Paper 1 commentary: Barack Obama's second inaugural speech

Barack Obama’s inauguration speech as he was elected president had major significance in terms of the history and culture of the American people as a whole. It was a means of “binding this nation together” irrespective of the “colours of the skin” of the American people. The statements mentioned has rhetorical significance in the speech, in these instances, a polysyndeton is utilised. Thereafter, President Obama goes on to state “what makes us American…” here the audience is allowed to understand the use of amplification to further enhance the quality of the message conveyed by the president. Immediately, in the first paragraph of the speech, the audience is enabled to grasp the overarching implication of the president. “we affirm the promise of our democracy” demonstrates the values of America as a nation, which is to allow freedom to all its citizens. Transitioning into the second paragraph, the audience is greeted by a sententia, “We hold these truths to be self-evident…and the pursuit of happiness.” here, president Obama quotes the declaration of independence, this further might be the use of ethos by the president as he further is tries to communicate to the audience that he is credible. Furthermore, the implication of the declaration of independence demonstrates to the audience the will of president Obama to guarantee “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" to America’s citizens. Additionally, the association with the declaration of independence resonates with another famous political speech, Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream”, which further enhances the value of president Obama in the eyes of the audience. As the speech progresses, the audience realises the main purpose, the purpose to demonstrate to American citizens that they are in safe hands, and with the will of the people as well as the foundation by which the country is laid upon allows, president Obama to once again appear as credible, making him the right person for such a historic role. The antithesis “the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few”, shows that once again, president Obama refers to a historical period in order to develop his message to the people of America. From the immediate few paragraphs of the speech, the audience is clearly highlighted, it is American citizens. President Obama aims at portraying the lifestyle of freedom that American people will be able to live, he does this by referring to historical times and once more referring to the values of America as a country. Moving further on into the speech, President Obama begins the sixth, seventh and eighth paragraphs with the statements “together, we determined that a, together, we discovered that a and together, we resolved that a…” the anaphora utilised here highlights the will of the president to work “together” in harmony with the people to create a “great nation” that “protects its people from life’s worst hazards and misfortune”. Transitioning once again to further on in the speech, one is able to highlight the use of anaphora once again, as president Obama states; “so we must harness new ideas and technology to remake our government, revamp our tax code, reform our schools”, once again this appeals to the American people as the president tries to further prove his credibility and earn the trust of the people. The main aim of the speech is to highlight the credibility of president Obama as a man who is willing to fight so that America can further progress, the speech also aims at demonstrating the aims of the president and his plans as to how to develop the country, in these instances Obama utilises anaphora to good effect, allowing the audience to resonate with his message as it has an impact on their lives and most importantly their country, this further allows them to portray their patriotism and further the patriotism shown by president Obama, as he wishes to make great strides towards even more success of the country. Throughout the speech, anaphora is utilised frequently, and in each instance of it being mentioned, it signifies the unity of the country, as well as how nothing can be achieved without togetherness, thus placing the intended audience which are the citizens of America. The repetition of “our journey is not complete until…” once again portrays president Obama’s will to work together with the citizens of America toward the progress of America as a country. President Obama implies that he is unable to do it without the support and togetherness of each person. In conclusion, Barack Obama’s inauguration speech is filled with rhetorical devices, each of which highlight the inability of him to undertake such a historic role without the support and togetherness of each and every person. His speech aims at proving his credibility to the audience, as well as highlighting the strides America can make if each citizen contributes to the development of the country.