Comments and discussion

In your analysis of Barack Obama’s remarks at the memorial service for Nelson Mandela, you should consider discussing or commenting more on those statements from the speech that are particularly interesting or controversial.

For example, many commentators believe the most forceful and bold part of the speech is when Obama used the occasion to criticize world leaders and politicians who ignore or oppress the wishes of their people (perhaps including the current South African President, Jacob Zuma, and the leaders of Iran, China, and Zimbabwe):

There are too many people who happily embrace Madiba’s legacy of racial reconciliation, but passionately resist even modest reforms that would challenge chronic poverty and growing inequality. There are too many leaders who claim solidarity with Madiba’s struggle for freedom, but do not tolerate dissent from their own people. (ll. 167-174)

In a way, Obama’s gesture tried to mimic Nelson Mandela’s gesture of exposing the injustice of the apartheid regime during his trial for sabotage against the state in 1964, which Obama also mentions: “He understood that ideas cannot be contained by prison walls, or extinguished by a sniper’s bullet. He turned his trial into an indictment of apartheid…” (ll. 88-90)

Furthermore, Obama’s critiques are bold because the memorial service was attended by about 100 world leaders, many of whom were not demo...