| Abstract [eng] |
The provided research explores the initial role and usage of emotional appeal in presidential rhetoric to seek support in the international arena during wartime. The research is done by case studying the rhetoric of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the unprecedented Russian full-scale military invasion of Ukraine in 2022. We seek to find how using positive, negative, and distinct sentiments in presidential speeches can convey impactful messages to international audiences in today’s modern media environment. The research is done firstly by employing sentiment analysis to detect the presence of distinct emotions toward various audiences in Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s speeches during February-April 2022. The content analysis is followed up by determining the rhetorical techniques and devices used for emotional arousal. We found that the Ukrainian President’s rhetoric overall had more positive sentiments than negative ones. Upon closer content inspections, we observed that different emotional appeals were used towards each specific audience individually, both domestic and international. Positive sentiments and appeals to trust were used to foster the narratives on unification, partnership, and political confidence. Negative emotions as a natural cognitive reaction towards war were addressed towards the aggressor state and international political actors. Towards the latter, the negativity was done to criticize the political uncertainty and shame for maintaining diplomatic and trading relations with the invading state and boost the decision-making process of supporting Ukraine. As such, we conclude that emotions in political communication act as cognitive reactions toward major political events. They can be used for persuasion in a time of crisis not only to seek political support from other states but also to persuade international actors to block the geopolitical powers of the aggressor state. We conclude that future research should be carried out by extending the analyzed period, including the local language and the initially delivered format. Sentiment analysis should be carried out with a detailed qualitative analysis of the given content. |
