...A More Perfect Union Barack Obama’s speech, “A More Perfect Union” (2008), explains that all people should come together as a whole rather than focusing on small things like race, religious views, and gender. He backs this claim up by stating that if everyone were to come together, we can all move past some of the old racial words that have been shouted and occurred in the past and become a stronger union. Obama’s purpose is to use the concept of “a more perfect union” as the prime focus for the American people and to not choose to ignore the conflicts of racism that is still occurring. The main audience that Obama is addressing his speech to are the American people. One of the main points that Obama talks about is race. He conveys...
Words: 255 - Pages: 2
...In Barack Obama’s speech, “A More Perfect Union,” we see the true message behind his speech. His ideal for this country and its success is based on a unity within the people. No matter what race, gender, or religious background people have, we all must come together to unite our once promised union and move forward. The goal that Barack Obama intends to resolve is the coming together of all people to see the problem as a whole, rather than focus on the small judgmental flaws of the individual. A big factor in Obama’s speech is race. He speaks of the people having much focus on race and diversity within the union, that people are missing the big picture. Obama believes that the people must attack this problem now, instead of setting it aside for a future outbreak of the situation. Racial conflicts are still a big factor in America. The past issue of segregation and slavery has caused people to lose focus of problems that will have an effect on the union as a whole. Barack Obama believes that people of all races can overlook the past racial differences and further the unity of a more perfect union. Caucasian and African Americans will see that discrimination is in the past. Americans will help provide future generations with opportunity, and will come together to benefit all of America as a perfect union. I agree with the vision and message of the Obama speech, “A more Perfect Union.” I agree with the fact that people today in America are still held back with...
Words: 371 - Pages: 2
.... ‘A More Perfect Union’ is a speech that was delivered by the then US Senator for Chicago, Barack Hussein Obama, in response to criticism and condemnation that was hurled at him due to his association with Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Reverend Wright had come under attack from many corners of American society due to what people termed as ‘anti-American’ sentiments that Reverend Wright shared with his congregants, the most prominent of them being Senator Obama. (Obama, B. 2008) Obama’s speech will give insight on rhetorical appeal, pattern of development, context, and intended audience to educate it’s reader.. Senator Obama, who was then running for presidential nomination by the Democratic Party, was accused of tolerating anti-American sentiments. People, politicians and academics wondered how he could put up with such sentiments yet he hoped to lead a society as diverse ethnically and racially as America. This speech, ‘A More Perfect Union’, was Senator Obama’s response to these accusations. The speech has been hailed by many people as being the one that won him not only the Democratic Party nomination but also the U.S Presidency. For instance, the speech played a role in prompting New Mexico governor Bill Richardson to back Mr. Obama for the Democratic nomination. Governor Richardson was courted by both Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton as he was America’s only Latino governor and as such, whoever he supported may have won most of the Latino votes. Many people, including rivals...
Words: 1379 - Pages: 6
...Analysis President, Barack Hussein Obama is a great speaker and knows how to defend his case. He is capable of capturing an audience and make them listen to what he has to say. he has become such an important man for many Americans, but how come his speeches are so great? What is it that makes people listen to him and believe everything he says? It is a known fact that Barack Obama can capture his voters with great speeches. To know what it really is that make him such a great spokesperson we will be analyzing one of his speeches. In this case, I’m going to analyze a speech by him, called “A More Perfect Union” that he held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in March, 2008, where the US Constitution also was written in 1787[1] “A More Perfect Union” is a speech by Barack Obama where we see the true message that he wants to bring us. He shares his ideas to help American’s to succeed based on a unity within the people. His ideals go beyond people’s gender, religious beliefs, race, color or sexual orientation, as long as people can come together we will be able to accomplish a lot and keep moving forward. A big part of the speech is about race. What Obama tries to say is that people are missing the big picture and that people have too much focus on race and diversity that if they do not start to change that then it will have big consequences in the future, like going back in time where slavery was normal. Barack Obama’s speech echoes the rhetorical concepts of...
Words: 581 - Pages: 3
...A More Perfect Union By Caroline Jensen We all know that Mr President, Sir Barack Hussein Obama is a great speaker and knows how to defend his case. We all know that he’s capable of capturing an audience and make them listen to what he has to say. We all know this and we all think this is why he has become such an important man in the American lives, but how come his speeches are so great? What is it that makes people listen to him and believe everything he says? It is a known fact that Barack Obama can capture his voters with amazing speeches that makes more sense than math does once it gets explained. To know what it really is that make him such a great spokesperson for America, we must analyse one of his speeches. In this case, I’m going to analyse a speech by him, called “A More Perfect Union” that he held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in March, 2008, where the US Constitution also was written in 1787[1] “A More Perfect Union” is a speech by Barack Obama where we see the true message that he wants to bring out. He tells about his deal for America and its success that is based on a unity within the people of America. For him, it does not matter what gender, religious background or race that you have, as long as people come together to unite in their, once, promised union and keep moving forward. A big part of the speech is about race. What Obama tries to say is that people are missing the big picture and that people have too much focus on race and diversity that...
Words: 621 - Pages: 3
...Obama speech The speech, ”A more Perfect union” is spoken by Barack Obama, the president of the united states. He states in his speech that he didn’t win the election because he is black and potential could be the first black president, but because of his hard work and political statements. His main point in the speech is to illuminate the racial issues due to making a more perfect union. Obama states that in order to make a perfect functioning country everybody, no matter age, race and religion needs to incorporate together in order to make it work optimally. He consumes that America can’t make a perfect union if everybody aren’t willing to work. “And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American.” These quotes support the importance of Obama’s statements and shows that everyone in America needs to be together in order to make a perfect union. Obama also claims that racism has been and still is a huge problem – and with active racism in America it hampers the target, which is America to be function as a perfect union. “It's a racial stalemate we've been stuck in for years. And contrary to the claims of some of my critics, black and white, I have never been so naive as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle or with a single candidate”. In order to make America a perfect...
Words: 331 - Pages: 2
...presidential candidate offers incentives and ideas, concepts for laws, and notions for how we will solve the current challenges of the nation, but more importantly, how we will solve them together. Jeremiah Wright, a previous pastor, commented on Barack Obama, calling him racist. This was in 2008. To prove to the American people that, he is a candidate that stands for all, he delivered a speech called “A More Perfect Union”. The immediate purpose of this speech was to prove that Wright's’ comments are invalid, but it effectively delivered so much more. In “A More Perfect Union”, candidate Obama proves his understanding and support of all American cultures and values. During the speech, Barack Obama refers to the Constitution, mentioning the changes...
Words: 1243 - Pages: 5
...Despite the employment of writers Barack Obama wrote this speech himself. In the speech “A more Perfect Union” Barack Obama wants to locate the truth in his own up comings and also in the audience. He discusses the race in America in a logical manner but is also very sinecure at the same time. He needs to clear the air with the American people. With previous information involving the church that Barack Obama attends there was an issue with his pastor Rev. Wright. The comments made by him did not go well with others and these statements reflected back on Obama in a negative way. His pastor made comments about race and discrimination some even said he is a racist. In the speech he is connecting the past with our present time. Presidential candidate Barack Obama came across a problem that some may say he would not be fit for precedence because of this situation. He wanted to clear the air up with the American people. He first established this with the use of irony to the constitution. This is effective because we have a black man running for president. In our constitution they state that they wanted to be free from England, but once they came to America there were people who purchased other people. In the constitution...
Words: 814 - Pages: 4
...and of course being happy. These dreams have been a subject many times, and also around famous people, where it has been discussed and the values have been thought through. Senator, Barack Obama delivered a speech in 2008 where he ”addressed the subjects of racial tensions, white privilege, and race and inequality in the United States, discussing black "anger," white "resentment," and other issues as he sought to explain and contextualize Wright's controversial comments.” The speech was viewed more than 1.2 million times on youtube, and described as "arguably the biggest political event of the campaign so far" by the Pew Research Center. Obama starts with telling how everything started, how democracy was build and who made it possible. People were brought together and promised that citizens should be equal. “A Constitution that promised its people liberty, and justice, and a union that could be and should be perfected over time” are one of the great lines from the speech, where Obama tells us what the union was and should be build as. Obama chooses to end his touching speech with this sentence: “I chose to run for the presidency at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together – unless we perfect our union by...
Words: 673 - Pages: 3
...been through seemingly insurmountable difficulties, but we have always managed to come out on top, learn from our mistakes, and advance ourselves toward the greater good of all. Since its founding, America has grown as a whole. We have fought to eliminate injustices while promoting integrity, courage and greatness. The right of freedom of speech granted to us by our founding fathers ensures that if there are injustices being committed that the American people will find out about them and we will be courageous enough to stand up and face the oppressors. We are a country that fights for what we believe in. The belief in the American Dream has always been the vision of this country. A belief that everyone is created equal. Regardless of race, religion, gender, or social status, every man and woman should have access to the same education and opportunities for advancement. Every citizen of this country should be granted the same freedoms. We have always been a melting pot of different religions, races, and cultures all with different ideas. One of our foundational beliefs is that we all have the same opportunities. In his inauguration speech Barack Obama said, “Our success depends on honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism.” (Obama). The reward of hard work and dedication is the opportunity to be self-made, to rise to any social class that you desire, and have the ability to achieve anything you set your mind to. Our entrepreneurial...
Words: 1461 - Pages: 6
...Pentadic analysis incorporates five basic elements of drama called pentads. These include act (what is being done), agent (who is doing the act), agency (the means employed by the agent to do the act), scene (the backdrop against which the act occurred), and the purpose of the action (the reason why it happened). Act is the artifact itself whatever it may be such as speech, poem, monument, event, etc as it stands for what is actually being done or happening. Agent refers to the main communicator of the artifact which could be an actor, orator, writer or manager of the act. Agency refers to the main medium of communication which includes a book or televised film, presentation or personal communication. Scene is the backdrop against which the action occurs including the actual, physical scene and the context in which something happens and is meant to be understood. Lastly, purpose is the motive or the message which is conveyed and understood. Pentadic analysis has its roots in Burke's Theory of Dramatism which looks at life as a play where symbols and language are used to express thoughts as a way for humans to comprehend the reality of the world. Burke developed this theory as a way to attempt to understand the bases of human conduct and motives. Thus, the purpose of a pentadic analysis addresses the content of what is being done and what are the motives of a certain artifact as crafted by a rhetor. Burke believed that ratios interconnect important terms and map out a clearer...
Words: 1873 - Pages: 8
...18, 2008, Presidential Candidate Barack Obama, gave a speech entitled “A More Perfect Union” in response to comments and controversy surrounding his former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, who had spoken racial remarks that scandalized the country and made Obama look bad. Senator Obama felt the need to bring to the public a speech that distanced himself from Reverend Wright. Obama’s speech attempts to accomplish the goal of saving voters after a scandal through the use of rhetorical devices such as parallel structure, metaphor, alliteration, allusion, and repetition of words for effect. Close to the beginning of the speech, one of the rhetorical devices he uses was parallel structure. Obama states that Reverend Wright, “strengthened my faith, officiated my wedding, and baptized my children” (Obama par. 22). Parallelism is an effective execution of words where Obama stacks good, positive words one on top of the other. In this manner, he lifts Reverend Wright up as a person. He uses this device to show that Reverend Wright had done a lot for him. For example, religion, weddings, and children are intimate and crucial to relationships, so these are all good memories for Obama. This makes it harder for the public to believe that Rev....
Words: 1001 - Pages: 5
...Mitt Romney’s Presidential Campaign Speech. Mitt Romney launched his Presidential Campaign Announcement Speech in New Hampshire on June 2nd 2011. On January 10th he wins the primary election in New Hampshire by 39,4% the effect of his opening speech must’ve made quite the impression on the residents in New Hampshire. Traditionally New Hampshire is “ruled” by the Republican Party and is seen as the most Conservative part of the northeastern parts of the US. The reason this can be seen as such a victory should be seen in the light of Barack Obama getting the majority of the voters in 2008. The state has only been won by the Democrats four times before Obama. Since the mid-term election in 2006 the Democrats seem to gain ground. Therefore, Mitt Romney must have felt quite pleased with the result. So when analyzing the speech is this a ground breaking speech with clear purpose and rhetoric? The purpose of the speech is of course to define himself as a worthwhile candidate who is able to win the election for the Republican Party and lead the USA to better times. By natural selection this of course make President Obama and the Democratic Party their enemy. Mitt Romney has to present himself as a leader and born Alpha Male. In order to do that he must elevate himself, his family and put down and ridicule President Obama and his work. Mitt Romney’s speech is composed in such a way that he welcomes and thanks his hosts. From lines 11 – 30 establishes a link between himself as...
Words: 1454 - Pages: 6
...Primary Source Analysis Paper 1. In the pictorial, Miss Colombia’s School House (1894), my initial impression is that this picture serves as the basis for the term “the great melting pot”. The pictorial shows the exclusion of Hawaii and Canada from the United States at that time but the desire to include them. The views of the South are expressed with the presence of the African American child being accosted with a weapon. The picture further depicts an Anglo child assaulting an Asian child. In the back of the pictorial one of the attendees is protesting his view of socialism by carrying a red flag with the work socialism publicized on the flag. This pictorial gives a quick look in to history regarding America’s relations with surrounding nations. Aguinaldo’s criticism of America’s policies towards the Philippines echo in the 1894 cartoon is when the Spanish was eradicated from the Philippines. It was at this moment that the American guerrilla began. Cuba was under the Spanish control and America became an ally and attempted to free Cuba from their tyrannical control. The Spanish also controlled the countries of Puerto Rico and Guam at this time. Due to the corrupt treatment, Aguinaldo deciphered that those in America viewed all native of the Philippines as savages. Due to this view the land of the Philippine Island was transformed from “a land of despotism and vicious governmental methods into an enlightened and progressive republic, with America guiding them”. The documents...
Words: 1253 - Pages: 6
...Analysis of "A Nation's Strength" By Ralph Waldo Emerson "A nation's strength" is a poem written by Ralph Waldo Emerson in 1847. I can see that it is a poem from a line of similarities that this text has to/with a poem. A poem is characterized by the composition, the use of strong verbs and precise nouns, the use of rhythm, repetitions, alliteration, line breaks and the use of metaphors, similes or personification. Poems will often rhyme but they will not sacrifice meaning for rhyme. A poem has a focused purpose (paints a picture, recreates a feeling, tells a story, captures a moment, etc). In this poem the author uses vivid imagery and metaphors to convince the reader that the strength of a nation, is not in its wealth or military powers, but in its people. I would like to start off by explaining the structural composition of this poem. The form of this poem is a bit of a mix. It has both enjambments and full stops. The enjambment (stanza 1, verse 1, 2) is when one sentence is divided into two verses. A full stop (stanza 2, vers 1) is when there is a definite break/period. It has 6 stanzas and 4 verses in each stanza. The poem has an ab ab rhyme and an 8-6-8-6 rhythm. The ab ab rhyme tells us that the last words in the sentences will rhyme in pairs, every second line. For example the first stanza rhymes; high-defy and strong-throng. The 8-6-8-6 rhythm explains the number of syllables in each verse. For example stanza 1, vers 1, 2; what makes a nation's pillars high=...
Words: 1297 - Pages: 6
