Barack Obama’s “Speech on Race” undoubtedly is an amazing speech and will probably become a classic. Obviously, his speech deals with a lot of personal stories, emotional standpoints, incredible use of language that makes the reader feel emotional. He also quotes a lot of famous authors, which can play into an appeal of a reader. It’s important to note that the way this speech is formatted, Barack Obama you could say agrees with eveyone, but still points out the negative effect of people’s thoughts and behaviors. He uses understanding to see every perspective, and although he doesn’t justify any of them, his strategy gains a lot of momentum because everyone can agree that “ Oh he knows how it feels” “He understands me.” etc. All in all his message is creating a unity ,that we are all a part of America. We all have to focus on the same issues.
He would mention “In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans don't feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience — as far as they're concerned, no one handed them anything. They built it from scratch. They've worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pensions dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and they feel their dreams slipping away. And in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear an African-American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committed; when they're told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time.” In this quote, he understands where racism might occur in a white perspective. He’s basically saying “yes I understand where your coming from” without justifying racism at all.
Language is a key strategy Obama uses in his speech. I feel the strongest part of the speech where he uses language to play into emotion of the reader is here;“This time we want to talk about how the lines in the emergency room are filled with whites and blacks and Hispanics who do not have health care, who don't have the power on their own to overcome the special interests in Washington, but who can take them on if we do it together.
This time, we want to talk about the shuttered mills that once provided a decent life for men and women of every race, and the homes for sale that once belonged to Americans from every religion, every region, every walk of life. This time, we want to talk about the fact that the real problem is not that someone who doesn't look like you might take your job; it's that the corporation you work for will ship it overseas for nothing more than a profit.
This time, we want to talk about the men and women of every color and creed who serve together and fight together and bleed together under the same proud flag. We want to talk about how to bring them home from a war that should have never been authorized and should have never been waged. And we want to talk about how we'll show our patriotism by caring for them and their families, and giving them the benefits that they have earned.” The repitition of this time creates a strong emotional feel. He uses key examples like “the lines of the emergency room filled with every race who need healthcare”, which furthermore creates his understanding of the troubles we face as Americans. His use of adjectives and description creates an intense visualization and again plays into emotional appeals.
He ends his speech with a story. I always found that is such an interesting way to end your speech and a great strategy to use. The reason for this is, once again he plays into emotion, but he leaves the audience with something to think about. Something memorable, even though his speech is something that will always be remembered, but the first thing I probably would remember is Ashley and her story. “"I'm here because of Ashley." By itself, that single moment of recognition between that young white girl and that old black man is not enough. It is not enough to give health care to the sick, or jobs to the jobless, or education to our children.” This is probably the most intense example Barack uses to describe the start of where unity starts.
In english class, we mentioned how Obama’s campaign focuses a lot on a pathos appeal. Without a doubt, this speech is solid proof of that. All his strategies and concepts tie into an emotional appeal to the audience. It really makes it not only an awesome speech, but a very touching one also.
