Perspectives

This part of the study guide will help you put Barack Obama’s 2012 victory speech in a broader context by looking at its relevance today and comparing it to similar speeche…

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Relevance today

Barack Obama delivered this speech before starting his second term as US President and focused on issues that were relevant to American society and politics at that time. Hope, social diversity, and equal opportunity were the themes he used to suggest his agenda for the next five years: gaining energy independence, increasing employment, reducing the budget deficit, reforming healthcare and the immigration system.

Looking at the speaker’s second presidential term now, you can see which promises he managed to deliver and how.

For example, Obama launched a series of measures and reforms aimed at promoting gr…

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Other speeches

When you discuss Obama’s 2012 victory speech, you should consider comparing it with other speeches by the same speaker or by different politicians. For example, if you look at Obama’s 2008 victory speech you will notice that the two share the theme of hope and have a similar structure. However, in the 2008 speech, Obama focused on change and responsibility.

You can also look at Obama’s second inaugural address, from January 2013—the first speech he delivere…