A black male and a white male may live parallel lives in America, but why does one struggle to have a similar life as the other? For 300 years, racial inequality has been a struggle to overcome and surpass. There were times in history when the black community has gotten a step closer to racial equality, but as much as there is a step in the right direction, in our world, there is always a step backward. Regarding such a topic, President Obama, the first black U.S. president, presented a speech titled A More Perfect Union in 2008. This speech talks about the racial issues in the U.S. from the Civil Rights Movement to the current day. It caused much controversy for Obama when he eventually ran for president, nonetheless, it became his most famous …show more content…
For instance, Obama’s opening statement is, “We the people, in order to form a perfect union” (Obama 2008). This line is the first line of the preamble to the Constitution, the documentation of the foundation of the United States of America. Beginning with this line, along with titling his speech very similarly, demonstrates the main idea and the purpose behind his speech. Also, within the first twenty lines of his speech, he began to summarize the struggle the country has with establishing the foundations while still having slavery in question (Obama 2008). Civil disobedience was mentioned in this portion as well to describe the fight black people had to endure for their God-given rights. For those who are unaware, Martin Luther King Jr., a very well-known respected civil rights activist, is the founder of this term because his protests involved breaking subtle laws, all non-violent. Additionally, this former president brings up Brown v. Board of Education and the education system in America. The first black president says, “Segregated schools were and are inferior schools; we still haven't fixed them, 50 years after Brown v. Board of …show more content…
However, the accessibility to these schools and the education they provide is what former President Barack Obama is trying to discuss. He said that there is a systematic gap in academic achievement between black and white students because of this situation. All in all, incorporating famous civil rights events and activists like King and Brown v. Board boosted his credibility and proved to his audience the driving force behind the main idea of this speech. But, it's not always the evidence that grabs the attention of the audience; sometimes it is the heartfelt story that comes with it. Following that statement, Obama’s use of pathos is another key factor that makes A More Perfect Union speech an infamous one in his presidential career. Barack Obama’s backstory is different and unique, which makes it tie well together in the speech. As a matter of fact, in this speech, he explains how he was the child of an interracial couple (white mom and black dad) and was raised by grandparents who were involved in detrimental parts of the nation such as World War II. He has cousins of every skin color all over the world and his wife, Michelle Obama, has the blood of former slaves and slave
Rhetorical Analysis (Essay #3) In his speech “A More Perfect Union,” Barack Obama uses different types of rhetorical concepts to emphasize his views on the importance of unity in America in order to eradicate racism. The purpose of the speech was to address Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s (His former pastor) racial comment, and to encourage people to form “A More Perfect Union”. The speech is effective because Obama uses ethos, pathos, and logos to persuade the audience to come together as one nation
Rhetorical Analysis Essay The past isn't dead and buried. In fact, it isn't even past (Obama).” This took place during the contest for the 2008 Democratic Party presidential nomination. In the world, there is still segregation between whites and blacks. Soon after this speech in 2008, he was also elected as the President of the United States. During this time, many people thought segregation was gone, but that was not the case, according to Obama. The challenges that African Americans face and continue
Speech Analysis Essay The speech I chose was Barack Obama’s “A More Perfect Union”. He delivered this speech on March 18, 2008 to a Philadelphia conference campaigning for a position in the White House as the next president. As well as having many people in the audience, his speech was being broadcasted so many families around the country were watching. He delivered his speech for one purpose and that purpose was to get the American people to like him. With the people liking him, he would get
Breaking Down Obama Obamas A More Perfect Union establishes ethos by including past events that have affected America, this really presents the audience with a sense of compassion pertaining pathos,ethos, and logical (logos) arguments to persuade the audience. This speech is so moving because race can be such a difficult topic to talk about, especially when you have a whole nation watching you. In this speech Obama addresses the issues of race and addresses the comments that were made by his pastor
On March 18, 2008, Democratic Party Presidential Candidate Barack Obama delivered a speech named “A More Perfect Union.” In this speech, he responded to a controversy created by Reverend Jeremiah Wright, his former pastor. Wright made several controversial statements, some of which were considered against America. The speech was delivered as a result of the controversy because many Americans thought that Obama also believed in what Wright was saying. In the speech, he addresses the subject of racial
Senator Barack Obama delivered the speech titled “A More Perfect Union” on March 18, 2008 near the historical site of the signing of the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. First, he opens up with a personal and historical background to highlight the kairotic moment and the present, then appeals to pathos through multiple examples of racial injustice to specify the essential of such change, and finally uses his appeals to ethos to suggest, but not legislate, manner of change for black
March 18, 2008 Presidential Candidate Barack Obama gave an entitled speech “A More Perfect Union”. Due to all the commotion and disturbance with his reverend Jeremiah Wright and his very harsh comments he made during his sermon were made YouTube videos. He explains his thoughts in the use of a very soft tone to clean up this mess and to bring this union together as one. “I choose to run president at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless
In 2008, democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama gave a speech, now named “A More Perfect Union”, in response to the controversy over his pastor, Jeremiah Wright, making some very racist remarks against whites and accusing the United States of bringing on the September 11 attacks by spreading terrorism. In his speech, Obama uses many rhetorical strategies including repetition, parallelism, allusion, and metaphors in order to make his statement that, regardless of race, the American people
pastor and, until shortly before the speech was given, campaign participant, Jeremiah Wright. The speech was entitled “A More Perfect Union”, a phrase which he borrows from the preamble of the U.S. Constitution to remind his audience of the original values of America’s founding fathers and their goal to create an independent democratic nation, free of tyranny, i.e., a perfect union. Obama reveals that the long-lasting issue with that goal is that it was incomplete at the time and has yet to be reached
The speech “A More Perfect Union” given by Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign rallied a great deal of support towards his election. In this essay I will analyze the effect his tone and style had on his audience, as well as give my personal reaction to the speech. On March 18 2008 presidential candidate Barack Obama addressed a growing controversy surrounding the racial views expressed by his former pastor Reverend Wright. Beyond simply expressing disapproval towards these opinions
During the presidential election of 2008, Presidential candidate Barack Obama, delivered his speech “A More Perfect Union,” on March 18. He was dealing with the backlash of previous controversial statements made by his pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Videos of the reverend surfaced where he was seen saying that America deserved 9/11 because terrorism is spread throughout the country by its own citizens. As a result, Barack Obama had to re-establish his image in the minds of American citizens and
Despite being the first African American in history to be elected President of the United States, Obama had his fair share of being discriminated against throughout his long journey to office. On March 18, 2008, Obama delivered the speech “A More Perfect Union” at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In his speech, he responded to the criticisms of his relationship with his Pastor whom was said to have been making inflammatory statements about the U.S government and race
of “A More Perfect Union”: Why It Worked, takes a stance on President Barack Obama’s speech while analyzing it. President Barack Obama delivered a speech titled “A More Perfect Union.” His speech focused on the prominent issue of racism in America. In this article, Clark talks about President Obama’s known power and brilliance. Clark makes references and comparisons to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and W.EB. DuBois. “A More Perfect Union” features writing techniques that makes the message more defined
equality for all. Obama makes his call to the American people by saying, “we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together, unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes” (Obama 2008). He essentially proposes another promise for Americans to work on becoming a better union, one which acknowledges the differences among individuals, one that recognizes everyone faces different obstacles for different
When looking back on the 18th of March, 2008, several do not believe that it is a significant date. It is not a holiday, nor a significant day in history, though, it is the day that Barack Obama delivered his “A More Perfect Union” speech at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama spoke to the public concerning extremely racial comments his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, had declared. Obama tries to persuade the people to understand that he