In Barack Obama’s speech, “A More Perfect Union,” reveals many messages behind it. He has an idea for his country and its success is based on all the people of the country coming together. He thinks that no matter what race, gender, or religious background people have, we all must come together and move forward. The goal that Barack Obama intends to resolve is the coming together of all people and to see the problem as a whole rather than just to focus on the small things of one another
A big idea in Obama’s speech is race. He speaks of the people having so much focus on race and diversity, that people are missing the big picture. He believes that the people must attack this problem head on, instead of setting it aside for a future outbreak of the situation. Racism is still a big factor in America. The past issues of segregation and slavery has caused people to lose focus of problems that will influence America as a whole. Barack believes that people of all races can overlook the past differences and further the coming together of all the people. He believes Caucasian and African Americans will see that racism is in the past. Obama says Americans will help provide future generations with opportunity and will come together to benefit all of America as a perfect Union
Obama’s success on his speech is due to four types of rhetorical analysis. Allusion is one of the major ones and how they are compared to other things. The "two-ness" of the texture, to use DuBois's useful term and his ability to include himself as a character in a narrative about race. Barack Obama also uses rhetorical devices like allusion and counting. Other rhetorical
devices Obama uses are ethos, pathos, logos, analogy, direct address, figurative speech, parallelism, repetitions and rhetorical questions.
He uses ethos in his speech by using logic, spirit and social ideas. President Obama does this by giving real information. Obama gives personal information when he explains the extent of his family tree. This gives the President creditability to his speech and effectiveness to his message. He wants everyone to know that this speech is worth listening to and has valuable information
Obama states that the press routinely looks “for the latest evidence of racial polarization, not just in terms of white and black, but black and brown as well”. From the quote, the audience is persuaded by the theoretical concepts of any opposing arguments. The audience then becomes aware of the differences between the races and this makes his speech is very effective because President Obama is willing to speak of what is often unspoken.
When establishing ethos, Obama mentions that he has “gone to some of the best schools in America." He also quotes, “We the people, in order to form a more perfect union,” which is easily recognized as the first line in the U.S. Constitution. With Obama stating this line from the constitution gives the audience a sense that what he is going to say is important and we need to pay attention. Even if you don’t know about the famous quote it still tells the audience to pay attention.
Next, the effectiveness of Obama speech is made stronger when he establishes pathos. He changes the thoughts and feelings of his audience when he tells story's, uses imagery, and making allusions. The President begins by telling a story of his grandfather “who survived a Depression to serve in Patton’s army during World War II.” With him using key terms such as
Depression, Patton’s army, and World War II makes the emotional responses of loyalism and selflessness.
Toward the end of his speech, Obama tells another story about “a young, white, Southern campaigner Ashley Baia who inspires an old, black, Southern man to vote.” Barack Obama uses Baia’s story to highlight the power in sharing his own story and for inspiration. The audience can connect through the emotional appeals that take place. Many people can make it easy to disrespect and dishonor something that is unusual, but many can't turn away from the soul of a man. The audience then becomes alarmed and pays more attention to the text.
Examples of logos are found throughout the text. President Barack Obama explains step by step the problems about race in America, and he gives logic to the situation. He explains, “The anger of Blacks and the memories of humiliation and doubt and fear have not gone away, neither has the anger and bitterness of those years.” Later he offers resolution and states “African-American community must embrace our past without becoming victims of our past.” Many African-Americans can relate with Obama’s ideas of race in the African-American community and they can be inspired to act to the situation.
Barack Obama assumed the podium on the 28th of March 2008. After his former preacher, Jeremiah Wright, claimed the American government treated blacks unfairly, Obama was forced to respond. With confidence and pride he took the stand. The soon to be President first set the grounds for his speech by putting himself into American history and putting himself into a fighting setting. He then appealed to pathos by enlightening his audience with examples of unfairness to point out the need for change. Finally, he uses ethos to point out the same concept of the need for change. After the success of his speech, Obama became the President of the
United States and took the podium once again to make more history.