Johnson: The liberal cosmopolitan case to Vote Leave. (2017). Vote Leave. Retrieved 23 March 2017, from http://www.voteleavetakecontrol.org/boris_johnson_the_liberal_cosmopolitan_case_to_vote_leave.html
- Johnson, B. (2004). Lend me your ears (1st ed.). London: HarperPerennial.
- Johnson, B., & Mount, H. The wit and wisdom of Boris Johnson (1st ed.).
