Introduction
A lot has been talked about the power and intensity of President Barack Obama’s speech that was presented on March 18 2008. It was a speech that was directed on issues to do with race, and its main focus has always been on the willingness of the orator to talk about race issues within the public, which are normally rarely spoken at all. The President also expressed the inner desire, through the speech, about the idea of moving the whole country to a better and new position. There has also been concentration to the main purpose of the speech, a projection that was being directed towards the reassurance of white individuals that they had nothing to be scared about from the congregant of pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright (Roy, 2008). Recited by Obama’s soulful voice, the effectiveness of his speech is based on the following associated rhetorical strategies:
a. The control of allusion and the existing patriotic associations.
b. The rhetorical tone of parallel constructions.
c. The aspect of “two-ness” of the texture, and the ability of the orator to embrace himself as one of the character within the narrative about issues concerning race.
Concerning the strategy of allusion within the speech, there was part of Obama’s speech that is found to consist of resonate properties, and this is not just for black people, but also with whites. It brings out the properties of framing of racial impartiality with application of familiar patriotic terms. The words “democracy, liberty, equal, Independence, presidency, and justice” (Roy, 2008), are mentioned within the first page of Obama’s page. President Obama uses a patriotic lexicon, which is purposely designed to comfort white ears and also in the end soothe all white fears. With the application of the language that reveals the existing failures within the American experiments, rather than the ideals, Obama’s speech is kept out from falling into a sea of slogans.
At the potential jeopardy of calling to take into concentration of the worst memories of grammar session, it is clearly invoked that parallel constructions has assisted the orator, in this case Obama, to make meaning of his speech to be memorable. For instance, the following extract of the speech brings out the aspect of parallelism in Obama’s speech: “This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this campaign — to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America,” (Roy, 2008).
Conclusion
Looking to above rhetorical analysis, it is found to being interesting in itself, but still it can be a bit more than an academic inquisitiveness, and this can be achieved if the main concern here was not the existing language issues of political discourse within the speech. This gives hope for a better future for Americans, considering the perception that is achieved within the language used the president.
Reference
Roy, P. C., (2008). Why It Worked: A Rhetorical Analysis of Obama’s Speech on Race.
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