Complete Analysis of Kamala Harris's Speech

Analysis of Kamala Harris's speech at the Democratic Party Convention in Chicago on August 22, 2024

Kamala Harris's speech at the Democratic Party Convention in Chicago on August 22, 2024, was the first official speech by the party's presidential candidate. This address drew special attention as it marked the beginning of Kamala Harris's presidential campaign. The speech was designed to demonstrate her leadership qualities, convictions, and readiness to fight for America's future.

Form of the speech

Kamala Harris has extensive experience in public speaking, developed during her work as California's Attorney General, Senator, and Vice President of the United States. Each of these positions required a high level of public mastery, which allowed Harris to perfect her public speaking skills over the past 24 years.

The main factor determining the excellence of her form is confidence, which manifests in her voice and body language. Kamala Harris knows how to hold the audience's attention, emphasize key words, maintain pauses between thoughts, control voice tone, and manage body language. These qualities allow her to create strong emotional contact with the audience.

However, one cannot overlook certain shortcomings in the form of her speech. Specifically, the periodic use of pointing (aggressive) gestures and closed poses. The entrenchment of this gesticulation in her technique may be related to her belonging to a community of color and professional affiliation with law enforcement agencies. Both of these circumstances can shape behavior oriented toward defense and aggression. Similar shortcomings in speech forms were also present in politicians like Barack Obama and Donald Trump, indicating broader use of these gestures in public speeches.

Kamala Harris's clothing choice also deserves attention. She chose a restrained, official image – a jacket and pants. Such clothing choice adds masculinity and removes emphasis on femininity, which is traditionally perceived as weakness in public politics. The color scheme of her clothing – blue, which corresponds to the color of the Democratic Party USA. The smile and sincerity with which Harris delivers speeches testify to her charm and charisma, which are mandatory attributes for a public figure.

Content of the speech

Kamala Harris's speech was built according to classical rhetorical rules: initial emphasis on thanks, personal stories, goal formulation, and leading to the final part.

Opening part

Kamala Harris began her speech by expressing gratitude to her husband. This was a deliberate step intended to emphasize devotion to family (Christian) values, which are important to a significant part of the American electorate. She then expressed gratitude to President Joe Biden, which emphasized her personal gratitude and simultaneously strengthened her position among Democratic Party members through connection with Biden. The use of such rhetorical devices as gratitude, aimed at creating a positive emotional background, is typical of political rhetoric.

After expressions of gratitude, Kamala Harris addressed her vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, calling him "coach." This enhances empathy toward him and makes his image closer to the audience.

Main part

The main part of the speech consists of three major blocks: personal stories, proclamation of goals, and criticism of Donald Trump.

The first block is devoted to storytelling – a rhetorical device widely used today in marketing and show business. Storytelling allows establishing an emotional connection with the audience, evoking sympathy and trust. Kamala Harris told about her Black mother who spoke with an accent and had a dream of treating cancer patients, about her childhood in a poor family, about participating in equal rights marches as a child. The second story concerned her friend who suffered from violence by her stepfather, whom Harris protected.

These stories served as the foundation for proclaiming her goal to become a prosecutor and protect people on behalf of society. She emphasized that "a crime against one person is a crime against all people." This moment was the culmination of the first part of her speech and logically led to the official proclamation of accepting the nomination as presidential candidate from the Democratic Party.

The second block concerned her goals and tasks as future president. Harris focused attention on protecting society from "evil," referring to Donald Trump's offenses. This tactic added a new slogan "Fight," which her supporters held on signs. This emphasized the strength and energy of her position, which Biden and the Democratic Party were sometimes perceived to lack.

The main messages of this block can be summarized as follows:

1. Protection of rule of law – this is her mission
2. Protection of justice – the main task of her future presidency
3. Criticism of Trump for appointing Supreme Court justices and seeking to usurp power
4. Condemnation of Trump's attempts to return the country to the past – "we won't go back"
5. Building the middle class through the concept of "opportunity economy," in contrast to Trump's economic policy
6. Protection of women's abortion rights – "We trust women"
7. Protection of minority rights, right to clean water, clean air, freedom of elections and safety in schools and cultural venues
8. Implementation of border security bill, which Trump blocked for his own election campaign
9. Support for international security – Harris promises to support Ukraine, promote ceasefire in Israel, protect Israel's right to security and the Palestinian people's right to self-determination
10. US priority in the 21st century – strengthening US global leadership in artificial intelligence and space
11. Countering autocracy – Harris condemns Trump's autocratic tendencies, emphasizing her determination to defend democracy

Conclusion

The final part of the speech is devoted to the future and uniting the nation for this future. She calls on Americans to unite and show the world who they are:

"America, let's show each other and the world who we are. And what we stand for. Freedom, opportunity, compassion, dignity, honesty, and endless possibilities. We, heirs of the greatest democracy in world history. On behalf of our children and our grandchildren, and all those who sacrificed so dearly for our freedom, we must be worthy of this moment."

Conclusion

Kamala Harris's speech at the Democratic Party Convention became a striking example of modern political leader rhetoric, combining elements of classical rhetoric, modern storytelling, and political messaging. She demonstrated not only Harris's readiness for the presidential campaign but also her ability to create emotional connection with the audience, effectively communicate her ideas and convictions. Despite certain shortcomings in speech form, her address is marked by high rhetorical mastery and ability to achieve set goals – creating the image of a strong, self-confident leader ready to defend the interests of the American people.

Mykola Ovcharov