Ann Romney & Michelle Obama - Speech Response

Both Ann Romney and Michelle Obama gave speeches that can be deemed as "powerful".  Ann Romney gave the impression that she is listening to America when she said, "I have heard your voices" which may appeal to the audience that feels as if they are not being heard.  Michelle Obama, on the other hand, appealed to the audience that are struggling or have struggling families due to her claim that she grew up with a family who was low on money and were not materialistic.  Both Obama and Romney both gave speeches that did not attack other politicians or political races, which made it much more bearable to watch without being biased or hateful towards their biased statements.  Romney and Obama did not make any appeal to logos, which made it slightly less convincing than it could have been; but too much logos would make it seem to be robotic.  They used a high amount of pathos by stating past struggles, love stories, or national disasters and sympathy for the victims.  For example, Ann Romney brought a recent earthquake to light and mentioned her sympathy for the tragic event.  As for Michelle Obama, she mentioned her father with multiple sclerosis who struggled, but still hardly missed work; just to support his family.  They are both powerful uses of pathos that can definitely "touch the hearts" of viewers.  Something else they did similarly, was the portrayal of how they met with their husbands, who are both presidential candidates, and how the experience has not changed them as individuals.  They also mentioned how their husbands were hard working, family-oriented, caring individuals who built their success.  Romney's statement, "You'll hear women sighing more than men", is a statement that may appeal to a female audience; due to it's qualities of being more representative towards the female race and their 'hard working' qualities of raising children, being sisters, etc.  Stating their struggles as examples also appeal to ethos, due to the credibility of them dealing with situations that an 'average' American deals with today.  With me being an independent voter, my views did not alter my perception of their message.  I listened with an open mind and took note of both their faults and enlightening statements.  The speeches had the potential to be much more convincing, but their approaches were still portrayed well.