Question

Read the excerpt from President Jimmy Carter’s speech “Energy and the National Goals—A Crisis of Confidence.”

Answer 1

The words President Carter uses in this excerpt contribute to the power of his speech in the following way:

B. President Carter addresses the American nation with a great sense of urgency, and by doing so, he commands and demands the audience's attention.

When he mentions the threat to American democracy, he is transmitting a sense of emergency and he is urging the audience to listen. Moreover, he is directly addressing the American nation by stating I want to speak to you...

Answer 2

Answer:

A. President Carter appeals to his audience’s emotions, and by doing so, he informs them that he is there to listen and to lead them into a new age of democracy.

B. President Carter addresses the American nation with a great sense of urgency, and by doing so, he commands and demands the audience’s attention.

Explanation:

A- President Carter says he has been listening to the people  and this has reminded him that  democracy has to get stronger. The U.S underwent many problems: three assassinations in 1960s and the defeat at the Vietnam War. An oil crisis is underway at the moment of this speech. "....to talk to you right now about a fundamental threat to American democracy." This quotation reflects the President's intention to inform his nation about  the need to take a new path towards democracy.

B- President Carter's sense of urgency is given by the recurrent usage of: " I want to speak to you ..." ; and "I want to talk to you right .." These also show that he is asking for the audience's attention.