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Critique of President Obama's Inaugural Speech
On 20th January 2009, Barack H. Obama became the forty fourth president of the United States. About two million people attended this ceremony and another billion watched it live on television; this fact in itself explains the expectations that people had from his inaugural speech. It was a moment of change for which the world had waited since Obama gave his victory speech in Chicago. Whether or not he lived upto those expectations, is a question open for debate. The theme for Obama’s speech can be stated as drawing inspiration from our glorious past. This goes well with him as he is well-versed with American history and revolution. The people were looking upto him for vision, guidance and inspiration because he made people believe that things can change. He is the first Black President of America, already being compared with the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King and Ronald Reagan because all of them came from humble backgrounds and stood for change in the American society. The speech began with Obama thanking President Bush for his services and co-operation, a gesture which signaled respect for an individual, irrespective of the factor of agreement with him. Early in his twenty minute speech, he acknowledged the crisis the country was going through, quite honestly and frankly. “Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many.” There was no false promise for an immediate solution, but he was wise enough to address this issue early as it was foremost in the minds of the people. His resolve to tackle the issue was well received when he firmly declared, “But know this, America - they will be met.” Barack Obama won the election on the message of hope, “Yes, we can!” In his inaugural speech too, he tried to instill hope in the people by reminding them of their glorious past which was hard earned and well-deserved. He reminded them of their struggle by citing scriptures and the Declaration of Independence, clearly stating that the Americans have always overcome all sorts of crises and that the time had come to face this one— “Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.” Further, he emphasized the work which needs to be done, from job creation to the building of roads and bridges, from restoring science and technology to harnessing natural resources, to running factories and transforming educational institutions. “All this we can do. And all this we will do.” Barack Obama, in the latter part of this speech, spoke to the people and the world about his foreign policy, very firmly and very clearly, stating that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more. He had a message for all the corners of the world. He promised to leave Iraq to its people and forge peace in Afghanistan. Obama strongly condemned the terror groups in his statement, “We say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.” “To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.” He further instilled hope in poor countries by lending a helping hand and invited other developed countries to participate in this task of their upliftment. “For the world has changed, and we must change with it.” Barack Obama invited all and sundry to work for the common good of the fellow people by sticking to our basic morals and ideals, respecting each other's faiths and beliefs and staying together in spite of this cultural diversity. He smartly drew a parallel between the armed forces and common men in terms of embodiment of spirit. This was quite remarkable. This was his call for action, yet he stuck to the basics of success - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism. Obama concluded in a fine way, taking a story from the Revolution, indeed a great metaphor. He quoted George Washington’s famous lines, “Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it).” His conclusion, once again inspired and called for the people to have faith and brave the struggle they had to face and to carry the American legacy forward to the future generations. The language of the speech was clear and wonderfully crafted. It was well thought of, well-written and well-rehearsed. The only flaw which one can point right now is the absence of any phrase which people would be quoting few decades from now (though, this shall be tested with time). Like there was no “Yes, we can!” or “I have a dream” or “ask not…”. But there were several good one -liners which have already been stated above. The words keep flowing, down to each punctuation mark, word and paragraph. The magical rule of three was followed here also. Some examples:
The language is spiced up by the use of contrasts to highlight and sharpen concepts as also seen in Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream.’ Here are a few examples from Obama’s speech:
Obama stood erect throughout his speech; though he moved his hand frequently, he kept his shoulders erect, demonstrating composure. He altered the pace and tone of his voice to bring out the emphasis of the context. The words were carefully chosen and Obama spoke with an exuberance that brings him on par with the best orators ever. His language was spicy and lucid enough to keep up the interest of the audience who applauded regularly, which Obama graciously acknowledged. Obama’s address to the world was not about fact and figures. He painted a broad perspective of how things are right now, and how they should be. It was addressed to a nation fighting its economic crisis and to a world which looks up to America for leadership and development; Obama did a magnificent task of inspiring and instilling confidence. How he moves forward from here and where he takes his people and the world remains to be seen. Works Cited Obama, Barack. “Full Transcript: President Barack Obama's Inaugural Address” The New York Times 20 January 2009
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