Research question one.
I have selected the 2004 Democratic National Convention keynote speech given on the night of Tuesday, July 27. The 2004 Democratic National Convention was held at the FleetCenter, which is currently the TD Garden, based in Boston, Massachusetts and began on July 26th and was to run till 29th.
The convention was the initial to be held since the infamous terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. At the time of the convention, there was a memorial event to honor the unfortunate victims of the attacks. It was at this convention that Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts was nominated for president and Senator John Edwards of North Carolina for Vice President, respectively. The keynote speech was given by Barak Obama, who was then a candidate for the seat of United States Senator from Illinois. The themes of the convention were: `plan for America`s Future` aimed at building optimism for John Kerry`s candidacy; `A Lifetime of Strength and Service` and was linked to John Kerry`s biography; `A Stronger More Secure America` which devoted itself to issues of security in the homeland as well as the global war on terror.
The keynote address of the 2004 democratic National Convention was given by Barak Hussein Obama. Obama was born on the fourth day of August 4, 1961 and is aged fifty-three. His birthplace is Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. He is the 44th and present time President of the United States as well as the first African-American to hold that office. He is a legal counsel by profession and is a graduate of renowned, and highly regarded Columbia University and Harvard Law School. He began receiving national attention after winning the Democratic Party primary in March, 2004, in a bid to represent the state of Illinois in the United States Senate. Also after giving the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in July, 2004. In 2009, he was elected President of the United States and soon after was named the 2009 Nobel Prize laureate. Obama, to the surprise of many ended the U.S involvement in the Iraq war.
The speech was quite exceptional. It went ahead to embrace his origin that is Africa and insist that the new America is one of unity; a place where all races live together in harmony. He criticized those who are bent on dividing the states. He also pointed out the main agendas of the Democratic National party urging the voters to vote for the nominees of this same party. The most dominant mode of persuasion used in this speech is pathos. Obama appeals to his audience through imagery. One of them is that of several Americans who were struggling with putting bread on the table and other issues such as healthcare. Another one is that of a young Marine whom he had met, and he goes on to use this story to affirm that the families and soldiers should be well provided for after a military action.
Research Question Two.
Transactional analysis is a theory of personality and goes ahead to stipulate that humans are Social beings and a person`s behavior changes when in contact with a certain person in their world. This theory was first developed in the late 1950s by a Canadian-born US psychiatrist Eric Berne. Being a theory of personality, transactional analysis describes how people are structured psychologically. Structural analysis thus includes analysis of the individual psyche. Berne stipulates that there are four life positions: I’m ok and you are ok, I’m ok and you are not, I’m not ok and you are, I’m not ok and you are not. The transactional analysis is also a theory of communication and can be used in the analysis of systems and organizations. In the workplace, the ideal complementary transactions between superiors and subordinates should be such as to create a conducive environment for working. The superiors should take on the Parenting role and become more nurturing by being security givers and permission-giving to the subordinates. The superiors should avoid being too critical and maybe scolding an adult employee as if they were children. The subordinates, on the other hand, should take on the role of a child and when they are praised should react with a broad smile and give their thanks. They should also avoid posting, looking on the floor when confronted about some issue by their superiors. That way they will be taking up the adult role.
I used to work at a regional department that dealt with the youth as a volunteer. The transaction analysis ego-state with my boss was parent-child. Every evening he made sure I had arrived home safely from work, and he always ensured I was safe even while working. Due to my young age he protected me from the other older youths who belittled me due to this. The transactional analysis here was child-adult. These youths would not pay attention to me when I stood to give an inspirational speech.
