After his nomination as the Democratic Party candidate in 2008 to be their flag bearer, Obama gave a sublime speech at the Democratic Convention Mile High Stadium, Denver Colorado to affirm his acceptance. Obama was very assertive in outlining the prevailing state of the American people and economy. He took the chance to outline his promise to the Americans. The following is a draft on the rationale behind the choice of the speech based on its audience, mood, structure, content as well as style.
The content of the speech is a promise to the Americans on what He would do as the president. He outlines the prevailing condition and where things have gone wrong, finalizing with a promise for the solution. According to him, the American economy is in bad state characterize by high rate of unemployment as well as high taxation. He openly challenges John McCain, the expected successor of G.W. bush as a Democrat saying that the current state is not likely to improve if he (John) was to apply similar policies.
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The speech is structured in such a way that it has all the relevant elements of a good speech: topic (‘The American Promise’), analysis of audience (“To Chairman Dean and my great friend Dick Durbin; and to all my fellow citizens of this great nation”), purpose statement (“I accept your nomination”), introduction, greetings and attention grabber (“We meet at one of those defining moments…”), thesis statement and credibility (Kirkeby, 2008). For instance, the opening statement begins with “To Chairman Dean…” (Bartels, 2008).
The audiences in question are all Americans who are either democrats or republicans. The speech is categorical and contrast, Obama is able to define his audience as Americans in general and why they should consider the current American situation that is in dire need of change in leadership. He does not only address his supporters but he includes democrats in his speech: “Tonight, I say to the American people, to Democrats and Republicans and Independents across this great land”. This way, he is able to grab the attention of his audience.
Obama’s attitude towards his main purpose (the promise) is that, the American leadership should take a different approach based on the prevailing situation in USA- high rate of unemployment, poor health and education policies, etc. He is concerned that the Americans are not benefiting from their hard labor and their relationship with other countries needs a new approach. He strongly feels that he is the right person to make the changes. This sets the tone as optimistic thus setting a subjunctive mood.
Obama applies a formal speech. In his reference to his main rival, John McCain, he identifies him professionally and recognizes his good work. The same case happens in reference to his family and other people. He considers America to be a great nation which should take advantage of the resources for the benefit of the people.
Finally, a good speech must apply rhetoric and propaganda skills (Kumar et al., 2017). He chooses convincing words to draw the attention of his audience. For instance: “America, we are better than these last eight years”. He makes the speech personal by the use of the term ‘we’. Many of his sentences show emotions, care and concern for the Americans. He promises to improve their living condition.
In a nutshell, the speech was presented in an authentic, passionate and in manner that indicates clarity. He is able to connect with his audience by making the speech about himself. He is able to paint a clear picture about America at the moment, what has gone wrong and then outlines his promise. This makes the speech convincing.
References
Bartels, L. (2008, August 28th). The American Promise: Barack Obama’s Acceptance Speech at the Democratic Convention Mile High Stadium, Denver Colorado. Retrieved February 23, 2019, from file:///C:/Users/Paul/Downloads/Barack%20Obama%20- %20Speech%20(1).pdf
Kirkeby, O. F. (2008). The Virtue of Leadership (Vol. 1st ed). [Copenhagen]: Samfundslitteratur Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=503646&site=ehost- live
Kumar, M., Kalakbandi, V., Prashar, S., Neelu, & Parashar, A. (2017). Overcoming the effect of low self-esteem on public speaking anxiety with mindfulness-based interventions. Decision (0304-0941), 44(4), 287–296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40622-017-0166-4
