Discussion and perspectives

Discussion

When you analyze Barack Obama’s inaugural address from 2009, you should consider discussing or commenting on those claims and statements that are most interesting or even controversial.

For example, at one point in the speech, Obama lists different categories of people that make up American society: “For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers.” (ll. 187-189)

This statement is interesting because it was the first time non-believers (atheists) were mentioned in an inaugural address. This suggests that Obama had the courage of acknowledging an important social change: in the modern-day world, there are more and more people who do not identify as religious.

However, the speaker also made a few Biblical allusions that caused some to compare his address with speeches commonly delivered in black churches in the US, w...