The speech we are going to consider was Michelle Obama’s appeal to the crowd on the first night of the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia (Obama). The target audience was the potential electorate of Hillary Clinton - the candidate for the US presidency from the US Democratic Party.
Historically, the electorate has been a significant force in any democratic country. So, the purpose of the speech was to convince millions of people to vote for Hillary Clinton, who, according to Michelle’s words, would be the best American President in the America history (Obama).
Michelle Obama has been known to practice big speeches word for word (Thompson), and this speech was not an exception. The First Lady felt confident about the flow of words and made sufficient pauses to let the crowd express agreement and delight.
Michelle was interested in telling a story rather than taking the floor in formal session. She provided the real-life examples, shared her vision and expectations regarding the nearest future with people of different age groups and nationalities in front of her. Obama was as simple as possible, making it clear who she was and from where she came. Therefore, her speech was persuasive, and people embraced the message.
She resembled Martin Luter King regarding the rhetorical manner. Both of them were confident about speaking to those who wanted to live in a free from biases and prejudices country. Like King, Obama provided her personal stories to prove the statements. She followed King’s leadership style – to be the servant of the entire nation. Michelle used her high position in society as a chance to help people, making their life better. Such leadership style – the leader–servant – is the most efficient because people openly accept what seems available and close to them.
Michelle spoke as a caring mother of her two daughters. She worried about the future of her children as well as the youngsters of the entire country. Her speech was full of concern for the future of American young generations. It was the main reason why Hillary Clinton due to her uninterrupted service regarding children from all over the world should become the next American president.
Michelle adjusted her speech for all individuals despite the differences relating to the color of skin or political priorities. There was no place for politics. Michelle's sentence about “two black beautiful girls playing on the lawn of the White House built by slaves” (Obama) expressed the main idea of Hillary's electoral race – the unity of nations that would lead to the prosperous and sustainable future.
At the end of the speech, Michelle paraphrased one of the famous quotes of Will Smith “Don’t ever let someone tell you that you can’t do something!” (Smith). America revealed the world a great miracle – this land became the mother of exiles for refugees from different corners of our planet. The idea of one cohesive nation became a reality for the American people. Furthermore, the USA elected the black president putting an end to racism. And, finally, this country found itself on the brink of the era of the woman winning the race for the presidency for the following four years. That’s what Michelle’s call for action meant.
Works cited
Obama, Michelle. "Transcript: Read Michelle Obama’s Full Speech at the 2016 DNC." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 26 July 2016. Web. 06 Aug. 2016.
Smith, Will. "Don't Ever Let Somebody Tell You You Can't Do Something, Not Even Me. Alright? You Gotta Dream, You Gotta Protect It. | Quotes | I ❤ Inspiration." I Inspiration RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Aug. 2016.
Thompson, Krissah. "What's on Michelle Obama's Mind? Meet the Speechwriter Who Puts It into Words." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 13 June 2016. Web. 07 Aug. 2016.
