On November 4, 2008, President Barrack Obama delivered The Election Night Victory Speech at Grant Park, Illinois. During this keynote acceptance speech, he emphasized that the American dream was not on its deathbed because “change has come to America.” His passionate speech, employing rhetoric that soars and excites, instigated the people of America to restore their confidence in the nation and strive to fulfill their personal dreams and yet still form part of the larger American family. My evaluation of this acceptance speech will concentrate on the way Obama employed the approaches of narration, intonation, verbalization, silence, and telling of stories to draw the attention of the thousands of his audience who were enthusiastically listening to this historic speech. Obama employed different rhetorical strategies to deliver the speech and it was effective in giving the audience hope concerning the future. “If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still … tonight is your answer”(Obama, para.1). With those words, Obama started his keynote delivery with a clear message of hope to the people of America. Maintaining a direct eye contact with his audience, Obama was loud enough to be heard, but soft enough so that the poetic words could sink deep into the minds of his listeners. Obama’s use of the power word, America, rouses the attention of the audience since invoking the word demands absolute obedience (Balshaw, 18). In addition, the opening allusion to the American dream echoes the words of great speakers in American history, such as Martin Luther King. His use of “who still” three times in the opening sentence is a triple that serves the purpose of grabbing the attention of his listeners. The first paragraph also anchors across time. He refers to the past, “our founders,” as well as the general present, “our time.” More so, the use of “tonight” refers to the immediate present, which is a recurring theme that brings the past to the individuals listening to the address. The concluding word in this paragraph, “answer,” is the start of the next triple and gives an indication of the resolution of the tension. “It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor… (Obama, para.2). The use of “answer” again here indicates that he is ready to solve the problems that have been affecting the U.S. in the new century and echoes the theme of change (Brill, 38). Subsequently, Obama uses “answer” again in the next two paragraphs so as to drive the point home that momentous change has arrived in America. In the third paragraph, he recognized that America is a diverse country having people from different backgrounds by saying “It’s the answer spoken … Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America”(para. 3). In order to achieve a warm reception, Obama cleverly used the second person in addressing his audience, “It belongs to you…it cannot happen without you…your victory… it’s your job too,” He used this technique to illustrate the significance of the people of America in helping him bring the change in the country. He intended his audience t