Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
being an offspring of a mixed couple is the worst social position to have since such
children may be seen as a living defeat for the myth of racial purity (Volpato et al.
2010
). Obama chooses to introduce this topic by talking about the “strange” name
he was given, intertwining it with the faith expressed by his parents on American
democracy (min. 3.02):
“My parents shared not only an improbable love, they shared an abiding faith in the
possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or 'blessed'
(3.03) believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success.” (min. 3.11)
“They imagined - they imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though
they weren't rich, because in a generous America you don't have to be rich to achieve your
potential.”
Score 1: Boston (Table
17.1
).
While describing his parents' dream, Obama changes his former attitude of pride,
linked to his self-description as a social pariah, into a warmer attitude toward his
audience. He turns his body and leans toward the audience, which is now listening
to him attentively, as if to indicate a desire to reduce the social distance between
them and involve his audience in a confidential communication. When referring to
his “strange” name, he draws attention to himself by putting his open hand on his
chest. He looks sternly at the audience but also at the camera, as if asking his entire
audience, both in front of him and watching him on television, to share with him
such an intimate description of his parents' dreams. After declaring his condition
of social pariah and sharing with his audience the story of his parents' dreams for
him, in the last sentence of this fragment, which opened the speech that led, for the
first time, to his being considered a plausible contender in the US presidential race,
Obama resumes his self-presentation as the offspring of a family socially outcast
by linking his autobiographical roots to the larger American story, expressing at the
same time his gratitude to his ancestors and to his country (min. 3.47):
“I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt
to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth is my story even
possible.”
Here again he moves his body toward the audience, as if trying to represent his
connection to them, while looking to the camera too, as expressing his will to speak
not only to those in the hall but to all Americans watching the political campaign
on television. The efficacy of his rhetorical skills is immediately confirmed by the
audience, who rise to their feet and applaud him loudly. At this feedback Obama
reacts by stopping in embarrassment (min. 4.09), as if signaling that this applause
was uninvited by him (Bull
2006
), regaining by this humble attitude the role of
second-rank politician he was expected to fill at that time, as if to deny any suspicion
of personal ambition in this self-presentation to the people voting for his political
party. Also, his emotions, clearly shown during the autobiographical recall and
expressing his anger when remembering the status of his grandfather as a domestic
servant in a British family in a colonial setting (min. 1.45-1.54), are kept under
control in order to present an attitude of never going “over the top” of a well-
managed political speech. This regulation of his emotions (Frijda
2013
) silently
Search WWH ::
Custom Search