More handpicked essays just for you.
Analysis of Obama's first inaugural speech
Obamas inaugural speech analysis
Analysis of martin luther king jr i have a dream speech
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama were both leaders in this nation, one who lead a movement and one who lead a nation. The two are not so different, they were the leaders of movements in the phases of America, Martin Luther King lead the civil rights movement given equality amongst the blacks and whites in America and Barack lead the movement of a new generation of democrats and republicans who seek for a new America.
Obama and King had different styles of speaking; Obama had more of the political and debating style and King’s way of speaking was a way he knew best from preaching. King’s way of speaking involved rhythm and repetition patterns, he would feed off of the audience and you can hear his voice rising in some parts. Obama was a very straight and narrow speaker, whose tone of voice made you want to listen in on his speech. Both of the men spoke in a way that grabbed your attention and if they lost your attention, they take that strong pause leaving you with wanting more.
Obama being a president of the newer America talked about the problems with the economy, unifying our nations in the world and the inequalities that still occur in our own nation. Obama states that, “We remain the most prosperous and powerful nation on Earth…Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.” By the time Obama got into office, America was struck with an economic disaster, countless natural disasters that still affected our country and the terrorist attacks that still left a hole in our country with the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was a time where we needed something new and something to push us forward in the future. The inequality in America that Obama spoke of being th...
... middle of paper ...
... in those times. Obama wouldn’t be in the place where he is now and the two complimented each other quite well in changing America for the better.
I feel as if both speakers are effective in their own way, they are effective speakers because look at they change both have brought upon this country. King gave that generation hope and spirit, because all had lost hope at that time. With the Vietnam War occurring and racial segregation contaminating the south, those were hard times for America and the people needed an uplifting voice. Obama came into office where the country was chaotic and swarmed with economic instability, natural disasters and a war. The country needed a new voice that we were waiting eight years for. Obama had the largest voter turnout rate and change red states to blue, he gave us the hope that the 21st century needed; it was different this time.
Both of these speeches talked about what each person wanted to do as president. Additionally they both talked about equality and how it is very important while being the president of the United States. They both talk about affirming the limits of power and unifying the country. They both relate things to Heaven and what Heaven and the bIble would think of problems. In paragraph 4 of Washington's Inaugural Address it states, “We cannot expect Heaven to smile upon a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right. Heaven itself has ordained these rules. The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government, have been tied to this experiment entrusted to the American people.” In paragraph 9 of Obama’s Inaugural Address it states, “We remain a young nation, but in the words of the Bible, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit. We must choose our better history. We must carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation, the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.” This Although Barack Obama and George Washington have many differences in their Inaugural Addresses there are also many
Both leaders made progress with reforms and programs concerning health care and education, but only one of them would make an impact on the racial issues. Both leaders dealt with crises, both opting to step down or by vote lost their seat. To see their style of leadership shows us that leaders truly have to be carefully selected and then elected.
The rhetorical strategies he based his analysis on are hard to disagree with. Every point was backed up with clear, significant evidence. The comparisons he makes are ones I would have never thought of. Comparing Obama and Dr. King is a common thing in today’s time because of the positions they uphold while being African American. However, I have personally never compared the two in terms of their abilities to resonate a speech to both blacks and whites. Clark compares their use of patriotic terms throughout their speeches. Clark even compares Obama’s opening words of his speech to the opening words of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. W.E.B DuBois’ theory of two-ness also would have never crossed my mind while listening to Obama’s speech; even though there are multiple examples throughout it. Clark did an extremely good job at thoroughly analyzing Obama’s speech. His actual stance on the “A More Perfect Union” speech came off as confusing at first when he began to focus on the way Obama’s speeches are read vs. the way they sound; however, he cleared up confusion further on into the
...y in both speeches. In the Inaugural Address, the speech was filled significantly with ethos and pathos because the audience was the general public. However, in the state of union speech, he used mostly ethos and logos to address the congress members in particular. Nevertheless, President Obama was able to deliver both speeches using the precise style and language for each occasion. Also, he supported his claims with logic and evidences. By doing so, he was able to accomplish his political agenda and in the same time he won the hearts and confidence of the American citizens.
King’s motive for equality has affected many African Americans in a positive way. One of the positive ways is the announcement of the title of the 45th and first black president of the United States going to Barack Obama. In Barack Obama’s 2008 “A More Perfect Union” speech, he asserted that “Issues of race and gender in America have been a complication throughout our history, and they are still complicated in this primary campaign.” Barack Obama’s intentions were to retaliate against the officials discouraging him from winning the campaign. However, this quote is also used as a statement regarding the racial issues that occurred in the past and that are continuing to occur in the present day. Barack Obama and Dr. King seemingly shared similarities regarding equality. Although they were almost a century apart, Both Barack Obama and Dr. King realized racial equality is a major issue in America. Both of them realized that it is a sensitive issue, but it should not be ignored nor avoided. They realized that racism is an issue that may never come to an end as long as hate crimes and other forms of discrimination occur. They stressed the fact of blacks living in an existing slave mentality. In previous days, Dr. King focused on the way blacks were living in a post slavery era, meaning that blacks were being treated like they never left the plantation. In today’s time, Barack Obama insinuates that blacks are continuing to be treated as slaves, whether it is by other civilians
Obama goes on to say “We cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together.” He believes that this is the time to change, and a new generation governed by racial minorities. Obama support these claims by reiterating his own beliefs and those of the American nation. “I would not be running for President...
Even though they both achieve their goal of captivating their audiences’ attention, they achieve it differently. Whereas X achieves it by using a conversational style, King achieves it by using a sophisticated style. King has respect to the audience to whom he is addressing; therefore, his rhetoric needs to reflect that respect; the respect that the people from God deserve. In order for him to be taken seriously by the clergymen, he must show them that he is one of them through his writing. We can see how King reflects his respect to them when he writes, “Since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth…” His respect is accompanied with a sophisticated tone which makes him stand out and shows his audience the type of person who he really is. As King writes: “On sweltering summer days and crisp autumn mornings I have looked at the South 's beautiful churches with their lofty spires pointing heavenward.” Over all, his rhetoric is focused, addressed, and specifically used towards his audience; to show the clergymen that they all held the same position and
Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. African Americans are fortunate to have leaders who have fought for a difference in Black America. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X are two powerful men in particular who brought hope to blacks in the United States. Both preached the same message about Blacks having power and strength in the midst of all the hatred that surrounded them. Even though they shared the same dream of equality for their people, the tactics they implied to make these dreams a reality were very different. The background, environment and philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X were largely responsible for the distinctly varying responses to American racism.
Both of the speeches, Martin Luther King's and Cesar Chavez', are powerful peices and communicate one vision: equality. King and Chavez have two very different styles of writing but the message from both is simmilar. for example both king and chavez discuss how their people are discriminated against because of their skin color, and how their people have neither the right to vote in the the south, nor the will to vote in the north , and in Chavez' situation, to have their vote counted. however similar their message's may be, their writing styles are different. Chavez talks about statistics, about why and how his people are treated. king held that the atrocitys commited against his people were self evident and as such did not need to be proved to anyone. kings message was meant to encompass the entire Uninted States while Chavez' was directed primarily at California.
The tone of King's piece is informative because he explains how color people are being treated. In contrast, Obama's tone of speech is persuading
King peacefully pleads for racial tolerance and the end of segregation by appealing to the better side of white Americans. His attempt to persuade America about the justice of his cause, and to gain support for the civil rights movement, was emotionally moving. He spoke to all races, but his rhetoric was patriotic, and culturally similar to, and focused on African-Americans. He was able to make practical use of a history many Americans are proud of. The use of repetition reinforced his words, making it simpler and more straightforward to follow.
Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were very significant during the Civil Rights Movement. Both were excellent speakers and shared one goal but had two different ways of resolving it. Martin Luther King Jr. chose to resolve the issues by using non-violence to create equality amongst all races to accomplish the goal. Malcolm X also wanted to decrease discrimination and get of segregation but by using another tactic to successfully accomplish the similar goal. The backgrounds of both men were one of the main driven forces behind the ways they executed their plans to rise above the various mistreatments. Martin Luther King Jr. was a more pronounced orator, a more refined leader, and overall saw the larger picture than Malcolm X.
Barack Obama has made a giant impact on the world, especially America. Living in a world were Africa Americans are a minority, and using his passion for helping other he has become one of the power men in the world. He has adapted to the constant changes in society, and tried to give all Americans a fair and happy life. He stopped a war, captures a fugitive, and passed laws are just a few of things that make Barack Obama so successful to serve two terms as a president. His honesty about his past, and his family relationship has made the Obama’s one of the most influential in the world.
To sum up, Obama has always been and will always be a great example of how to succeed in spite of difficulties or obstacles. Such a strong personality is worth to be admired. Obama has left me with positive feelings about the
...ably wonderful vibration, because one can tell by the content of the speech that both leaders have the best intentions of creating a better future for their country. It is very important to mention that after all, one believes that King has achieved his dream of equality since racism is not a problem in a America anymore, such that the president of the United States is African-american. Also, Obama is trying hard to create a better nation, and I am sure one day he will get his dream achieved just like Martin Luther King. Regarding the speeches, one personally believes that Martin Luther King's speech is more effective since it makes one really feel sorry for the horrible things that happened to all those innocent african americans, it would have really convinced me back then, although one must say Obama's speech was very touching and appealing to the emotions too.