Rhetorical analysis of President Akufo-Addo’s 2017 and 2021 inaugural and State of the nation addresses

Abstract

This study analyses and discusses the discourse features of the political discourse of His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Adddo’s 2017 and 2021 Inaugural and State of the Nation Addresses. The study sought to identify and examine how he used persuasive appeals conceptualized by Aristotle to achieve his intended purpose as a politician and president of the republic of Ghana. The study also examines how power and ideologies were employed by His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Adddo in his 2017 and 2021 discourse of the State of the Nation Addresses (SONA) and Inaugural Addresses to achieve an intended effect. Using Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis and Aristotle’s rhetoric theory as theoretical frameworks, the study discovered that, His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Adddo consciously made use of Ethos, Logos and Pathos to persuade Ghanaians to create an intended effect among them and also instigate their thoughts to act along to achieve the anticipated development of the country within a time frame. It was also revealed that, power was exhibited in the speeches to build confidence among Ghanaians by giving them the needed assurance of support, providing good sense of direction and duty to work which are critical in the development agenda of the country. The study established that language is a fundamental tool in a communication process was used to engage Ghanaians in a socio-political discourse. The study therefore affirmed the statement that language has an ideological dimension which is not explicitly stated but implied. The study recommends that Ethos, Logos and Pathos be used in socio-political discourse due to their persuasive nature and the lasting effects such appeals create among the audience. Critical attention should be given to the use of language and power in political discourse.