As a way of dispelling the fears of some White Americans as well as to advance his chances of winning the trust of people, Barack Obama delivered an important address concerning race matters in the United Speech.
On March 18, 2008, Obama expressed his intention to move the US to a better place in terms of understanding and valuing diversity. In his rhetoric, he emphasized the immediate goals of his speech, which was concerned with reassuring the audience of potential voters that there was nothing to fear and that racial diversity could be used as a tool for advancing the country. The effectiveness of the speech relied on such important elements as allusions, oratorical resonance, patriotic associations, and the inclusion of himself as a character in the narrative.
Analysis
Allusion is a rhetorical tool that is reflected in Obama’s mentioning of the patriotic lexicon. From the very beginning of the speech, he references democracy, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and other valuable aspects of national history. To dispel the fears of the audience, he uses such language as “survived a Depression,” “out of many, we are truly one,” and “where our union grows stronger” (“A more perfect union,” 2018, para. 1).
Patriotic language is intertwined into his speech as a tool for uniting his voters. Obama says, “we may not come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction” (“A more perfect union,” 2018, para. 6). Unification was the goal from the very beginning, which is why Obama paid attention to the way in which the messages of equality and race were transferred. Including himself into the narrative was done without exaggeration and populism. Rather, he reminded his audience of his background and underlined the importance of accepting people of “every race and every hue” (“A more perfect union,” 2018, para. 7). Obama praises America, stating that in no other country on the globe, his story would be even possible.
References
A more perfect union. (2008). Web.