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Ignacio Zamora
Professor Collins
ENGL 1302
25 February 2016
A Treasurers Plea
On July 19 1988, Texas Treasure Ann Richards addressed a hopeful crowd at the
Democratic National Convention. Richardss purpose was to appeal to the citizenry that America
will be in better hands in a Democratic Administration. Pathos, ethos, and fallacies in Ann
Richards speech at the Democratic National Convention utilizes the idea that the American
people will thrive if a Democratic candidate is elected president.
To reach out and connect to a deciding American public, Richards heavily applied pathos.
Throughout her opening paragraphs she gave heart moving personal stories about her
upbringing. She reveals how she would listen intently to Franklin Roosevelts Fire Side Chats
on the radio during the Great Depression. The depression was where she learned what it meant to
be a caring neighbor, and saw the real problems her community faced. She similarly reminisced
about hearing grownups down stairs playing dominoes and telling jokes she was not supposed to
hear. Her parents would also talk politics and decide what was best for the country (par. 8).
Richards makes the audience feel an air of empathy around her nostalgic memories. She predicts
the vast majority of the viewers have experienced at least a few of the same memories she
describes, thus producing a cheerful response. As a result of sharing these relatable childhood
stories, she hopes the voting population will connect with her on a personal level, and listen more
attentively to the rest of the speech. To further move her audience, she gives an aside in the form
of a letter from a young mother in Laredo, Texas. The letter explains how the mother is worried

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about paying car insurance and affording clothes for her growing children. The mother is also
concerned about paying for such things as college, braces, and tennis shoes. The letter concludes
by the young mother elaborating on how she is only one of the many Americans going through
these hardships (par. 11). The personal message served the purpose of eliciting a compassionate
response from the audience. Richards expects the audience will associate the mothers struggles
with the Republican Administration, and deduce that by electing a Democrat, the adversities of
the young mother and others like her will subside. To further engrain emotion in her address,
Richards brings to light her status as a grandmother. She explains that when she holds her
grandbaby, she feels the history that ropes them together. She stresses the love filled bond they
share just like many other American families. Richards also learns that by caring for her
granddaughter, that family ties are crucial for development as populations learns to cooperate for
the common good (par. 34). She expects this insight to strike a chord with the parents listening,
and elicit paternal instincts to protect their childrens future. In using these emotional techniques,
Richards is optimistic the populace will infer that electing a Democrat will secure their childrens
futures.
Ann Richards strategically places ethos in various parts of the speech to display the
superior Democratic nature. She begins her criticism by unleashing a volley of heavy-handed
accusation on Republican character. Richards charges them of opposing clean air and water
legislation, and coming down hard on American farmers. Furthermore, she goes on to stress how
the Republicans coddle business excessively instead of prioritizing the citizen, and how the
current leaders criticize you of being against free enterprise (par. 13, 14). By leveling these
grievances, Richards anticipates the Republican ethos will be damaged because the audience will
be wary of their reliability to have the peoples best interest at heart. Her end goal is to persuade

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the people of America that the Republican Party cannot be trusted. To contrast from Republican
values, she goes on to elaborate on the strong Democratic moral character. In paragraph nineteen
and twenty Richard asserts that no matter what background one comes from, he or she will be
able to prosper in a Democratic America. She also champions the importance of small business
owners for the economy, and advocates that one shouldnt go bankrupt just because one contracts
a terrible illness. These phrases are used to paint the party as a symbol of ethics. Moreover, by
framing the party in such an integral light, she is self-assured the audience will be more inclined
to trust the Democratic primary candidates that will be introduced further in the speech. Also, in
an effort to highlight her own ethos, Richards associates herself with Democratic Party victories
in regards to civil rights. An example of this is found in the line, I think of all the political fights
Ive fought, and all the compromises Ive had to accept as part payment. She further remarks if
her granddaughter will ever know of a time where everyone was not treated equally. Richards
also wonders where the discriminated against would be today if her party had not fought so
vigorously for their rights (par. 35, 36). The audience will judge her ethos with high marks
simply because she was part of the civil rights enlightenment process. She will be seen as a
politician than can be trusted to stand up for what is right. Additionally, by bringing up the
Democratic civil rights advocacy record, the Republican Party in contrast looks as if they could
care less about the equal rights of fellow man, further tarnishing their credibility. Richards hopes
that by comparing the two partys beliefs, the public will come to the conclusion that America
will fare far better under a Democratic candidate that is trustworthy.
The Texan Treasurer, in an attempt to further inflame the population, scatters fallacies
throughout her speech. The most common fallacy implemented was equivocation. Richards
asserts this in the lines, We want answers and their answer is that something is wrong with

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you. From the perspective of the audience, without getting the full truth or context, the
Republicans sound amoral and vile. Richards also introduces the Either or method to give
Americans a clear choice. The first choice is Democrat Jesse Jackson. According to Richards, he
is a loving and caring leader. A leader that that can tackle todays pressing issues. On the other
hand she presents the Republican choice. A choice that is incompetent and deaf to the concerns
of the American people (par. 21, 22). The obvious option to anyone listening is Jesse Jackson.
These fallacies, coupled with her appeals, are expected to shift the publics backing in favor of
the Democrats.
Richards aggressively went after the current administration with her robust use of
rhetoric. Using pathos masterfully to draw emotion from the listeners. Gaining ethos to back up
the Democratic leaderships credibility. Finally applying fallacies to glue the two appeals
together, as a result, fortify them. Richards was overall successful in getting her message across.
She is confident the American public will have a clear picture of who to support in November.

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Works Cited
Richards, Ann. 1988 Democratic National Convention Keynote Address
AmericanRhetoric. AmericanRhetoric, n.d. Web. 8 Feb 2016.