Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Author's Self-portrayal



Barack Obama's "A More Perfect Union" speech was given in 2008 as a response to his former pastor's statement about Obama. In this speech, Obama gives a background information as to why he decided to name this speech "A More Perfect Union." This background includes educated history of the constitution, its "core idea," and the standards of living under its govern. By Obama giving this information he is portraying himself as a knowledgeable, intellectual man. He exclaims correct and factual history that only a  man of knowledge could project. He then tells of his "own American story" being poor through childhood, marrying an African American women, and having children. This enables Obama to portray himself as a strong, and wise being. He is strong for being able to endure the hardships that come with being a poor child. He is wise because of this same reason. Having a white grandfather who survived the Great Depression and served in Patton's Army during WWII and a white grandmother who survived allows Obama to have a special insight to the wise and noble words of them and their many experiences. They have taught him to be strong and wise. He also says that he attended a number of the best schools which obviously implies that he has obtained a great knowledge throughout his life. Many times through the speech he talks about his goals and visions he has for America. He explains them broadly, then slowly specifies in many actions that can be taken to ensure the success of his goals and America as a unified nation. His specific ideas showcase his determination to this goal. By being determined, he is able to influence the mind of his listeners and have them infer that with all things in life he has much determination. By portraying himself to have these notable characteristics, parallel to those of a great leader, his listeners and the nation will correlate him to that idea, likely support him and his future bills, and be hypnotized by his idea of a perfect world. His self-portrayal is important to his candidacy because it helps express his personal attributes that are important for the president to hold.

1 comment:

  1. The podcast entitled “Ally’s Choice,” and a passage entitled “A More Perfect Union,” both use emotions to attract their audience. “Ally’s Choice” is a podcast about two town’s who have different perspectives about race. These two Ohio towns, East Jackson and Waverly, are involved in a family feud regarding their race. East Jackson is a racially diverse town while Waverly is historically predominately white (96% of the town is white.) One family from East Jackson has experienced the shortcomings of living in this type of unequal society. This family has white skin, and appears to be Caucasian, however birth certificates and their family tree prove that they have black descendants. The majority of this family claims to be black… except for one member- Ally. At the age of 12 Ally began to identify her-self as white to gain popularity and acceptance at her school in Waverly. This seriously upset her mother and sister who are proud of their black heritage. Ally’s Choice uses tones and various long pauses to get across how what is going on in their family effects them. The people featured on the podcast’s use of serious vocal tones and long pauses are meant to draw emotion out of their audience and help draw their audience in.
    Barack Obama uses a similar emotional approach in “A More Perfect Union.” In this essay, Obama uses his personal experiences and beliefs to attract his audience towards understanding his sense of nationalism and patriotism. By being so open about his personal life, he allows readers to emotionally relate to his beliefs.

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