Address to the People of Berlin by Barack Obama: A Rhetorical Analysis - Essay Example

Bandar Alhudaithi Julie Ann Hoffman ENGL 1310-041 2/11/11 Address to the People of Berlin by Barack Obama: A Rhetorical Analysis Delivered on July 24, 2008, Barack Obama’s address to the people of Berlin was much talked about because no one knew the purpose for this appearance. Was it another campaign stump, or was it a rehearsal for a keynote address back home? Was this a state visit of a future statesman? Attended by a 200,000-strong audience, Obama’s speech reached out to the people of Berlin, as well as his countrymen and the rest of the world. His words promised a lasting change, one that will make the United States, and Berlin, the proud strong hold of democracy. In his speech, Obama defines global citizenship as the cooperation of different people so that they can address the same struggles and achieve the same goals. Like his predecessor, John F. Kennedy, Obama shows that global citizenship is all about working together, struggling and sacrificing. Yet unlike Kennedy, the hardships are more than just for upholding democracy and freedom, but instead, a better future for the world. He attempts to connect with his audience by reminding them of how the Berliners, together with the United States fought against the Iron Curtain, and won. He reminds them of the hardships that all freedom fighters experience, an experience so alive in the Kennedy speech. The power of this speech is that Obama was able to put forward the ideal of global citizenship not only through an appeal reason and logic but he was able to capture the emotions of the audience in relating historical and personal experiences interwoven in the speech. The strength of his character and his position as leader of a great nation added to the impact of his message. Obama’s speech, like Kennedy’s was inspirational, yet it was also personal and of a different caliber. He represented himself not as a statesman, but instead, as another man who has experienced the same problems as the Berliners. In this address, he was Barack Obama, the black guy from America who was constantly striving to fight for democracy and the right of all peoples to be heard. Obama’s address allowed him to talk to Berliners as “fellow freedom fighters” who are continuously fighting against discrimination in the hope of creating a new world which he, and others like him, can be proud of. Thus, he was able to emotionally appeal to our common humanity in order to highlight his cause for global citizenship. Obama’s speech starts with a striking introduction. “I come to Berlin as so many of my countrymen have come before...I speak to you not as a candidate for President, but as a citizen, a fellow citizen of the world” (Obama 368). With these words, Obama is saying that his purpose in Berlin is not political, but rather to pay homage to the city that fought for freedom despite the hardships it encountered. To signify his “ordinariness” and show solidarity with other free men, he relates his story. He talks about his grandfather who worked as a cook for the British, and his father who grew up as a goatherd in Kenya. Through this introduction, he shows that he is a regular guy, coming from a regular family. He was no ordinary politician who grew up with a golden spoon in his mouth. By talking about the condition of his family, he is indirectly talking about how they strived to reach the position they were currently in – something he knew that Berliners can relate to, given the hardships they had to face in their country. In order to understand the next sections of Obama’s speech, one must go back to Berlin’s history, that period of time when the Berlin Wall was still separating West Berlin from the rest of Germany. Obama’s speech was able to draw support for his argumentation using historical circumstances which ring a deep chord in the hearts of the audience. Going back to Kennedy’s speech, one will have a clear idea of what was happening to the city at the time. Berlin may have been recovering from the devastation of the War, but it was far from united. Its people had no identity, but they knew one thing: the repression in the East became too much – skilled workers, professionals and intellectuals had started to emigrate to the West in the hope of a better future. This led to the degradation of the economy in the East and the construction of the wall. Kennedy’s speech provided the people of Berlin with new hope, that citizens of the city will not be alone in their fight against repression. The Berlin Wall became the symbol for repression, it was a testament to divisiveness, a situation which was not only unsustainable, but also a transgression against mankind. Kennedy said It is “an offense not only against history, but an offense against humanity, separating families, dividing husbands and wives and brothers and sisters, and dividing a people who wish to be joined together” (Kennedy). Obama knew that the people of Berlin still remember this period of history, he knows that they will remember the pain and suffering they experienced at the time. Everything in Obama’s speech relies on this memory of the Berlin Wall and for which it stood. This memory is what Obama relied on in order to highlight the cause of global citizenship. He then elegantly turns to the theme of Berlin, by talking about his father’s experience during the Cold War. “At the height of Cold War, my father decided, like so many others in the forgotten corners of the world, that his yearning – his dream – required the freedom and opportunity promised by the West” (Obama 369). The term “West” here does not only refer to the Western countries, but also to West Berlin, that part of the city which welcomed citizens from the east who hoped to have a more peaceful life. Obama received widespread criticism in his decision to address the people of Berlin, but by reading his entire speech, his choice of the city becomes logical. “This city of all cities, knows the dream of freedom” (Obama 369). Berlin symbolized the world divided between communism and democracy. It was a city which outlived the hardships and found a way to free itself from the ghosts of its past. What happened to Berlin may seem like a miracle, but then, Obama tells his audience that such a feat is possible only because men and women from different nations “came together to work, and struggle, and sacrifice for that better life”. Here, Obama regards Berliners in high esteem for carrying the “last flame of freedom”, as if the fall of the Berlin would allow the communists to invade the democratic world. This was emphasized in the lines: “The size of our forces was no match for the larger Soviet Army. And yet retreat would have allowed Communism to march across Europe. Where the last war had ended, another World War could have easily begun” (Obama 369). This was simply an exaggeration. Transport to West Berlin was still possible at the time or else, John F. Kennedy would not have dared to enter the city in 1962, with the political situation still highly unstable. These words were there to emphasize the importance of Berlin, and indirectly, the efforts done by the United States in assisting the Berliners at the time. This is a clear difference between the Kennedy and Obama speeches. Whereas Kennedy afforded the US with great pride because of the continued support it provided to the city, Obama downplayed the role of the US in this fight for freedom because Obama is not facing the Soviet Union like Kennedy was. In the next section, Obama tells the story of the airlift and how the Berlin Wall came about. Obviously, this was not necessary if he was simply talking to Berliners – these people knew their history by heart, and they knew how the Wall affected their lives. Hence, one may say that this part of the speech was for the benefit of the American audience, to help them understand the context of the past. From this point on, however, Obama no longer just refers to the experience of Berlin, he is referring to the world in general. He downplays the role of the US in all of these, but the reason for this may be found in the latter part of the speech. Unlike Kennedy who was referring to the advantages of democracy and the freedom it afforded its people, Obama has decided to take a different route and state the words which have been spoken in many conferences around but never spoken out loud: “There is a feeling in Europe that America is part of what is wrong in our world” (Obama 371). Through this declaration, he is referring back to his countrymen, imploring them to realize the errors in their ways and beliefs. He is also allowing Europeans to criticize the US, and letting them realize that Americans know where they went wrong. He shows the world that the US is not a “sacred cow” – it had its own strengths and weaknesses. Through Obama’s words, he then implores the people of the world, his fellow global citizens, to look beyond the mistakes, so that they can “build new bridges” and find new allies “who will listen to each other, learn from each other, and most all, trust each other” to combat global issues such as terrorism, nuclear warfare, environmental degradation and poverty. By using Berlin as symbol for the world, Obama unlocked a wealth of emotions and ideas He allowed his listeners to relieve the pain of the past, to realize how success came about, and finally, to understand what needs to be done for the future. His main message is: the world has become divided by a new Berlin Wall – “the walls between races and tribes; natives and immigrants; Christians and Muslims and Jews” (Obama 371), but it has to learn to work together again, despite the transgressions people have experienced from one another. In his statements, Obama described that there was more than one wall that stood to divide nations and countrymen from each other. In Kennedy’s speech the Berlin Wall was mainly an offense against freedom, but for Obama, the Berlin Wall stood for mistrust, miscommunication, disrespect, anything that stood in the way of unity. For Kennedy, the fall of the Berlin Wall will freedom to reign, but for Obama, it meant the victory of unity. It enabled different people to share in each other’s struggles, and celebrated each other’s success. Obama says that while unity is a desirable end, it is one that comes with a high degree of responsibility. While it can be used for a good, it can also serve as a threat if not harnessed properly. So, he utters these words: “partnership and cooperation among nations is not a choice; it is the only way…to protect our common security and our common humanity”(Obama 371). Unity has to be directed towards the good of the majority in order for it to serve its purpose. Obama relies on the assumption that people of the world have the same concerns. To achieve this unity, Obama reiterates: “we must reject the Cold War mind set of the past…[t]his is the moment when every nation in Europe must have the chance to choose its own tomorrow, free from the shadows of yesterday” (Obama 372). In ending, Obama becomes a messenger of and for the American, and tells the world “I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we’ve struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all our people. We’ve made our share of mistakes…But I know how much I love America. I know that for more than two centuries, we have strived…to form a more perfect union; to seek, with other nations, a more hopeful world” (Obama 374). Through these words, Obama criticizes America, but at the same, provides its citizens with relief. His words serve as a promise, to both Americans and the world, that he, as future president, will continue the legacy of freedom. This self criticism of America boosted the credibility of Obama and powered the truth to his words making up for an eloquent, honest and dramatic presentation. In closing, Obama relates to the entire world that his quest is not simply for his own country. Instead, it is a quest for the entire world. His vision of global citizenship is more than just of freedom, but rather, a world where people can “live free from fear and free from want”. A world where people can speak their minds, assemble when they want, and worship their own gods. Obama’s message is more than just about fighting for democracy, but rather, the respect for all beliefs and value systems. Kennedy posed himself as the powerful leader of a powerful country dedicated to help any country which dedicates itself to freedom and democracy. While Kennedy gave credit to Berliners for their effort in resisting the Soviet bloc, it was a speech of a patron to its benefactor. This was a time when the US power was clearly defined, there was an impending crisis, and the people of the world needed to know that there is a power that can deter the communism. It was an attempt to empower the people so that they will not be blinded by promises of power and affluence (a promise used by the Third Reich). Unlike Obama’s speech, Kennedy’s was more focused on freedom than on unity. Unity was there, but only to uphold the freedom afforded by democracy. This was Kennedy’s definition of global citizenship: citizens of the world must unite in order to fight for freedom. Meanwhile, Obama recognized that communism, though still present, is no longer a threat. For Obama, even communists can become allies, if only previously warring countries learn to forget the past so they can work towards a common future. Berlin, in both speeches, became a metaphor for the free world. It showed the power of the people – their capability to resist the evil. Kennedy did not need to describe the troubles that repression presented, he simply said: Lass’ sie nach Berlin kommen. Let them come to Berlin. He knew that the differences of the standard of living in East and West Berlin will serve as a lesson to the world: repression must not survive because it is an evil system. Like Obama’s speech, Kennedy also knew the importance of unity: “real, lasting peace” is a shared vision. He said “freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free” (Kennedy). He reiterates this in another line: “You live in a defended island of freedom, but your life is part of the main…lift your eyes beyond the dangers of today, to the hopes of tomorrow…to the advance of freedom everywhere…to the day of peace with justice, beyond yourselves and ourselves to all mankind” (Kennedy). Through these words, like Obama, he puts the burden of peace to all citizens. Fighting for freedom is no longer the responsibility of the military, but rather, of all peoples. To be a Berliner, for Kennedy, referred to a “free man”. To take pride in being Berliner is to fight for a better future, for that day of peace and justice to come true. The very similarity of Obama’s speech and that of Kennedy’s is that they both agreed that there is still danger and threats to the peace in line with freedom and democracy. Kennedy stated that “freedom has many difficulties and democracy is not perfect” while Obama stated that “the very closeness has given rise to new dangers…” wherein he refers to this closeness as the unity brought about by the freedom each nation is experiencing. They both, therefore, agree that there are dangers and difficulties that was, is and will always lurk that would threaten the peace if not convincingly upheld by each nation regardless of their beliefs, states and conditions. There had been a few differences between the speeches of Obama and Kennedy. First, there is the matter of the definition of global citizenship. For Obama, global citizenship is described as the unity of people, races, and nations whereas Kennedy defines it as the right to freedom of each individual, nation and race. Next is in the matter of peace among nations where Obama says that unity would be the one needed in order to keep the peace and security among nations. Kennedy says that freedom is the key to keep the peace in check in each country. Another difference is their audience wherein Kennedy’s speech is directed only to the citizens of Berlin and is indirectly opening the eyes of the people from other nations and cities and giving them a sense of sympathy for those who are struggling for their freedom. In Obama’s speech, he was more on stating his speech to the world and was opening their eyes to the wonders that had happened during and after the Berlin struggle for freedom and to the troubles that each now face with this newly found hope and freedom among each nation. Works Cited Kennedy, John F. ""Ich bin ein Berliner" (I am Berliner)." 2009. American Rhetoric.com. Obama, Barrack. "Address to the People of Berlin." 2008. 368-371. Fix this citation—go to the Writing Center’s handout to help with this. As it is here, it is incomplete. Read More