SPEECH ANALYSIS OF

BARACK OBAMA AT Democratic National

Convention(2004)By - Shrey

OBJECTIVES OF THIS ANALYSIS1) Identifying the Objective and the Primary

Message being delivered2) Identifying the Target Audience and the context of the speech3) Analysing the Speech Content and Structure – Opening Body End

OBJECTIVES OF THIS ANALYSIS4) Delivery Techniques used – Eye contact Gestures Facial Expressions5) Identifying Post Speech Reaction6) Conclusion

The 2004 Democratic National Convention convened from July 26 to 29, 2004

at the FleetCenter (now the TD Garden) in Boston, Massachusetts, and

nominated Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts for President and

Senator John Edwards of North Carolina for Vice President, respectively, in the 2004 presidential

election.

SPEECH

OBJECTIVE OF THE SPEECHIn 2004, Barack Obama was only a Senator from Illinois who supported John Kerry and John Edwards on the Democratic Ticket for President. His purpose in the speech was to rally his fellow Democrats behind Kerry and Edwards to support their campaign for president and vice-president: "rise up in November, and John Kerry will be sworn in as president. And John Edwards will be sworn in as vice president.“ 

Barack Obama is the 44th and current president of the United States. He was a community organizer, civil-rights lawyer and teacher before pursuing a political career. He was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1996 and to the U.S. Senate in 2004. He was elected to the U.S. presidency in 2008, and won re-election in 2012 against Republican challenger Mitt Romney. He obtained early education in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Hawaii; continued education at Occidental College, Los Angeles, Calif.; received a B.A. in 1983 from Columbia University, New York City; worked as a community organizer in Chicago, Ill.; studied law at Harvard University, where he became the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review, and received J.D. in 1991; lecturer on constitutional law, University of Chicago

THE SPEAKER - BARACK OBAMA

THE VENUEThe 2004 Democratic National Convention was the first held in Boston, one of the few held in the home state of the presidential nominee, and also the first since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. During the convention, there was a memorial service to honor the victims of the attacks. Halima Salee, who lost her daughter, son-in-law, and unborn grandchild on American Flight 11, spoke.During the convention, U.S. Capitol Police, the U.S. Coast Guard, and other governmental organizations took many security measures to protect the participants of the Democratic National Convention.Security measures included bomb-sniffing dogs, 7-feet high metal barricades, a ban on corporate and private flights at Logan airport, along with the shutting down of Interstate 93.

THE AUDIENCERoughly 9.1 million people were reported to have watched the Democratic convention on the night of the speech, ratings which were described as "tepid" by Variety, as it only amounted to "about half the audience tuning into regularly scheduled summer programming the week before", and was less than the 10.3 million people who tuned into the second night of the 2000 DNC. However, neither ABC,CBS, nor NBC provided any coverage of the convention that night with major networks not covering the evening's events, other stations received greater viewership, including 3 million viewers for PBS, followed by CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC.

Content Analysis

On behalfof the great state of Illinois,(CHEERS)crossroads of a nation,Land of Lincoln,(Already he refers to Lincoln, a highly respected former President famous for the Gettysburg Address)

But my grandfather had larger dreamsfor his son.Through hard work and perseverancemy father got a scholarship to study in a magical place,America,that shone as a beacon of freedom and opportunityto so many who had come before.(Note the use of contrast – the contrast of the basic Kenyan life and the life in America. Also note the use of a metaphor of a beacon, playing to the audience’s conceptions of America being a shining light to the rest of the world and the imagery of the Statue of Liberty)

Back home, my grandmother raised a baby and went to workon a bomber assembly line. After the war, they studied on the G.I. Bill, bought a house through F.H.A., and later moved westall the way to Hawaii in search of opportunity.(The further use of the shared/all- American history, setting the scene to portray himself as part of the “American dream” and casting out any doubt about his heritage – well, other than the need for a birth certificate!)

And they, too, had big dreams for their daughter.A common dream, born of two continents.(A nice conclusion to this section of contrasts by stating common elements – something which reflects Obama’s subsequent style of being conciliatory)

They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even thoughthey weren’t rich, because in a generous America you don’t have to be richto achieve your potential.(again a contrast with a negative beginning and a positive end. This is far more effective in obtaining the approval of the public and getting applause than if he had said something like “Because they knew you don’t have to be rich to achieve your potential, they imagined me going to the best schools even though they weren’t rich” – you’ll note that there was a long pause to allow for the message to sink in – and the message was not that he was from a poor background, but that America is a place of opportunity.)

We gather to affirm the greatness of our nation-- not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy.(The comment sets up a contrast and also creates a question-answer conundrum that keeps the audience interested to hear the revelation of the greatness of their nation)

we are called to reaffirm our values and our commitments, to hold them againsta hard reality and see how we're measuring up to the legacy of our forbearersand the promise of future generations.(This ties in the historical and constitutional references)

And fellow Americans, democrats, republicans, independents,I say to you tonight:we have more work to do -- (The term “more work” becomes a recurring phrase through the following section of the speech. The choice of the words “more work” is less confrontational than a frontal attack on the record of the republicans but has the same effect. It allows him to attack their record without attacking them personally)

Now, don’t get me wrong. The people I meet in small towns and big cities, in dinersand office parks they don’t expect government to solve all their problems.They know they have to work hard to get ahead, and they want to.(He is heading off the criticism that could be levelled at those that seek “protectionist” or social welfare measures – that those that seek them are asking for the state to solve all their ills. If you address the opposition not only do you come across as even-handed as you appear to have considered the other side’s arguments. you also get the opportunity to frame the opposition’s arguments)

You know,a while back -- awhile back I met a young man named Shamusin a V.F.W. Hall in East Moline, Illinois.(Obama loves the use of small anecdotes. They are a good way of creating a bond to the overall message and are a good way of changing pace in the speech).

He was a good-looking kid -- six two, six three, clear eyed, with an easy smile.He told me he’d joined the Marines and was heading to Iraq the following week.(Note that he does not give too much detail – just enough to paint a general mental picture. If you give too much detail then it ruins the effect. He wants it to be YOUR depiction of Shamus. Think about how disappointed you are sometimes by the casting of a film version of a favourite book – the actor is not how YOU imagined the character to be, and the magic is ruined).

Tonight,if you feel the same energy that I do,if you feel the same urgency that I do,if you feel the same passion that I do,if you feel the same hopefulness that I doif we do what we must do,(Lots of repetition here, delivered very quickly. Note that “feel” is a strongly aspirated word and so is forceful and really pushes the conclusion)

then I have no doubtthat all across the country,from Florida to Oregon,from Washington to Maine,the people will rise upin November,and John Kerry will be sworn in as President,and John Edwards will be sworn in as Vice President,and this country will reclaim its promise,and out of this long political darknessa brighter day will come.(The repetition at the end adds to cadence and crescendo. The voice is getting faster and more powerful, adding to the feeling of a rousing crescendo)

Structure Analysis

BEGINNINGMr. Barack Obama begins the speech by referring Illinois as ‘Land of Lincoln’ because Lincoln is a highly respected President famous for Gettysburg address. He also thanks this opportunity as he refers this moment as a great honor for him and also describes that his presence is pretty unlikely. He also creates a contrast of the basic Kenyan life and the life in America by telling about his family’s past.

BODYIn the middle of the speech he sets the scene to portray himself as a part of the ‘American Dream’ and casts out any doubt about his heritage. He also uses words of Jefferson from the Declaration of Independence and marks it as the true genius of America. In the later section he strengthens the repetition of the speech and also structures the most important policies for reception by the audience by beginning a number of parts with “John Kerry believes…”. Obama uses small anecdotes in his speech as it is a good way of creating a bond to overall message and also it is a good way of changing pace of the speech.

ENDMr. Obama in the end of his speech calls back to the words of Martin Luther King- ‘I believe’. He begins the final winding up by delivering a lots of repetitions very quickly. He pushes to the conclusion by adding to cadence and crescendo. His voice gets faster and more powerful adding to the feeling of rousing crescendo.

Speaker’s Analysis

Eye ContactMr. Obama makes a constant eye contact with the audience in front of him and also with the ones who were watching him on air by making a constant eye contact with the camera. This helps him in maintaining the attention of the audience throughout. It also helps in creating a better impact of his points and agenda.

GesturesMr. Obama uses a lot of hand gestures while delivering his speech. He tries to explain his points more accurately by using hands as a medium of communication. He also establishes agenda of his speech and delivers several ideas by the uses of gestures.

Facial ExpressionsMr. Obama’s facial Expression keeps the audience engaged with his speech. He adds life to his words by using his facial expressions to describe the nature of the lines he speaks.

RECEPTION OF THE SPEECHFAMILY

After the speech Obama and his wife were interviewed by Brian Williams, and when asked about what she thought, Michelle replied, "And all I have to say is, honey, you didn't screw it up, so good job."Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, called Obama after the speech and told him, "You did well...I just kind of worry about you. I hope you keep your head on straight."[She was later quoted by a journalist: "I was a little amazed. It was really quite an exceptional speech, or I'm being prejudiced, I don't know. But, to me, it was really quite exceptional.”POLITICIANSObama's fellow Illinois Democrats praised him after the speech. Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan reacted by saying, "He is a star...For Barack, the sky's the limit," while Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley said, "He hit a grand slam home run.“New York Senator Hillary Clinton was quoted saying, "I thought that was one of the most electrifying moments that I can remember at any convention.“

A great speech brings together three aspects – the right speaker, with the right message, at the right time. Sometimes you may be the wrong speaker, sometimes the message won’t be right and sometimes the timing of the speech isn’t perfect (i.e. when you are giving it rather than the timing in the delivery). A great speechwriter convinces the audience that all three of these aspects are in perfect alignment, like some kind of rare planetary occurrence. They convince the audience that they are not listening to just another speech, but rather are witnessing a special moment. Obama’s speech covers all three aspects and you are left with the impression that he is a man whose message was right, whose delivery was right and whose time had come.

WHAT WORKED WELL ?