ANALYSIS OBAMA'S SPEECH

This is a part of the speech that President Barack Obama held on 6^th November after having been elected. The paragraphs I'm going to analyse belong to the first part of the body of his speech.

He starts putting a division between his and Romney's program and group. The idea is repeated in three consequent lines, which are not linked one another but express the same concept using different words and widening progressively the gaze from the particular to the general: candidates, parties, paths, visions. He puts his audience at a crossroads: they have to vote, to decide, but he remembers them that they do not choose for something that doesn't care, that is distant from them, but they are deciding for their future.

Later on he starts listing what he wants to realise during his term of office, but he doesn't use the world "I or mine", he tells about "We - ours". In this way he wants to make his audience feel part of his project, he wants to make them think he is near to them, understands their needs and wants to work for them. He wants to create unity.

The very first point of his campaign he names are the values of American people. He doesn't start speaking about concrete purposes but about something that makes each American common to the others. Indeed even if they have voted different people all the Americans are part of a country with those values. Once more the main aim of Obama is to create a link among his spectators. Going on (the sentence ) he doesn't explain which these values are but lists the consequence they have brought to, from the general to the peculiar. He says these values have made America economically great and have pushed each citizen to make his part. He quotes the stories of his grandparents. He uses this means to get closer to the audience. Indeed people are generally attracted by politicians who speak about themselves. It makes them seem common, near to the problems of people and not far distant as they seem when they speak from televisions about worldwide problems. Moreover he speaks both of men and women, conveying and idea of parity between genders. Furthermore he speaks about two aspects which are at the centre of America's policy: economy and army. In this way he reminds his audience about what are the characteristics of that country. He quotes these areas also because these are the main points of Romney's campaign. Obama wants to communicate to the Americans who have voted his opponent that he is also sensible to those arguments and will work also in those ways.

Then he starts listing those values, at first making examples. He speaks about "triumph over fascism" and therefore freedom, "innovative business" and "best products" and so innovation and excellence, quality, "sharing of pride and success" and therefore equality. After that he names other values that he puts under a "basic bargain" signed by all Americans: hard work, responsibility, rewarding, opportunities and equality in front of rules and law in each area of life: society (Main Street), economy (Wall Street), politics (Washington DC).

Later on he makes a step backwards and reminds his audience about what has happened in the previous years, since he has entered politics. He explains why he has decided to run for President saying he had understood there was something wrong and wanted to contribute solving the situation. Then he enumerates the problems Americans have faced in the last years not speaking about crisis but quoting the everyday effects it had upon common people. Once more the President tries to be near the needing and ideas of people, making them feel he understood, is aware of them and wants to solve them. He opposes these ideas (and his reaction near to people) with the reaction of his opponents, that he calls "friends" in an almost ironic way.

Obama says they are only able to criticize what he has made during his previous term of office without providing a possible solution. He says they would do only a thing - tax cut - without considering there are many problems that affect society and cannot be solved in a unique way. The President says he has moved in that direction when he thought it did worth (?) but then he quotes the cases when the strategies proposed by Romney's group don't work. He provides examples that involve people of all social classes, age and genders, conveying once more the idea that he, and not Romney, is near people and knows how to better situation.

Indeed he shows the consequences of his opponent's eventual choices, the problems he wouldn't solve, speaking about nightmares still clear in Americans' minds. After remindind people of bad thoughts he presents himself as a solution, saying he won't make America go back, but move on a better future. In this way he seconds his audience's emotions, creating almost a cathartic process his audience can find a way out from thanks to Obama's ideas.