Obama's Speech during the Democratic National Convention - Essay Example

As such, this essay will seek to demonstrate the application of these strategies in Obama’s speech during the Democratic National Convention, coupled with specific examples that relate to respective discursive Strategies as seen in the address. Indeed, in his speech, Obama applies at least two of these Discursive Strategies. In his remarks, Obama uses the “narratives of belonging” strategy to construct “existential coherence.” Duranti presents this strategy as part of the political speaker's personal experiences. Duranti establishes that these experiences connect the speaker emotionally and morally to the present place and audience. This strategy shows that the political speaker is an ordinary citizen and will thus represent the audience ideally once elected.

Obama used the “narratives of belonging” strategy in his speech on various occasions. He draws his personal experience to economic issues affecting ordinary Americans by stating, “I began my career helping people in the shadow of a shuttered steel mill, at a time when too many good jobs were starting to move overseas.” Most importantly, Obama identifies with the audience by constantly using “We” instead of “I.” Indeed, he claims that “Yes, our road is longer, but we travel it together.” He defends his experience by stating, “I know what it means to send young Americans into battle, for I have held in my arms the mothers and fathers of those who didn't return. I have shared the pain of families who've lost their homes and the frustration of workers who have lost their jobs.” (Fox News Web). As such, this strategy helps Obama identify with the Americans, denotes his experience in handling national issues, and convinces the audience that he will ideally represent them once reelected as the US President.

Duranti consequently defines “the [use of] the present as a ‘natural extension of the past” strategy to construct “existential coherence” as a relation between present decision and experience. On various occasions during his speech, Obama demonstrated the use of this strategy. Indeed, he quotes, “You know, in a world of new threats and challenges, you can choose leadership that has been tested and proven. Four years ago, I promised to end the war in Iraq. We did.” He reminds the audience, “I promised to refocus on the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11. And we have.” This experience gives him an edge over his political competitor. It proves that he can deliver, and out of his past successes, he is convinced to vie for the second time. He notes that he was able to kill Osama Bin Laden and thus presently focuses on defeating Al Qaeda and ending the Afghanistan war by 2014 once reelected (Fox News Web). As such, his experience drives his present decision to seek reelection to complete his mission. This generates a lot of conviction from the audience as it applauds Obama’s experience. In addition, he quotes, “Now, I've cut taxes for those who need it, middle-class families, small businesses.” It is quite logical that this move benefitted the target classes. As such, this gives him the uttermost confidence to arrive at his present claim that “I want to reform the tax code so that it's simple, fair, and asks the wealthiest households to pay higher taxes on incomes over $250,000…..” Indeed, he confirms that his present decision follows adequate research from Independent experts and experience working with Republicans in Congress to cut billions in spending, ensuring that his plan would cut America’s deficits by $4 trillion (Fox News Web). As such, Obama's experience on taxation and the war on terrorism affirms his present decision to seek reelection as the President of the United States for his second and last term.

In conclusion, Obama used at least two while making his speech during the Democratic National Convention on 6 September 2012. The application of “the [use of] the present as a ‘natural extension of the past” and “the narratives of belonging” identifies Obama with the audience, affirms his present decision to seek reelection and presents him as the best candidate, thus boosting his chances of clinching the seat.