Comments and discussion

In your analysis of Barack Obama's 2012 victory speech, you should also consider discussing and commenting on claims made by the speaker that are especially interesting or controversial.

For example, one of the most encouraging and touching claims from the speech was:

I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting. (ll. 256-261)

This statement helps the speaker link his past electoral campaign and victory (from 2008) with the present one. In 2008, Obama won the elections with a message of hope which also helped him win the 2012 elections and maintain people’s support.

At the same time, the speaker impressed people through his statements about democracy. Instead of arguing classically that US democracy is the best government system, he chose to admit that US democracy is not perfect: “Democracy in a nation of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated. We have our own opinions.” (ll. 106-108) However, he also manages to turn this into a positive aspect.

Furthermore, he c...