Intention

Jimmy Carter’s intention with his “Crisis of Confidence” speech is to persuade Americans to do their part in the fight against the energy crisis. He also intends to inform Americans of his plans to tackle the energy crisis and to get them to support his ideas. 

Carter uses a mixture of logos and pathos to convince Americans of the need to take action. Carter also builds ethos for himself to convince the audience that he is competent and determined to keep his promises to the nation. He includes memorable tricolons and addresses the audience directly to impress on them the need to work to improve the current situation of the country. 

To achieve his second intention of sharing his plans to lessen the impact of the energy crisis, Carter uses a clear...