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Barack Obama, "The Audacity of Hope" speech
Analysis of inspirational speech Obama
Analysis of inspirational speech Obama
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Recommended: Barack Obama, "The Audacity of Hope" speech
In a world of hate, corruption, and angst, hope for achievement seems improbable. Literary works depict incredulities like slavery and discrimination from the birth of our nation, but, silver linings exist in forms of inspiring activists and confident presidents. Barack Obama addresses not only our nation, but the entire world in his famous speech ¨A More Perfect Union¨. He highlights the promise of modern democracy, while identifying underlying issues that affected his own life. Similarly, Maya Angelou reminisces about her childhood to reveal the horror of discrimination, while discerning the significance of the American Dream. Despite the contrasts in their childhoods and family settings, Obama and Angelou share similar feelings that society …show more content…
Like any great politicians or social icons, the past builds opinions about the world around them. Although Obama and Angelou were surrounded by African American influence as children, the time period in which they grew up in created a division in their outlook to success and racism. Obama explains, “We cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we perfect our union by understanding that we have different stories...we may not come from the same place… I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas…” (Obama 548-549). He claims that understanding everyone’s history should enlighten the children of the future, so the same mistakes are not made. Through his didactic tone and repetition, Obama is able to give insight on his own life. He experienced a more liberal household where he learned views of both sides of the issue, racism. Thus, the liberality of his opinion transpired into acceptance by voters in the election because he understood African …show more content…
Obama passionately asserts, “Like other predominantly black churches across the country, Trinity embodies the black community in its entirety… they may seem jarring to untrained ear…. it contains in full the kindness and the cruelty, the fierce intelligence and the shocking ignorance…” (652). Sundays are the most segregated day of the week because it is when every culture divides amongst its sections to discuss issues that are predominantly concerning that certain race. However, Obama sees it as a day for the nation to unite because it is a time to relieve some of the prejudiced pressure. Using figurative speech and a loaded diction, Obama emphasizes how his church affected his view of society. Similarly, Angelou feels that her church drove her to make hypothesis on race and culture. Living in a community where church was a social hub, Angelou recalls, “Even the minister preached on graduation the Sunday before. His subject was, ‘Let your light shine so that men will see your good works and praise your Father, Who is in Heaven...’” (Angelou, 24). Her view of her community was strongly influenced by the practices of her congregation. Along with her allusion, Angelou is able to understand an American Vision from the lenses of a devoted individual who truly cares about not only her community, but the wellbeing of society to be above
When Barack Obama ran for presidency, there were a lot of questions about his race, color, and whether he was born in the U.S.. The comments from his pastor Jeremiah Wright put him in an awkward situation, so he decided to give this speech to prove the point that we are all the same and live in the same country, so there shouldn’t be any discrimination among anyone. In his speech, Obama uses rhetorical devices to explain how race discrimination is affecting our country and us in every way possible. The use of rhetorical devices in this speech has strong effects on the audience. The use of allusion, symbolism, optimistic tone, and repetition of words gives the speech a strong argumentative tone. He argues the fact that to be able to achieve such big goals and how out country was supposed to be from the beginning, we need to stay united and rely on younger
Ida B. Wells and James Baldwin were two activists who suggested strategies that advocated for social change. Although they were active during different centuries, they both utilized their writing, describing their experiences to promote equality in the communities they were a part of. Highlighting Wells’ and Baldwin’s experiences and arguments is important to discuss because they were key figures during the fight for civil rights. Although both civil rights activists utilized their creative writing ability to fight for justice, their writing types transcended different outcomes. In other words, Wells and Baldwin describes their encounters with racism and discrimination in several ways.
Maya Angelou lived through a time where she was discriminated against for not only her race but also her gender. In her poem “Still I Rise” Angelou sarcastically talks about how no matter what is thrown at her she will rise above it and she will do it with resilience and confidence. Her poem discusses racism and sexism and gives minorities and women a sense of hope to overcome and endure both of those things. Angelou’s self-assurance in the poem makes you believe that you too can overcome whatever obstacle. Although this poem was intended for blacks, and women, and specifically black women, the poem helps build up strong and courageous people no matter what race or gender you are. Maya Angelou in “Still I Rise” uses both pathos and ethos to
Throughout life graduation, or the advancement to the next distinct level of growth, is sometimes acknowledged with the pomp and circumstance of the grand commencement ceremony, but many times the graduation is as whisper soft and natural as taking a breath. In the moving autobiographical essay, "The Graduation," Maya Angelou effectively applies three rhetorical strategies - an expressive voice, illustrative comparison and contrast, and flowing sentences bursting with vivid simile and delightful imagery - to examine the personal growth of humans caught in the adversity of racial discrimination.
Maya Angelou’s “Equality” depicts a more patient yet tenacious rebel than described in Dunbar’s poem. “You declare you see me dimly”, she begins, “through a glass that will not shine.” Maya describes the denial of her boldness, of her rebellion; but, she continues to march, chanting “Equality and I will be free. Equality and I will be free.” She identifies herself as a shadow, unimportant to those she opposes— but she intends to repeat the mantra “Equality and I will be free” until she is heard. The sixth stanza left me in literal tears (and I am not an emotional person, thank you very
In contempt of Obama’s humble giving spirit, vivid personality, and many accomplishments, a debate is always at hand upon hearing the infamous name Barack Hussein Obama. From his place of birth, religion, and ethnicity Obama’s face a fair share of controversy. At the heels of adversity along with sheer determination to help others Obama became a leader that delivers and one of the most influential people of America. Adversity was introduced to Obama at an early age. With a Kenyan father and Caucasian mother residing in Hawaii, Obama has always stood out in numerous ways. In 1959 Barack Obama Senior was selected from a number of candidates to go to school in the US where he attended The University of Hawaii in Honolulu to
Summary: This book, Barack Obama, was an expository. It informs readers about the life of Barack Obama – from his childhood to his adult life as President of the United States. This book talked about how Obama came from a multicultural family with a mom from Kansas and his father from Kenya. It continues to discuss Barack’s elementary and high school years, meeting his wife, and having two daughters. Furthermore, it explains how Obama entered politics and won his first political race in 1996. As time went on, Obama progressed to further political achievements. On November 4, 2008, Barack Obama became the first African American President of the United States.
Humans consistently make comparisons between themselves and the next person, over fashion, cars, jobs, the nation they belong to, religion, and the land they own. All of these are material things, yet their egos divide them into groups who feel superior to the other in order to pride themselves. Pride can be beneficial, but it has more detrimental effects than positive ones, as pride and ego make people feel more important to others, spark rivalries between groups such as how nationalism influences war and hatred, and caused white people to treat the black community as an inferior people such as in Maya Angelou’s memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. In this deeply frustrating yet inspiring text we follow Maya Angelou’s emotional roller coaster as she gains more confidence and pride in both herself and her race despite extensive setbacks such as being raped at eight years old, and she explains her
Maya Angelou and Cady Stanton both wrote about freedom, equality and achievement and success. In Angelou's poem “On The Pulse of Morning” and Stanton’s speech “Declaration of the Sentiments of seneca falls woman's right convertion” each piece were compared and contrasted based off what Stanton and Angelou wrote. Angelou wrote her speech based off a tree, and Stanton wrote her idea based off what was currently going on in the world. While some difference between Maya Angelou and Cady Stanton are evident, the similarities and differences are sticking.
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance helps readers to understand the exigencies of race, class, and gender in modern American and African American history by illustrating how these demands effect and shape a young Barack Obama as we follow his journey to understand who he is in the absence of his father. Much of the early parts of the memoir reflect on his struggles to understand the complexity of black identity. Obama has the added difficulty of looking at race from a multiracial perspective. He is reconciling being born to a white mother from the Midwest and a black African father from Kenya, in the midst of a country battling with how to move beyond its own demons. It raises the question of how do you learn to be a black man when a white family is raising you, and your black father is nothing more than a collection of other people’s memories. As Obama states “I was trying to raise myself to be a black man in America, and beyond the given of my appearance, no one around me seemed to know exactly what that meant. (70)”
Obama emotionally influences the nation to move forward from the issues of race that is hindering America. Without dwelling on his family tree, Obama reminds us that his father was black and his mother white, that he came from Kenya, but she came from Kansas: “I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slave and slave owners — an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles, and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.
In the autobiography, Obama entails on the beginning journey of his life from early childhood to young adulthood. The novel begins with him finding out from his aunt that his father has passed away in Nairobi. Obama’s father left him and his mother when he was only 2 years old. Obama then talks about the family he grew up with, his mother and grandparents, and the racism they dealt with at a time when few accepted interracial relations and even more so marriages. He recalls being made fun of as a young child when other kids would make monkey noises when it was discovered his father was from Kenya. He then moves to Indonesia when his mother remarries, but then at 10 years old moves back to Hawaii where he spent his early childhood. It was with his grandparents that he developed much of his character and learned how strongly education was emphasized in his family. Obama also talks about how fascinated he was with by his father. As he grows a bit older into adolescence, Obama learns more about race relations and reads the book Heart of Darkness. This book helps him to see how white people look at black people, as a white man wrote the book talking about black people. He also delves into his marijuana use, which he used to help him during this confusing and rough period in his life. Obama’s story then ...
Barack Obama has made no secret that over the past three decades Nelson Mandela has been the greatest influence in his life. Coming from an African ancestry, Obama drew inspiration from Mandela’s life and influenced Obama to take himself upon a journey of self-discovery and find his own voice (Obama, 2004). The repercussions of Mandela’s inspirational work caused Obama to become a part of an anti-apartheid divestment movement in college and to shift to focusing on law and politics (Epstein, 2013). Now that Barack Obama has become President of the United States of America, he has consistently quoted Mandela in all his keynote speeches speaking of freedom and equality and his actions and words are inspired by the desire to emulate Mandela’s powerful actions and movements and the examples that he set, in the 21st century (Killough, 2013). Even within the tribute to Mandela, Obama (2013) says “You can make his life’s work your own…It stirred something ...
In Maya Angelou’s “And Still I Rise”, Maya Angelou presents herself as a soulful African-American woman that will not be oppressed. She writes herself as a person that is above all the racial discrimination. Maya Angelou weaves a beautiful poem that embodies the resilience that is held by all the African-American people, and she even adds remarks about her sexuality. During this time period, African-American people were greatly oppressed, and they fought back for equal treatment. However, women were treated just as badly, and if someone happened to be both African-American and female, they were viewed as the lowest of the low. Even though Maya Angelou was an African-American woman, she was proud of her race and her gender, and she made that
Who knew in 2004 that we would have our first black president? In the Democratic National Convention, senator Barack Obama spoke for the presidential candidate, John Kerry. As the keynote speaker for the Democratic party, he emphasized the principles of his party and unity of American people . With his audience members being democrats, republicans, liberals, and conservatives, he knows that they have their differences, but in the end, they pledge their loyalties to the same country; Obama effectively captures the mind of his audience in a well-orchestrated speech, his character and spirit spoke volumes about him as an individual, and his expert storytelling made the audience members think.