A More Perfect Union

Her kan du få hjælp til at analysere Barack Obamas tale "A More Perfect Union", som han holdt under valgkampen i 2008. Udover grundig analysehjælp kan du også finde et summary af talen, nyttig baggrundsinformation, samt gode ideer til diskussion og perspektivering.

Præsentation af talen

Titel: “A More Perfect Union”
Taler: Barack Obama

Barack Obama (f. 1961) var USAs præsident fra 2009 til 2017. Denne tale blev holdt d. 18. marts 2008, da Obama stadig kun var senator for Illinois og i fuld gang med sin valgkamp til præsidentvalget i 2008.

Uddrag

I det følgende uddrag fra vores study guide kan du få en lille smagsprøve på vores analyse af talen:

Imagery, metaphors, and similes

Throughout the speech, Barack Obama creates imagery (mental images) through figurative, metaphorical language, which makes his ideas more appealing.

For example, he associates slavery in the US with original sin—“this nation's original sin of slavery” (ll. 13-14)—to suggest that slavery was a mistake that was wrong from the beginning and that affects present generations as well (like the biblical original sin affects all people today according to Christian faith).

In another instance, he talks of American society improving by associating this gradual change with a march: “…to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America.” (ll. 36-39) This metaphor is especially relevant to the topic because the Civil Rights Movement often used marches as a way to protest against racial inequality.