Legally Blonde 2 Closing Speech

Okay, so I chose to do a less formal speech for my posting this week. I chose to look at the closing speech by Elle Woods from Legally Blonde 2 similar to the speech from the first Legally Blonde that was already dicussed. I chose this speech because it was serious, yet fun; easy to follow but with a deep meaning. The point of the speech if you have seen it is that Americans must speak up in our political process and get involved in said process because you cannot change things unless you "speak up."
In terms of rhetoric, Elle used pathos for an emotional appeal. When I first saw this movie, I did not understand where her character was going with a story about a haircut. This claim continued until Elle Woods mentioned that she "forgot to use her voice." The fact that she used an emotional claim to stress her point is a great everyday example of pathos. Also, I think that Elle Woods uses effective ethos in her speech to Congress because she is using her creditability and experience as she speaks about her hair cut to reinforce her thoughts about the political system. While this speech is fun and lighthearted, Elle lays a foundation by telling a story about a bad haircut that she once had when she forgot to use her voice. This can also be categorized as using epideictic rhetoric because she is praising the members of Congress that speak for their voters, blaming members that compromise their voice, and telling what she personally learned and accomplished while she was in Washington, DC.
Although this was a lighthearted speech from a popular movie, it stressed to me to remember the people that I represent and that I speak for and for me to not lose my voice for the things that are important. In terms of rhetoric, I believe that Elle Woods in Legally Blonde 2 uses several techniques and types of rhetoric to get her message out to the elected leaders of America.