Mundos Anglófonos en Perspectiva Histórica y

Cultural

Text Analysis

Barack H. Obama. Inaugural Address. 2009

Bárbara Eugenia Miranda García

DNI: 31338958D

Centro Asociado: Cádiz

29-03-2024

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The historical document to be analysed could be considered a political speech.
This inaugural speech given by Barack Obama on January 20th, 2009, elected President
on November 4th, 2008, closed down his presidential transition as the 44th president of
the United States of America.
It was the first time in the History of the United States of America that an African-
American citizen became President, marking a new beginning for the people in the
nation.
Preceding Obama's election, the country had undergone a political, economic and faith
crisis; terrorist threats, unemployment rate, lack of equality rights depending on race or
gender and unpopular views of the government inside and outside of the nation had
eroded the hopes of the people in the political do.
The author of this speech is Jon Favreau, who was hired as a speechwriter soon after
Obama was elected Senator. Although President Barack Obama did not write the
speech, he and Favreau worked closely and Favreau was able to capture always the
essence of Omaba's feelings and intentions and knew how to put them in the right
words, Obama is well known for overseeing all his speeches before delivering them.
Barack Hussein Obama was born in Honolulu, on August 4th, 1961, studied political
science at Columbia University, and later enrolled in Harvard Law School, where
accomplished the first black president of the "Harvard Law Review"; a few years after
graduating, Obama became a civil rights attorney and an academic, working and
collaborating with low-income communities. Obama represented the 13th district in the
Illinois Senate and achieved the U.S. Senate position after. Barack Obama always bore
in mind his background and roots throughout his career and was an active defender of
equity among every citizen regardless of race, gender, faith or class.
This discourse was addressed to the whole nation of the United States of America. The
entire length of the National Mall, where it was given, was fully opened for the first
time, and around 1.8 million people attended the ceremony. Although the speech is for
every American, it emphasises the disadvantages of marginalised classes, minorities and
suffering fellow citizens. In addition, media from all over the world broadcasted the
speech, allowing most countries to watch and listen live to the ceremony, making them
witnesses of the start of a new era for the U.S.A.
In this speech, the newly elected President addresses the nation to display awareness of
all the troubles and fears the country is going through and, on the other hand, to show

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the need for effort and faith of every American, politicians and civilians, to pull the
country together and move forward to overcome the current economic crisis.
The United States is at war with terrorism, an ongoing and unpopular invasion of Iraq
since 2003; it is still recovering from the 2007-2008 financial crises; it is also facing a
high unemployment rate and a consequent loss of housing and quality of life. Mr.
Obama has a challenging mission ahead, and with this speech, he asks everyone to unite
their American's great values to carry out such a difficult task.
The structure of this speech shows the grand quality of the writer, who lays out the
message impeccably as it presents the facts of recognising the errors of the past and the
willingness to improve the government's performance shortly. Obama starts by
introducing himself as "humbled and grateful". He immediately acknowledges former
President Bush for his service to the nation and his cooperation in the presidential
transition. Furthermore, in the third paragraph, the President recalls people's faith in the
former presidents through difficult times as much as in periods of prosperity. He
concludes these three small paragraphs with a rotund declaration "So it has been; so it
must be with this generation of Americans." to give way to the veritable thrust.
In the following two paragraphs, Obama recites boldly the troubles the nation is
submerged in; armed conflicts, feeble economy, corruption, unemployment, housing
loss, costly health care, mediocre school quality and global warming are ample
challenges to tackle in the new legislature. Nonetheless, President Obama sets
negativity aside and commences to animate and reassure that, with the determination
and endurance of all Americans, these endeavours "(They) will be met."
Further to this, President Obama brings to light the fact that the United States was
erected on the fortitude and persistence of their ancestors, calling upon the bravery and
suffering of settlers, slaves, soldiers, and immigrants, addressing them as visionaries of
a new community, "greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction" as he
portrays it. Obama cleverly moves his speech in circles, naming the nodi, bringing up
the spirit by reassuring the ability of the American people to grow and meet goals,
returning to the toilsome situations and heartening the citizens to actuate as one to attain
a prosperous country afresh. Obama persistently stresses the importance of unity and
equity in every American regardless of their creed, ethnicity, language or culture. It is
crucial withal the note he conveys to the entire world, offering dialogue, union, and
alliance forbye leadership in seeking a more peaceful world. Thereby, the incoming
American President dedicates formidable words to honour those who serve the country

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from home and abroad and to recall the importance of bringing back home the soldiers
and ending the implications in the yet too-long war against terrorism. It is time for
peace, justice, self-reconstruction, and communication among nations.
Before he closes the speech, Obama quotes Thomas Paine as General Washinton did to
their soldiers to hoard the courage to defeat the enemy. Courage is what he asks the
nation to resurge from the stumbling times that are occurring at the moment, courage to
set their views in the future, and courage to endure whatever hindrance they may find.
It is of the utmost importance to place this discourse in context to understand its impact
on History. The United States of America was slowly recovering from the economic
crisis which had devastated the country. In 2008 the bubble of subprime mortgages
burst, and major banks and insurance companies such as Lehman Brothers, AIG, and
Fanny Mae fell into bankruptcy; to avert a global catastrophe the U.S. government set
up a plan of action, orchestrated by Henry Paulson, to inject money into these entities
during the Bush administration. This financial crisis is just the tip of the iceberg;
Americans are sickened by the corruption and lies of public figures, hatred crimes are
coming to light, healthcare is insufficient and costly, school programmes are scarce, and
the students drop out topmost. Furthermore, the ongoing armed conflict in the Middle
East is draining the government's arks and the spirit of hundreds of families whose
parents, children or spouses are deployed in hostile areas without a known return date.
After years of admiration, the world is now looking down on the United States. It is
imperative to recall that never before did the country have an African-American
President, inequity contemplation of civil rights is still happening due to race, religion,
gender or sexual orientation; opportunities are not equal for everyone yet, be that as it
may, this situation is finally shifting, as Obama claims opening his heart and giving
hope to all who feel that time will never come "and why a man whose father less than
60 years ago might not have been served in a local restaurant can now stand before you
to take a most sacred oath."
Obama sets an example of perseverance, hard work, faith, and respect with his own life,
showing himself in this speech as a simple American citizen with all the same worries
and expectations as the rest of his fellow citizens. Obama addresses every issue
forcefully and fearlessly, exposing the nation's weaknesses but acknowledging the
strengths that make their country a prosperous one, praising the people to work as one
to overcome adversity.

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Albeit Obama's electoral programme could not be fully carried out, his expertise as a
politician and communicator, his beliefs in equity and civil rights, and his determination
to ameliorate the state of the country contributed extraordinarily to the welfare of most
of the people, the improvement of the healthcare and school system and the creation of
jobs, the transition on the return of the soldiers, the normalization of relationships with
some foreign countries such as Cuba and the reassurance on the ability of the American
nation to grow and outface obstacles. Barack Obama will be forever remembered for
being the first African American to reach Office, let us not forget the awe-inspiring
carried out in his message of hope, freedom, and equality for all citizens.
To the best of my knowledge, I would say that Obama's inaugural address was
unimpeachable, it rendered accurate information about the actual state of the nation, set
up challenging aims, praised the American values of the people and their ancestors,
included God's name without citing any religion and tendered an allying hand to the rest
of the world. Obama concluded his speech by offering himself as a guide in these
difficult times as General Washington did in the year of the country's birth and
imploring the people to look at the future with hope and willingness to work for a better
country, “and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth
that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations”.

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Bibliography

“A Promised Land” Barack Obama, 2020, Ed. Penguin

“Barack Obama: American Historian” Steven Sarson, 2018, Ed. Bloomsbury Academic

“American Civilization. An Introduction” David Mauk, Alf Tomas Tennessen, and John
Oakland, 8th edition, Ed. Routledge

https://barackobama.com/

https://www.obamalibrary.gov/obamas/president-barack-obama

https://www.elmundo.es/especiales/2008/10/economia/crisis2008/quienesquien/
index.html

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