An Examination of Obamas Inaugural Speech - Essay Example

An Examination of Obama’s Inaugural Speech Introduction One of the most listened to and measured political speeches in the recent past were President Obama’s inaugural speech in Washington DC in 2009 while he took oath of office. The speech was given on January 20, 2009 at the U.S. Capitol Washington, D.C. after Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts, Jr. had administered the Oath of Office for Obama as the President of the United States. Although quite somber in some of its elements, the speech was laced with instances of hope and pragmatism as it addressed the immediate issues and situations of the United States of America (Walker 4). Nonetheless, this address was not as exciting as some he had made earlier in the campaign trail, may be due to the fact that he had already got into the White House. Despite its lack of the excitement aroused by his earlier speeches, this inaugural speech had the basic ingredients of the art of rhetoric characteristic of most political and civil movement speeches. Because of its messages and the use of the fundamentals of rhetoric, President Obama’s inaugural speech has been described by many as a moment and speech that the American people had longed for since the election night. In fact, some feared that they might have died without hearing such a speech. Besides being the first African-American to be sworn in as president of the United States of America, President Obama wrote a speech that both his opponents and supporters will remember for quite some time. In fact, the speech introduced a new era of leadership and communication in the country. The speech was not only well written but was also well-read, a feat quite hard to achieve if the performance of the post-2996 inaugural speeches is anything to go by (Walker 8). There was plenty of anaphora in President Obama’s inaugural speech, in which many words were repeated at the beginning of neighboring clauses and sentences. For instance, he said, “Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished.” In addition, anaphora was evident when he said, “For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West, endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.” The other fundamental of rhetoric used in the President’s speech was ethos when he said, "From the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born.” The speech was also delivered at the grandest of stages by a man “…whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.” In addition to anaphora and ethos, the speech had well-developed logos of the argument as evident when he said, “Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched. But this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control. The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.” Evidently, the President also used pathos in his speech to emotionally connect with the global audience to his speech. For instance, he said, “To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.” The speech was also marked by slight alliteration such as “Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions.” What is more, the President used certain words and phrases that were quite poetic thus his audience’s imagination with stunning imagery. Besides, some of his words were sharply delivered to send direct messages home. These sharply delivered messages came by way of phrases such as, “The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood.” Despite these sharp jabs, the President had kind and relevant words that resonated with the American people. For instance, he said with reference to the Declaration of Independence that “…all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.” To this effect, he added that “…but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.” President Obama’s speech also resonated with the people’s religious beliefs as he spoke in relation to the bible, saying that “…but in the words of scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things,” and with reference to hymns he said: “…who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.”An interesting fact about the President’s inaugural speech was that he did not speak about himself; rather, he spoke about the people who had elected him to the highest office in the land and perhaps the most powerful office in the world. Regarding style, the speech could be described as average. It was however stylistically good, considering the speeches given in that election year. For example, he read the teleprompter well, pausing brilliantly and modifying his reading pace, tone, volume, and speed to achieve optimal and dramatic impact on his audience. Supporting his style was his body language and use of voice to show his authority, command, and confidence (Walker 5). The President’s speech also had substance. Brilliantly, the two most important messages seemed to contradict each other. These were that the world was in a crisis and tough choices and sacrifices had to be made and that he was optimistic that these crises and problems would be solved. The other substance in his speech was his criticism of old ideologies and the embrace of new ideologies such as free markets even as he expressed support for and belief in capitalism. He asserts that the radical and tough times the world faced would require radical steps and solutions. On the other hand, the speech portrayed the president as reassuring, mainstream, and moderate. Religion was the other substance of the speech as the president acknowledged the Christians, Jews and Muslims, and the non-believer communities in the country. Obama’s speech was marked by some minor detraction. For instance, the swearing in ceremony started the presentation before the actual speech commenced. It may be remembered that the president did not say the Oath of Office word by word, resulting in a lot of criticism from his enemies, some claiming that he was in office illegally. Seemingly, the president had practiced his speech a number of times but forget to rehearse the swearing in portion, which would later act as detraction to his speech. Conclusion President Obama’s 2009 inaugural speech upon being elected into office stands out among contemporary political speeches. In particular, the use of rhetoric fundamentals such as logos, anaphora, pathos, imagery, and ethos made it a rhetoric masterpiece. In addition, the style and the substance of the speech, which included religion and world crises such as economic hardships, also made the speech a rather successful one. Work Cited Walker, T. J. “Analysis of Barrack Obama Inaugural Address.” Available at http://www.tjwalker.com/2009/01/21/analysis-of-barack-obama-inaugural-address/. Accessed October 6, 2012. Read More