MB UNIUD

B. Obama on Race

This speech is about racial conflicts in the USA and changes that must be operated to solve this problem.

The first paragraph deals with the American constitution and its intent to “form a more perfect union”; in spite of this, it didn’t deal with the problem of slavery, creating a gap between black and white people.

Obama talks about his candidacy. He justifies his choice to candidate himself with the challenge to create this “perfect union”. He tells his story to show how many possibilities could the USA offer and that change may happen. He speaks about the racial tensions and the polemic about his candidacy and about his relationship with reverend Wright. He doesn’t agree with the man but he tries to explain reverend Wright’s real position and to underline also his qualities telling his own experience at Trinity Church. He uses this situation as a pretext to talk about the racial question and the African-American people history of injustice and explain their rage. He does not only talk of black, but also of white people rage. He talks about social problems of all people and politic exploiting of them, without offering solutions. He aims to a change and exhorts the people to start operating this necessary change. He talks about American society and changeable, in progression. He hopes this election to be different and asks the voters to try to make it this way.

Obama lists the main social problems in the USA, problems he want to solve with his presidency: public instruction, public health, unemployment, houses; he finishes hoping in a patriotic union between every American people and he trusts in the future next generation to accomplish the mission he want to start.

In the conclusion the future president tells Ashley Baia’s story, a story of suffering and hope that makes the public reflect on social problems.

The most important aspect that makes a speech stick into the audience’s mind is the phonological and the semantic level. Repetition and use of informal register let the speaker make himself interesting and easily understandable. He often mentions reverend Wright, as a leitmotif to capture the audience’s attention. Another frequent expression is “this time” or, in general, the demonstrative pronouns, that focus the attention on the most important points. We can look at a section of the speech to notice Obama’s phonological and semantic strategies.

“We can do that.

But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we'll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.

That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, "Not this time." This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can't learn; that those kids who don't look like us are somebody else's problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy.

Not this time.

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 never should've been authorized and never should've 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 they have earned.”

Obama most uses the repetition of the expression “this time”; he poses it at the beginning of every sentence, to underline that he’s going to discuss a new important topic. Another strategy is the repetition of the same noun or the same adjective accompanied with a different word (for example black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children or who serve together, and fight together, and bleed together). The use of the informal register is recognizable from some words like kids as children.