FACULTAD DE FILOLOGÍA

APELLIDOS Y NOMBRE: DÍAZ DE TUESTA VALENCIA, IRATI

DNI: 45664002-D
CENTRO ASOCIADO: BIZKAIA

MUNDOS ANGLÓFONOS EN PERSPECTIVA HISTÓRICA Y CULTURAL

Grado en Estudios Ingleses
PEC 2, Curso 2020-2021

INAUGURAL ADDRESS, BARACK H. OBAMA (2009)

TEXT CLASSIFICATION (Category of the document, time frame, location, author and
audience)

The text at hand is a political and expository speech delivered by Barak H. Obama in
January 2009, from The White House in Washington DC. He addressed it to all the
American people, to the ones that had voted for him and, also, to those who had not. This is
the full speech that Mr. Obama pronounced after being the first African American to be
elected president of The United States of America (USA), and it will be historically
remembered as the beginning of a new era.

CONTEXT

The context of the speech are the US presidential elections of 2008. Against all odds, Mr.
Obama beat the Republican John McCain after a tough campaign and became, as said
before, the first Black to hold the office in a country; a country, that less than a century ago
segregated and discriminated black people. According to political experts, there were
several reasons or situations that favoured his electoral victory. For starters, George W.
Bush -the outgoing president- had involved the USA in a very unpopular war and his
policies in the Middle East had cost the American people money and lives. Additionally, the
whole world was suffering an enormous economic crisis, a crisis that reminded us the worst
days of the Great Depression back in 1929. The consequences of this economic meltdown
were colossal and thousands of people in the USA, and in the whole world, lost everything
they had: jobs, homes, savings, etc. Altogether, all these factors made the perfect climate
for a new face, someone who could bring peace, hope and prosperity back to the American
people.

TEXT ANALYSIS

‘My fellow citizens’, this is the opening sentence of the speech. This phrase, together with
words like ‘our Nation’, ‘our liberty’, ‘our enduring spirit’, ‘our minds’, ‘our journey’, etc. are
chosen instead of a first person singular, to attract the public’s attention, to seem closer to
the people and to create a sense of unity among the American people. Additionally, he
wants to come across as an ordinary man, so that the citizens can relate to him and this is
the reason why he talks about his father and his struggles as a black man. Right after this,
Mr. Obama comforts and thanks the American people for the past of their Nation, confronts
and is blunt about their current situation and encourages them for what is to come, for the
future. Generally speaking, the internal structure of the text that he follows has this pattern:
Firstly, he acknowledges a situation; then, he presents actions or ways to improve it and
finally, he gives a general message of hope. If we were to mention the main topics of the
speech, we could say that the incoming President covers in this text the main areas of any
country’s governance: economy, defence, health system, education, and
environment/sustainability; although, truth be told, his speech is mainly focused on the first
two topics.

For instance, when it comes to the economy, he follows the pattern that has been
mentioned above: he starts off by saying ‘Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence
of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some’. Continues with ‘The state of our economy
calls for action, bold and swift.  And we will act, not only to create new jobs, but to lay a
new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital
lines that feed our commerce.’ And his last words about the topic are ‘All this we can do. All
this we will do.’ However, when it comes to talking about defence, the pattern changes a
little. In fact, he starts off by stating USA’s position in this matter ‘to all the other peoples
and governments who are watching today, [..], know that America is a friend of each nation,
and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity.  And we are
ready to lead once more’. He continues addressing the people responsible for going against
America’s peaceful values ‘for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and
slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken
-- you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you’. Later on, he highlights the value of
American heritage ‘our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness.  We are a nation
of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers’. After that, he underlines
the value of those who serve and had served the country ‘we remember with humble
gratitude those brave Americans who at this very hour patrol far-off deserts and distant
mountains.  They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington
whisper through the ages.’ Finally, Mr. Obama wraps up the topic and ends it saying that
‘Our challenges may be new […] but those values upon which our success depends --
honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and
patriotism -- these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of
progress throughout our history.’  

Regarding the style, we can comment on the presence of some rhetoric figures. Firstly,
we have come across anaphora in sentences like ‘the God-given promise that all are
equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness’ or
‘our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less
inventive, our goods and services no less needed […]. Our capacity remains
undiminished’. Secondly, we appreciate alliteration in sentences like ‘they toiled in
sweatshops, and settled the West’, where the /t/ sound repeats. Thirdly, there is epiphora,
a counterpart of anaphora, where the repetition occurs in the last part of successive clauses
and sentences. For example, on this speech we can find it in ‘Our challenges may be
new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new’. We must point out at this
time that all these literary devices are used throughout the text to highlight the most
important ideas for Mr. Obama. Finally, we believe to have found euphemism in ‘for those
who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, [..] you
cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you’, where the words kill, imprison or destroy have
been replaced by defeat; a polite choice used in place of those other words that might be
considered harsh.

CONCLUSION AND PERSONAL OPINION

Mr. Obama’s speech has the bitter with the sweet. On the one hand, he mentions the
great global economic crisis and the sacrifices and hard decisions that everyone will have
to make, including himself. On the other hand, he conveys an optimistic message and puts
his faith on the possibilities of the American people to overcome the situation. The speaker
is very well known for his communicative skills both verbal and non-verbal communication
and this speech is the living proof of it. The message is direct and serious, it sounds
sincere, and Mr. Obama, with his body language, pronunciation and intonation, shows great
leadership, determination, transmits patriotism and first and foremost he gives hope to the
American people.

From a personal point of view, I must admit that it is possibly the first political speech that I
have recently listened to in its full extent. It is easy to lose interest in politics when
politicians are so far from real people’s problems, and if they address those, they tend to do
it with empty arguments and in a disrespectful way. We have too many politicians with
insufficient education and work experience and with low ethical and moral standards, who
are unable to attract and motivate the electorate. To conclude, we think that it is appropriate
to say that this speech shaped, undoubtedly, the beginning of a new era in and the bottom
line, is that Mr. Obama was re-elected President of one of the most powerful Nations in the
world; so, his speeches accompanied by his actions and policies must have spoken for
themselves.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

- Biography Editors. (2017). Barack Obama Biography. Retrieved from:

http://www.biography.com/people/barack-obama-12782369

- California State University. (2010). Rhetorical Figures. Retrieved from

http://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/rhetfig.html

- The White House, President Obama. (2019). President Barack Obama's Inaugural
Address. Retrieved from
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2009/01/21/president-barack-obamas-
inaugural-address