Comments and discussion

In this part, we will give you some suggestions on things you might want to comment upon, approach, or discuss in President Barack Obama's remarks to the people of Israel. Keep in mind that you should always argue for your opinion and avoid making statements based on emotions or personal experiences.

You might want to focus, for example, on Obama’s association between the Book of Exodus and the experiences of African-Americans:

In the United States – a nation made up of people who crossed oceans to start anew – we are naturally drawn to the idea of finding freedom in our land. To African-Americans, the story of the Exodus told a powerful tale about emerging from the grip of bondage to reach for liberty and human dignity – a tale that was carried from slavery through the civil rights movement. (ll. 50-56)

Exodus is the second book of the Torah and Hebrew Bible – or the Old Testament – which tells the story of Israelis leaving Egypt, where they were slaves, led by the prophet Moses. What do you think was Obama’s intention when comparing slavery in the US ...