The Words of an Inspirer

Change. After the past year, it’s hard not to think about Obama and what he stands for when hearing this word. And for me, it’s no different. Obama has never ceased to amaze me with his way of words and the motivational speeches he consistently gives. But it’s not just what he says; the certain way he speaks is what is so awe-inspiring about him. In more ways than one, Barack Obama delivers a beautifully worded and moving speech when accepting the Democratic Party’s nomination as President.

Right away, we hear the audience’s roaring cheers and applauses, showing Obama’s acceptance and recognition among Democrats. Obama has a voice that is empowering and echoes throughout the entire arena, reaching every individual person’s ears and therefore moving him or her to believe in what he preaches. Not only does Obama speak of his policies regarding our economy, foreign relations and domesticity, he brings in short anecdotes to better relate to the American people. He says, “This country is more generous than one where a man…has to pack up the equipment he's worked on for 20 years and watch it shipped off to China, and then chokes up as he explains how he felt like a failure when he went home to tell his family the news.” This not only is a sad story that could very well be true, it truly relates to us Americans because we understand how it must feel to be this man, and we sympathize for him. Obama relates to us; he doesn’t just repeatedly state his opinions and policies; rather, he brings them to a new level, and shows how they’ll actually impact each and every one of us.

Not only does Obama use relatable statements to better connect with the people, he is incredibly humble and respective when speaking of his competitors. Obama states, “John McCain has worn the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction, and for that we owe him our gratitude and respect.” The fact that he does not bash McCain and states his respect for him just shows how honorable Obama truly is. Sure, Obama does point out the flaws and problems in McCain’s policies and standpoints, but what political figure doesn’t? The way Obama says these things, however, is different. Obama notices the faults in McCain, and has points to support him. While Palin, on the other hand, repeatedly criticizes Obama’s policies and ideas, Obama stays true to himself and does not let negativity get in the way of him getting his message across.

And these messages are worded beautifully. Obama uses empowering words that make us believe that he truly will be able to make these differences in our country when elected President. He continually tells us these “promises” that he will keep: a promise to be responsible for ourselves, to stick together as a nation, and to have a positive change in our country. Regarding the economic policies, Obama tells us that he will reward tax breaks to the people that truly deserve it, contradicting what McCain would choose to do. He promises that in “ten years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East.” In all honesty, Obama may not fully keep all of these promises. These are strong words that could easily give many people false hope and encouragement, and the last thing Obama wants to do is let people down; yet with this bold statement, he could very well do so. Regardless, the encouraging and powerful words he uses to back up this declaration cause us to believe that he really will end this dependency that many people are unsupportive of: he brings up facts of McCain’s failure to end the dependency, and his plans on restoring our economy.

Not many people are supportive of the war either, and Obama spends a great deal speaking of his desire to end it as soon as possible, saying he will do so “responsibly” and, as a Democrat, “keep us safe…and defend this nation.” Furthermore, rather than yelling about how the need to end the war is crucial, he explains how he plans on doing so. Instead of just retreating or attempting to get Iraq to surrender as soon as possible, Obama states his future plans as well, saying he “plans to rebuild our military for future conflicts,” and “build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century.” With a clearly set plan for the years ahead and a strong aspiration to end the war soon, Obama reassures Americans of the bright future ahead.

Obama’s reference to past democratic leaders is effective as well. He speaks of John F. Kennedy and his stating our need for “intellectual and moral strength.” He mentions Roosevelt, a favorite past President. By speaking of past historical figures and their impact and relevance to today’s society, Obama better connects with the audience and shows that he is both knowledgeable of these former leaders and truly understands the connection many citizens may have to them.

Through great persuasion, thoroughly thought-out words and motivational communication to the audience, Barack Obama encourages Americans to believe in what he believes, and humbly accepts his nomination as the Democratic Party’s President.



Motivational or Misleading?

We all hear the same thing every day. People are constantly advocating their favorite politician, screaming to the world who everyone should vote for and why. To me, it seems as if the majority of people are pro-Obama. And why shouldn’t they be? He’s young, he’s African American, and he’s got an incredibly empowering voice that easily inspires many. But what else is there to him? Are these words that he so cleverly strings together actually meaningful, or are they merely full of false hope? Despite the fact that Obama is appealing to the Democratic audience, his motivational words may not always follow through.

Obama is clearly a Democratic favorite. Everywhere you go, you see his name or hear people talking of him. But what exactly are they talking about? His policies? Maybe. Most people my age are gossiping about how great of a speaker he is, and how inspirational his words are. But lets look deeper into that. Obama states, “McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than 90 percent of the time? I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a 10 percent chance on change.” What does this statement even really mean? The whole percentage thing is quite misleading. When hearing it, one may think, Obama’s right, we can’t risk having McCain as President because of his siding with Bush 90 percent of the time. But when actually listening to what Obama says, his message is very unclear. The fact that McCain has voted with Bush 90 percent of the time doesn’t mean there’s only a 10 percent chance of change occurring. Who said Bush hasn’t made any good decisions anyways? Obama says this with no evidence to back himself up; he just lets the audience do the work by cheering and taking people’s minds off of his flawed statement.

How many times does Obama reference a false anecdote? Multiple. Every so often he’ll talk about a poor family in Michigan, or a struggling mother in Chicago, or some sort of sob story that people can easily relate to. But is this really effective? Perhaps, but not in the right way. When deciding who we want to vote for as our next President, we should take into consideration the nominee’s policies, standpoints and ideas. In this speech, Obama speaks of his ideas, sure, but too often does he try to relate to the audience and bring up false stories of struggling families in the country. Of course, many people are going to subconsciously force themselves to connect to these stories and become inspired to vote for Obama. But when it comes down to it, are these stories going to help us end this war in Iraq? Are these stories going to help bring our economy back up? Simply put, no. These stories are merely ways to entice the audience without actually giving any sort of support on his policies or ideas if he were elected as President.

Obama promises a multitude of things in this speech. He promises to let us “make of our own lives what we will,” to “protect us from harm” and that we are “responsible for ourselves, but also rise or fall as one nation.” But in reality, are these promises really attainable and able to be kept? Can he really promise us that we can do whatever we want with our lives? There are plenty of counterarguments for that. What if someone wants to make a living out of serial killing…is that all right? Obama said we could do what we wanted. Clearly serial killing won’t be acceptable, regardless of who our next President is, but if one were to take Obama’s speech in a completely literal manner, he or she may come to believe it would be all right to do so.

Putting those aside, Obama is without a doubt an incredible speaker. Never have I heard anyone so awe-inspiring speak to a crowd of thousands without wavering, without hesitating, without any slight lack of confidence. And the truth is, the way he says his words could make anyone believe he’s going to do what he’ll say. Will he really? Who knows. But despite the fact that his ideas may be bold and not necessarily realistic, Obama words his sentences so well that anything is believable.

Obama sugarcoats his speech with flowery syntax and relatable anecdotes, but in reality, how are these rhetorical devices going to help us when our economy is failing and we are still in the midst of a war? Though it all sounds very nice and is very motivational, Obama’s words are not going to help us in the long run. Of course his words are inspiring, but they never cease to mislead.