Comments and discussion

When working with Barack Obama’s “New Hampshire Primary Speech”, you can also consider commenting further on the statements that are most interesting or controversial.

For example, it is interesting to remark is that although he congratulates Clinton for winning New Hampshire, Obama speaks as though he has won himself: “You know, a few weeks ago, no one imagined that we'd have accomplished what we did here tonight in New Hampshire. No one could have imagined it.” (ll. 9-10).

Obama takes on the outsider image, portraying himself as an underdog. This strategy has proven to work many times. First, because people tend to sympathize more with those who seem to have less of a chance. Second, when it comes to politics, voters tend to be disappointed by the political class. By showing he is different, Obama offers them the hope of something new, of a fresh better start. The quotation is also an allusion to the fact that the polls showed that Obama only lost by a sma...