Obama's Inauguration Speech

You know, I just have to say this right now but I have NEVER seen an inauguration speech...I even missed watching Obama's! Alas, my Film Music class did not care about the new president who might pull this nation out of the economic pit that we have somehow managed to get ourselves into. Although, after watching the video on C-SPAN and reading his whole speech online, I have come to conclude that I personally think that he is what the United States needs right now. One of the first lines that really stands out to me is,"Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred". Why? Well because Obama is bring attention to a touchy subject while argumenting about the present and appeals to the audience in an emotional way. There are sons, daughters, mothers and fathers serving in the Forces. Some have died, some have come home wounded. Who wants to hear about something that depressing on a day that is supposed to be remembered forever? To me, the answer is because we should never put the biggest problem aside, hoping that it will eventually resolve. As much as we would like that to happen, we all know that's not the case. I would also like to point out that to me, this statement is also an example of Argument to explore. This situation needs attention and is a serios problem in society. My only question is, why does Obama bring this topic up when we can't do much to change it? We can't change our opponents minds and make them listen to us, but what we can do, is show kindness and respect towards them, in hopes that it will make a difference in this event that we are struggling to overcome. This other line that stood out to me was, "Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet". This statment appeals to the logics because it is, as the book puts it, just the facts. We all know that this is happening, but what can we do to fix it? Well, for one thing, we need a leader who is aware of these problems and situations so they will make an effort to hopefully eradicate what might be causing these things to happen. This is also a good example for the Argument of Fact. This statement can, unfortunately, be proven true with examples and statistics. I really thought this Argument was effective because it's always nice to point out the facts so others will pay more attention to what is happening to others instead of focusing on themselves in their own little world. Arugment number three comes from the statement, "Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met." I don't know if anyone else sees this, but when I read that line, the first thing that popped into my head was how this is an ethical appeal and an Argument of Convince. He is explaining the values that we both have in common. We know of all the challenges we must face and, even though he doesn't have to explain on this, we know exactly what these challenges are. I also believe he is convincing us by saying"...they will be met". Almost like this is a match. U.S.A. downfalls against Barack Obama! Who will win?? I only applaud him when he explains that they will not be easy, quick to fix, or a waste of time. Although those are the things we WANT to hear, I on the other hand believe he will make it happen. The fourth Argument is a little bit more tricky to understand. "What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works...". Here Obama is measuring his ideas against those of ideas that we have all at least thought about once in our minds. Obama is more worried about the people of the United States instead of the people that represent the United States. This argument that I am trying to point out is the Argument of Evaluation. Obama shows an interest in being concerned about ideas that go against the bigger ideas of all the politicians out there. All they think about is themselves, but what about us? What about the common people who work so hard yet recieve so little? Above all of these arguments, is the Argument to Make Decisions. There are MANY examples of this argument in his speech but to give you an idea of what an argument to make decisions is, I picked out this line,"What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task". Even though Obama is including the word WE and US in his speech, we all feel like we're a part of it because he does not set categories or stages that some people might not be in in their lives. He chooses to make a decision with responsibility. Oh boy, who wants to take on that job? I know that not everyone cares to be responsible for their actions, but here Obama is helping us make that choice in deciding if what we do from now on is our responsibility.

Obamas speech left us with many things to ponder on. Did his speech mean anything to you?