Barack Obamas Victory Speech 2008 Analysis

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On November 4, 2008, President Barrack Obama delivered a speech given on the night of winning the election at Grant Park., Illinois. This pivotal address, subject to extensive Obama victory speech 2008 analysis, highlighted his emphasis on the American dream, declaring that it was not fading but revitalized with the advent of change in America. His passionate speech, employing rhetoric that soars and excites, instigated the people of America to restore their confidence in the nation and strive to fulfill their dreams and yet still form part of the larger American family.

My Barack Obama victory speech 2008 analysis essay will concentrate on the way Obama employed the approaches of narration, intonation, verbalization, silence, and telling of stories to draw the attention of the thousands of his audience who were enthusiastically listening to this historic speech. Obama employed different rhetorical strategies to deliver the speech and it was effective in giving the audience hope concerning the future. He started his keynote delivery, by setting the tone with a clear message of hope to the people of America, a theme widely dissected in this Barack Obama victory speech 2008 analysis.

Obama understands the connection between discourse and power, and was able to use that knowledge to develop a discourse that conveyed his views and platforms, but also created a connection with the audience within the context of the circumstance (Tarish 130). Maintaining direct eye contact with his audience, Obama was loud enough to be heard but soft enough so that the poetic words could sink deep into the minds of his listeners.

In addition, the opening allusion to the American dream echoes the words of great speakers in American history, such as Martin Luther King. The findings revealed that Obama frequently focused on evoking the myth of the American dream. Obama was successful in implementing and conveying his message through rhetorical devices. (Hajawi and Alireza 1). Moreover, it was crucial for him to understand which topics to prioritize in order to capture the attention of a broad audience.

Its the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor& (Obama para. 2). The word answer is used once more here, suggesting that he is prepared to address the issues that the United States has been facing in the twenty-first century and reinforcing the idea of change (Bose). Subsequently, Obama employs answer once more in the next two paragraphs to firmly emphasize that momentous change has arrived in America, a rhetorical choice scrutinized in the analysis of the speech following Barack Obamas victory.

In the third paragraph, Obama recognized that America is a diverse country having people from different backgrounds by saying Its the answer spoken & Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America (para. 3).

In order to portray existing situations negatively as problematic and depict future scenarios positively as solutions to these issues, Obama utilizes metaphors. He continues with a metaphor belonging to the field of agriculture (i.e. rack) again to highlight the hardship experienced by the aforementioned families. This shows that people had problems providing their basic needs (Hajawi and Rasti 10).

He intended his audience to realize that his triumph and future effort to bring change in the country will depend on the endeavors of the collective and not entirely on himself. In the mind of the people, the use of the second person is intended to enable them to feel a sense of belonging. Therefore, as their presence is acknowledged, they can feel appreciated and part of the change that was to come to America.

During the acceptance speech, Obama made numerous references within the text of gifted speakers in American history, for example, Martin Luther King, as mentioned above.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep&I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you we as a people will get there (Obama para. 13). This creates the perception that the road to recovery will not be easy. He wanted his audience to realize that repairing the damage he inherited from the countrys past leadership would not be an easy task.

The inclusion of the inter-textual references of other motivational speakers also served the purpose of instilling hope in the eyes of the people. The speaker continues with the hope of a better life but reminds people of the challenges that they should face. This is liable to give a realistic sense to the expectations of the addressees (Hajawi and Rasti 6). It seems that the plain and musical language of the speech was drawn heavily from the life of the past inspirational speakers.

In the speech, Obama routinely repeats the slogan Yes we can (Brown et al. 1). This acts as an encouragement that all things are possible and the people of America can surmount all difficulties that they may encounter in the journey towards complete economic and social liberation. Before he was elected the 44th president of the United States, Obamas campaigns relied heavily on TV as their chief medium of communication and that this allowed campaigns time to craft messages, advertisements, and responses (Harris 6). Ultimately, this mediums widespread reach and influence allowed for the careful crafting of narratives that resonated with diverse audiences.

Therefore, the repeated use of the slogan seems to emphasize how the nation has changed over time in terms of how it handles economic hardship and how it views womens roles in society (Hajawi and Rasti 9). In addition, it points out that more change is yet to come during Obamas presidency. Finally, but not to be ignored, it also epitomizes the American dream, which every citizen of the country can realize through maintaining a positive mentality in life.

In the speech, Obama gave thanks to various people who assisted him in ascending to the presidency. He started by praising the defeated, A little bit earlier this evening I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign, and hes fought even longer and harder for the country he loves (para. 6).

Obama was the first president to claim victory in a social media election (Harris 1). Through this, he demonstrated magnanimity in victory, appreciated the defeat, and did not ignore or trample upon them; therefore, this indicates that he is a good leader. It is interesting to note that he was able to commend his competitors before his supporters.

After that, he commenced a series of thanks. He portrayed the Vice President as an ordinary person to connect with the crowd. And he only mentioned Joe Biden at the end of the paragraph. This created tension and also assisted in capturing the audiences attention.

Next, he thanked his family members, First Lady, Michelle Obama, and his daughters, Sasha and Malia, saying that he owes his presence here to the unwavering backing of his closest companion of sixteen years, the cornerstone of his family, and his nations future First Lady, Michelle Obama the love of his life. (Bose).

He expressed his love for his children Sasha and Malia, declaring they deserved the new puppy that would accompany them to the White House (Obama para. 8). This demonstrated that he is a normal family man who cares for the well-being of his family, for example, he promised his daughters a puppy. The reference to his grandma who had just passed away without being over sentimental induces the sympathy of the audience.

The speech signifies that Obama will be ready to incorporate the efforts of everybody on the road to recovery. He said, Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long (Obama para. 17).

The phrase partisanship and pettiness, poisoned our Politics (Obama para.17) is an alliteration showing the extent of the damage it has caused to American society. Let us (Obama para. 17) speaks to all voters in America, regardless of their political affiliation, and repeats nobility as well as the call for humility and healing of the land.

Obama artfully employed the life of the 106-year-old Ann Nixon Cooper to both repaint the history of America and draw the audiences attention to the nations past century of successes and failures, effectively connecting them in his speech an aspect explored in this essay analyzing Obamas victory speech from 2008.

The creation of a sense of history was meant to demonstrate that the extraordinary could become ordinary if Americans were prepared to strive to this end. The history of skin color is meant to indicate that he is a beneficiary of the historic struggle. America, we have come so far (Obama para. 29). This illustrates that he addresses the country with ease since he is a part of the struggle. He also gives an individual touch by relating his two daughters to Ann Cooper.

This speech is very important for him because it makes people know more about his assistance to national advancement, let the people know about his vision, and gather more people to join him so Obama can win the election (Alireza et al. 27). meant to draw the attention of the audience. It also acts as the final call to action. Obama gets back to the central theme of hope and beneficial gains that await the people of America. He concludes the speech by restating the yes we can theme.

Listening to Obamas acceptance speech captured my imagination from the start. The sections of the speech, which can be characterized as celebration, thanksgiving, challenge, history, and hope, had a central focus of emphasizing the importance of unity in America for the benefit of its future. The general approach Obama used in the speech was to form an inclusive sense of history so that every American could see himself or herself as a part of the road to recovery.

Works Cited

Alireza, Eko Rideau, et al. An analysis of illocutionary acts in Yes, We Can speech by Barack Obama. Journal of Ilmu Buday, vol. 3, no. 1, 2019.

Brown, Tony N., et al. Yes We Can! The Mental Health Significance for US Black Adults of Barack Obamas 2008 Presidential Election. Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, vol. 7, no. 1, 2021: pp. 101-115.

Bose, Meena. Appraising the Foreign Policy Legacy of the Obama Presidency. Looking Back on President Barack Obamas Legacy: Hope and Change. Edited by Wilbur C. Rich, 2019: pp. 93-113.

Obama, Barrack. Election Night Victory Speech Grant Park, Illinois. Obama Speeches. 4 Nov. 2008. Web.

Hajawi, Yasser, and Alireza Rasti. A Discourse Analytic Investigation into Politicians Use of Rhetorical and Persuasive Strategies: The Case of US Election Speeches. Cogent Arts & Humanities, vol. 7, no. 1, 2020: 1740051.

Harris, Chamberlain. Missing the Mark: Obama and Trumps Use of Similar Communication Strategies, 2019.

Tarish, Abbas Hussain. Us Presidents Political Discourse Analysis: George W. Bush and Barack Obama. A Pragmatics Approach. Romanian Journal of English Studies, vol. 16, no. 1, 2019: pp. 128-134.

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Barack Obamas Victory Speech 2008 Analysis

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