Obama: Oratory and originality
Byrnzie
Posts: 21,037
Interesting article this.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/us_elections_2008/7735014.stm
Obama: Oratory and originality
By Stephanie Holmes
BBC News Wednesday, 19 November 2008
US President-elect Barack Obama's rhetorical skill, his ability to captivate and inspire audiences with his powerful speeches, has led many writers to describe him as "the greatest orator of his generation".
What is the secret of his success - the words themselves, the way he delivers them, or the historical change he represents?
"I believe Barack Obama embodies, more than any other politician, the ideals of American eloquence," says Ekaterina Haskins, professor of rhetoric at the University of Iowa.
His speeches, she argues, are shaded with subtle echoes of great speeches past, consciously creating a sense of history, purpose and continuity.
"He has certainly studied all of his predecessors, he is quite aware of the rhetorical heritage that he draws on," Ms Haskins explains. "He clearly sees himself as a descendant of Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King."
"He is summoning the ghosts of previous leaders and presidents who Americans have learnt to revere."
Philip Collins, a speech-writer for former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, is in no doubt that Mr Obama owes his success to his oratorical gifts.
"He has shown the power of brilliant rhetorical force," says Mr Collins, a leader writer for the UK's Times newspaper.
Initially, Mr Obama's speeches, peppered with references to lofty ideals like "change", "promise" and "belief" prompted criticism that they were devoid of content and policy.
He began to add policy detail as the campaign progressed. His speech at the Democratic Convention was regarded as low-key by some observers - despite the stage being grandly dressed with Greek columns - because of the amount of concrete proposals it contained.
Ms Haskins argues that Mr Obama has other techniques for avoiding the charge of pure rhetoric, adding weight and depth to the abstract with solid illustrations.
"Rhetoric always has the connotations of being about appearances rather than reality but he doesn't sound false. He plays with the patriotic abstractions that allow for a certain kind of rhetorical manoeuvring and fills them with specific concrete examples," she says.
His victory speech, delivered in Chicago, channelled broad ideas of the struggle of a generation through the eyes of 106-year-old Ann Nixon Cooper, who has become a celebrity in her own right.
But does the poetry of his campaign risk stumbling when it faces the more prosaic role of holding office?
Many commentators pinpoint the "A More Perfect Union" speech, made in March 2008 in the aftermath of a scandal about his former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, as one of Mr Obama's finest.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/18_03_08_obama_speech.pdf
Evidence of Rev Wright's inflammatory sermons risked irrevocably damaging Mr Obama's candidacy but his response managed to tackle the question of race in US society with delicacy.
It was a speech which wrapped the experience of different races together, expressing understanding for the deep-seated, lingering resentments of each and presenting himself as the embodiment of unity.
For Mr Collins, it remains the only speech, so far, that will not fade. Rousing campaigning speeches, however perfectly pitched and presented, he says, do not test the true mettle of a politician. What does is a speech that attempts to change the opinions of those who disagree with you.
"The weakness of Obama's rhetoric so far is that it is so agreeable. There is almost nothing he says with which you can disagree. We need to wait for the big moments, the foreign policy challenges, for the great Obama speeches."
Yet print out and read a transcript of a speech by Mr Obama and you may be disappointed. Virginia Sapiro, professor of political science at Boston University, suggests this is because the way Mr Obama delivers his speeches is as important as his words.
"He looks at all times in possession of himself - he is very calm, with an inner peace in his delivery which, in a time of crisis, is very important."
Ms Haskins agrees: "I've been going through his speeches textually. The text alone cannot tell us why they are so powerful, it is about delivery."
He may have calmness, notes Mr Collins, but the range of his delivery - the way he alters his pace, tone and rhythm - is closer to song.
"His style of delivery is basically churchy, it's religious: the way he slides down some words and hits others - the intonation, the emphasis, the pauses and the silences," he explains.
"He is close to singing, just as preaching is close to singing. All writing is a rhythm of kinds and he brings it out, hits the tune. It's about the tune, not the lyrics, with Obama."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/us_elections_2008/7735014.stm
Obama: Oratory and originality
By Stephanie Holmes
BBC News Wednesday, 19 November 2008
US President-elect Barack Obama's rhetorical skill, his ability to captivate and inspire audiences with his powerful speeches, has led many writers to describe him as "the greatest orator of his generation".
What is the secret of his success - the words themselves, the way he delivers them, or the historical change he represents?
"I believe Barack Obama embodies, more than any other politician, the ideals of American eloquence," says Ekaterina Haskins, professor of rhetoric at the University of Iowa.
His speeches, she argues, are shaded with subtle echoes of great speeches past, consciously creating a sense of history, purpose and continuity.
"He has certainly studied all of his predecessors, he is quite aware of the rhetorical heritage that he draws on," Ms Haskins explains. "He clearly sees himself as a descendant of Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King."
"He is summoning the ghosts of previous leaders and presidents who Americans have learnt to revere."
Philip Collins, a speech-writer for former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, is in no doubt that Mr Obama owes his success to his oratorical gifts.
"He has shown the power of brilliant rhetorical force," says Mr Collins, a leader writer for the UK's Times newspaper.
Initially, Mr Obama's speeches, peppered with references to lofty ideals like "change", "promise" and "belief" prompted criticism that they were devoid of content and policy.
He began to add policy detail as the campaign progressed. His speech at the Democratic Convention was regarded as low-key by some observers - despite the stage being grandly dressed with Greek columns - because of the amount of concrete proposals it contained.
Ms Haskins argues that Mr Obama has other techniques for avoiding the charge of pure rhetoric, adding weight and depth to the abstract with solid illustrations.
"Rhetoric always has the connotations of being about appearances rather than reality but he doesn't sound false. He plays with the patriotic abstractions that allow for a certain kind of rhetorical manoeuvring and fills them with specific concrete examples," she says.
His victory speech, delivered in Chicago, channelled broad ideas of the struggle of a generation through the eyes of 106-year-old Ann Nixon Cooper, who has become a celebrity in her own right.
But does the poetry of his campaign risk stumbling when it faces the more prosaic role of holding office?
Many commentators pinpoint the "A More Perfect Union" speech, made in March 2008 in the aftermath of a scandal about his former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, as one of Mr Obama's finest.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/18_03_08_obama_speech.pdf
Evidence of Rev Wright's inflammatory sermons risked irrevocably damaging Mr Obama's candidacy but his response managed to tackle the question of race in US society with delicacy.
It was a speech which wrapped the experience of different races together, expressing understanding for the deep-seated, lingering resentments of each and presenting himself as the embodiment of unity.
For Mr Collins, it remains the only speech, so far, that will not fade. Rousing campaigning speeches, however perfectly pitched and presented, he says, do not test the true mettle of a politician. What does is a speech that attempts to change the opinions of those who disagree with you.
"The weakness of Obama's rhetoric so far is that it is so agreeable. There is almost nothing he says with which you can disagree. We need to wait for the big moments, the foreign policy challenges, for the great Obama speeches."
Yet print out and read a transcript of a speech by Mr Obama and you may be disappointed. Virginia Sapiro, professor of political science at Boston University, suggests this is because the way Mr Obama delivers his speeches is as important as his words.
"He looks at all times in possession of himself - he is very calm, with an inner peace in his delivery which, in a time of crisis, is very important."
Ms Haskins agrees: "I've been going through his speeches textually. The text alone cannot tell us why they are so powerful, it is about delivery."
He may have calmness, notes Mr Collins, but the range of his delivery - the way he alters his pace, tone and rhythm - is closer to song.
"His style of delivery is basically churchy, it's religious: the way he slides down some words and hits others - the intonation, the emphasis, the pauses and the silences," he explains.
"He is close to singing, just as preaching is close to singing. All writing is a rhythm of kinds and he brings it out, hits the tune. It's about the tune, not the lyrics, with Obama."
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments
'he is anti-american.' - really? Can you provide any evidence of this?
'He will rule to benefit the islamics' - and this?
'He is a muslim' - and this?
'he wants our guns' - and this?
'He is a socialist with communist beliefs' - and this?
What? You can't provide any evidence to support your statements? I didn't think you could. Oh well. Next!
naděje umírá poslední
I wish i had seen this before i replied to your post in the Hannity Thread.
I had a pm a few days ago from someone i had never heard of before in the time i have been posting here. I looked back throught their posts to see who the hell this person was, because i was intrigued that they had been a member for quite some years and had a bunch of posts, but had not posted for a couple of years.
Anyways, they gave me some very good advice.
The ignore button is there for a very good reason. Some people you can't debate with. So now i have two people on my ignore list. I'm learning.
I think you forgot something; you forgot to mention that he is the spawn of Satan here to destroy freedom and democracy in cahoots with Osama Bin Laden, and that he will use witchcraft to deceive us and usher in a Communist-Muslim-terrorist master race.
Agreed. Some idiots are too far-gone to warrant any sort of reply let alone the time to read their assinine ramblings in he first place.
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The thing is though..should we ignore these people? Or should they be confronted? A lot of people ignored Hitler and the blackshirts during the 20's and 30's in Germany and look what happened there.
I wouldn't feel comfortable knowing that there were a bunch of people on my ignore list who may be on here everyday spouting lies and stirring shit up without my being able to do anything about it.
Personally, I'd rather debate with these people than turn the other cheek.
And It's more fun if nothing else.
Still, each to their own.
i wonder if there is the opposite to ignore button? ... i would put him on the "alert" list ... like his namesake - a "reality" check is good for many things ...
How can one debate with anyone who refuses to acknowledge facts? It's a lost cause. The phrase pissing in the wind comes to mind. People like this who are lying so blatantly and parading their ignorance about are so obviously delusional that I personally wouldn't worry about anyone buying into their message. Frankly the less attention paid and the less amount of time such people are quoted, the more likely less people will even take notice of them.
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Nuh uh. They're not worth it.
You just keep bombarding them with the facts. Beat them about the head with the facts until their ears begin to bleed.
And if all else fails, laugh at them.
I own a copy of the Janes Addiction album Ritual De La Habitual which was a limited edition or something. You may remember it? It was just plain white. I think it was produced in protest at the Parental Advisory Committee, or whatever they were called. On the back was a quote by someone who's name I forget. It was along the lines of 'Nobody made fun of Hitler...' I wish I could remember the whole quote. I'll need to try and look it up.
Anyway, I liked it. It made sense. Certain people need to be confronted and if need be, ridiculed.
But again, that's just my opinion. Each to their own.
Edit: "Hitler's syphilis-ridden dreams almost came true. How could it happen? By taking control of the media. An entire country was led by a lunatic... We must protect our First Amendment, before sick dreams become law. Nobody made fun of Hitler??!"
Finally! It's about time someone had the balls to come right out and...
put their baffling ignorance on full display. Bravo!
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you providing my own answers? lol..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbsihrdn-_s&feature=related
I through this one in also.. Obama voted to allow this type of baby killing to continue.. Obama, our new president, likes killing babies..the grandpa of all grandpa's.lol Enjoy this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIdbYjmbFzo
http://doctorbulldog.wordpress.com/2008/09/24/radical-muslims-paid-obamas-way-through-college/
Obama is a member in a church that places devotion to race and nationality on par with devotion to Christ. His cultural exclusivity stands in direct opposition to the Evangelical concept of the transcendent universality of the Gospel. Jesus permanently nullified racial and gender barriers when he reached out to the Samaritan woman. (See John, chapter 4.) St. Paul writes in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” Furthermore, Obama is affiliated with a denomination that has decisively rejected the cardinal truths of the Christian faith for he is muslim and his God is Allah. This will be an enormous impediment toward his goal of unity.
a slip of the tongue obama admits muslim faith.lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQqIpdBOg6I
the entire NRA was bitterly opposing obama for his gun issues to ban all guns except for police and military.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk9GwXJNM2c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf39ipCsAsQ
Compare the 2008 spending habits from obama and mccain..for junk spendings. Obama $97 million. McCain zero..
2007 obama voted worst liberal senator out of hundreds of senators. Obama spent $932 million dollars for junk spendings, called pork barrel, like spending $4.8 million tax payers money to dna bears. lol.. how in the world can he be good for the economy? and you really think you'll get a check in the mail?
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/641/
http://www.cagw.org/site/DocServer/S...pdf?docID=3023
http://nj.nationaljournal.com/voteratings/
http://www.npr.org/blogs/news/2008/01/obama_ranked_most_liberal_sena_1.html
this is one you'll enjoy. Dig a little deeper for "change"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exxVZTKq1vA
Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, and the creation of an egalitarian society.[1][2] Modern socialism originated in the late nineteenth-century working class political movement. Karl Marx posited that socialism would be achieved via class struggle and a proletarian revolution, it being the transitional stage between capitalism and communism.
http://nationalclergycouncil.org/010807BarackObama.htm
check this one out.. Obama was president of the Annenberg corp. which sponsors fact check. and william "the bomber" ayers was chairman of the board.. so much for "fact check".. couldn't you tell fact check was always pro obama and lied on mccain.Always..
http://mccainindependents.blogspot.com/2008/10/obama-factcheckorg-ayers-and-annenburg.html
i was wondering if you have any idea why Obama gave Acorn $800,000 this year? Couldn't be that he needed millions of fraudulent votes could it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUMgDDIFujY&feature=related
According to its web site ACORN (an acronym for Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), is the nation’s largest community organization of low- and moderate-income families, working together for social justice and stronger communities. At first glance, this organization seems to be benign. This is not true since it uses very aggressive tactics to get its work done.
Some recent reports about their activities include the following things. They have disrupted and blocked activities within the Chicago City Council during living wage discussions. In Baltimore, MD, they burst into the scene of a private law dinner. They bussed four loads of protesters to the site of a mayor’s house, where they spewed profanities at the mayor and his family. And these are just the ones we know about. Their thuggery is over the line by far.
Of course. i always back up what i say..and i have plenty more.. Enjoy your president and be prepared for "change".. enjoy..
If you need anything else, i'm here for you..enjoy who you have elected...
if you had a pm a few days ago it was me.. but thanks anyway.. nice to meet you.. and by the way i have good links on everything i say on this board, but if you refuse to believe thats your perogative... have a nice day..
This youtube clip holds no weight. It's a sloppy piece of pasted together crap. How about digging up the original Associated press article for us so we can see exactly what it said?
This is just church inspired bullshit. Next.
This is horseshit. I asked you to provide evidence that he's a Muslim. Not that there's anything wrong with being a Muslim. But all you've done is repeat your claim that he's a Muslim. Sorry, not good enough. Next:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQqIpdBOg6I
At no point in this youtube clip does Obama say anything whatsoever about being a Muslim.
Wow! So the Republicans make a t.v advert during their Presidential campaign featuring some bible-thumping redneck saying that he's worried Obama will take his guns away. So what?
I can't be arsed to trawl the rest of these crappy Youtube conspiracy clips, Clergy Council articles, and pro McCain webpages. I'm bored already. Suffice it to say, you've not convinced me.
Cool. You couldn't go grab me a six-pack and some salted peanuts could ya?
Edit: None of the following links work...
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/641/
http://www.cagw.org/site/DocServer/S...pdf?docID=3023
http://www.cagw.org/site/DocServer/S...pdf?docID=3023
http://mccainindependents.blogspot.c...annenburg.html
If someone is talking bollocks, or quoting some bollocks, then I prefer to investigate their sources and look at just what exactly is being said, and then counteract it with the truth. It's not difficult. If something is a lie, or half-truth, or exaggeration, then it's easy to prove it as such. Just 5 or 10 minutes of research and bingo!
And, yes, it gets me banned a lot. But if that's the price to pay for standing up to liars and hate-mongers, then I'll take it on the chin.
Though hopefully I can control my temper and not give the mods any more reason to kick me into touch. I know they're watching me. :waves:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7737710.stm
'Zawahiri. ..criticised Mr Obama - whose father is Muslim - for betraying the Islamic world.
"You were born to a Muslim father, but you chose to stand in the ranks of the enemies of the Muslims, and pray the prayer of the Jews, although you claim to be Christian, in order to climb the rungs of leadership in America," he said.
Mr Obama was not an "honourable black American" like Malcolm X, he said, but an "abeed al-beit" - a word that translates as house slave but was rendered "house negro" in the message's English subtitles...
wow.. with this character, nothing is impossible..
Get off the library pc and they might work.. they all work for me..Or is it you don't want to believe anything negative. and your such a classy gal, i thought i'd give it back in layman's terms..
another one that has his head in the sand.. you read between the lines as pick out the parts you like.. its called mentally deranged..
if you don't want to believe anything from the monkeys mouth, you don't have to.. if you want more, i have hundreds but not wasting my time with you..now go read your own book on obama.. actually go read obama's books, you might believe it then..
Have to just love it. Back to school with you. Pay attention this time.
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monkeys mouth?
Racist much?
All you are doing here is being wildly successful at proving what a dumbass you are, but by all means please continue. You do amuse me...
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Being the worst out of hundreds of senators is pretty series.
yeah ... they need to make that alert button!
like biden said on his pres.elect..
Joe Biden was speaking at a fundraising event Sunday in Seattle and said some pretty bizarre and spooky things. For example, he said:
'mark my words...watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy. There are gonna be a lot of you who want to go, 'Whoa, wait a minute, yo, whoa, whoa, I don't know about that decision. Because if you think the decision is sound when they're made, which I believe you will when they're made, they're not likely to be as popular as they are sound. Because if they're popular, they're probably not sound."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keEsJVrlw6I
Meet your vp elect... enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TBNeNHHXEY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmRXH7RkCZQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZG6lf9ITvI
Meet the "high" Obama..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy3mg-syKiA
meet the socialist obama
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4duJUDdSd8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iivL4c_3pck&NR=1
America We're doomed...
I knew it!
But... but... but... he has YouTube clips! They're infallible!
This was interesting...
---
Al-Zawahri said Obama's victory showed Americans acknowledged that President George W. Bush's policies were a failure and that the result was an "admission of defeat in Iraq."
But Obama's professions of support for Israel during the election campaign "confirmed to the Ummah (Islamic world) that you have chosen a stance of hostility to Islam and Muslims," al-Zawahri said.
"America has put on a new face, but its heart full of hate, mind drowning in greed, and spirit which spreads evil, murder, repression and despotism continue to be the same as always," the deputy of al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden said
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/081119/world/al_qaida_obama