Barack Obama and world peace, a rhetorical inquiry

Abstract

The thesis, entitled Barack Obama and World Peace: A Rhetorical Inquiry, is a qualitative research paper that appraises President Obama's commitment to global peace, through a thematic analysis of a cross section of his speeches. Against the background of Mr. Obama's receipt of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, the thesis evaluates in five chapters Mr. Obama's merit as an icon of global peace by seeking a possible rhetorical vision of peace emerging from a cross section of his speeches, and consequently establishing a possible justification for his receipt of the Nobel Prize, using the Fantasy-theme method of rhetorical criticism. The thesis concludes that there is a rhetorical vision of peace emerging from a cross section of President Obama's speeches, and that he may consequently be called an icon of global peace, deserving of having won the Nobel Prize.