Rhetorical Analysis: A More Perfect Union

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 the current undecided voters. He uses multiple literary devices to enhance his opinions on where the country is currently at, and how to move forward in the future.

Former Illinois senator Barack Obama wanted to showcase his pro American beliefs and

values to restore confidence in the eyes of American citizens. Through the use of an allusion to the American constitution, he establishes a baseline with the audience. This is effective because everyone is able to relate to the statement, “We the people,” and when he starts with this, it leaves a resonating feeling in the audience that he personally believes in the same ideals of our founding fathers (Page1). It shows that he is aware of our past, but is unwilling to shy away from current issues that we as a country have to work together to move forward. When Barack Obama establishes the idea of a “more perfect union,” is a paradox, it shows his understanding that we can never be perfect, but we
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can still improve.

He addresses that the problems we face today were problems that were ignored in the past, and he quotes William Faulkner who states, “The past isn't dead and buried. In fact, it isn't even past.” (Page4) Senator Obama does not want us to continue to ignore them because if they continue to be overlooked, the problems will not improve. Throughout his speech he uses repetition of the word “more” to instill the idea of progression in America . Further into his speech, he talks about how we as a citizens must strive for a “more just, more equal, more free, more caring, more prosperous” country for our future generations (Page1). The repetition creates a feeling of unity within the audience, and almost works as a call to action for everyone to come together to improve as a whole. At this moment the crowd can see that he understands our values and beliefs as Americans and this sets the mood for the rest of the

speech.
In the middle of the speech, presidential candidate Barack Obama uses metaphors and more repetition to talk about current issues that are present in American society. He speaks about how as Americans we can not “simply retreat into our respective corners” whenever issues are brought to the table (Page4). We must face them head on. When he speaks of respective corners it serves as a comparison to boxers that are at the end of a round. While in the corners the boxers are not technically fighting, and there is a makeshift form of peace, but when the bell rings to start the next round they will begin to fight again. He uses this metaphor for a reason. When people just walk away from a problem to temporarily solve it, the problem is still there. Walking away also causes more of a divide, because it builds the mentality of “us versus them,” which is the opposite of a union. And the problem will enviably rise again because it was never completely solved the last time it came forth. Barack Obama doesn't want us to simply “agree to disagree,” he wants us to come together as a community to sit down and work through our issues so they can finally be laid to rest. He builds on this idea of togetherness by repeating “we” when talking about actions that take place by the
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community. He states that if we can not unify, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges such as, “health care, education, and unemployment” (Page4). If all Americans live a selfish life without caring for his or her “neighbor,” there is no way for America to progress. All problems we face are too immense to handle alone. Everyone must do their part to help others through a tough time, even if they themselves are not personally facing that particular situation. Helping others will work to form “a more perfect union,” and assist America in its progression. This is the main message behind the words of Barack Obama as he speaks of problem solving during this portion of his speech.
As he nears the ending section of his speech, presidential candidate Barack Obama brings his theme of Hope to the surface.

The word hope was Obama’s propelling ideology. It was what he lived by and wanted to spread throughout the country. He feels that what we have already accomplished should give us hope. America has evolved so much since the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, and is still rapidly changing. Life is much more advanced, and although we still face issues, we are not defined by those issues. Obama uses hope to show that Americans should not give up on their dreams and continue to strive for success. America should appreciate where we are as a society, but not settle for our current state. As a country, we have proved we can solve issues and improve lives for all Americans. The fact that this country has a “system to where a citizen can be voted into office and build a coalition between all the walks of life that occupy it,” is a major achievement (Page6). Barack Obama, being an African American man, felt himself that he was not expected to make it to the highest office, but he did not let the opinions of others stop him from climbing on, and this is a reason why Barack Obama feels we should have the audacity to hope. This theme is relatable to everyone and

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using it, Barack Obama has spread inspiration into the audience for everyone to continue to hope for greater lives and a greater country.
Through the use of rhetorical strategies Barack Obama was able to build on the theme of hope and progression in America. His candidacy alone was a symbol for hope, and he was able to instill that into his audience and all of America. As a result of this speech, he gained the support of undecided voters in America, and he became the first African American president of the United States.