Perspectives

This part of the study guide will help you expand your perspective on Barack Obama’s 2008 victory speech by looking at current issues and other speeches by Barack Obama and other politician…

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Current issues

When looking at the relevance of the speech today, you should consider reviewing the way the issues Obama mentioned in his speech evolved, and how Obama has delivered on his vision for the US.

Starting with 2009, Barack Obama became the US President for two consecutive terms. In his speech, the speaker focused on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama ended the war in Iraq and withdrew most of the US troops from Afgh…

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Textual perspective

In your analysis, you should consider comparing Barack Obama’s 2008 victory speech with the one he delivered when he won the election in 2012.

The two speeches share the theme of hope, but while the one from 2008 also focuses on responsibility and change, the one from 2012 is more focused on equal opportunity and American diversity. The first speech is shorter than the second, perhaps because Obama needed to convey a…