Composition

In the introduction (ll. 1-4) of her speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2020, Michelle Obama begins by admitting 2020 has been a hard year and that politics may be the last issue on people’s minds (ll. 1-4). The introduction catches people’s attention and hints at one of the main topics of the speech, the pandemic.

In lines 5-13, Obama talks about “the story of America” (l. 8) and the stories that need to be heard. She does this to imply that a suitable president could make the Americans’ voices heard. 

In lines 14-21, Obama talks about being a witness of the “power of (…) presidency” (l. 15). She chooses to talk about this to reinforce her credibility as a speaker. 

In lines 22-29, Obama addresses the topic of the former elections. The ...