Both speeches were most impressive and accomplished their purposes. Most of you should know that they were written by professional speech writers and that each candidate had both an acceptance and a concession speech prepared over the last week. They conferred with their writers and made revisions as the week went on.
Please comment on the rhetorical strategies used in these speeches, using the SOAPSTONE strategy.
Speaker
Occasion
Audience
Purpose
Style
Tone
McCain's speech
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/04/mccain.transcript/index.html
I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited.
Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that.
It is natural. It's natural, tonight, to feel some disappointment. But tomorrow, we must move beyond it and work together to get our country moving again.
We fought -- we fought as hard as we could. And though we fell short, the failure is mine, not yours.
I wish Godspeed to the man who was my former opponent and will be my president. And I call on all Americans, as I have often in this campaign, to not despair of our present difficulties, but to believe, always, in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here.
Americans never quit. We never surrender.
Section from Obama's Speech:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/04/obama.transcript/index.html
"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
"It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.
"It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.
How would you report on what happened last night? As American youth, what do you hope
will be accomplished in the next four years? Write a 250 word editorial expressing your hopes
and thoughts.
16 comments:
Obamas speech was very heart filled and emotional. He seems to really care that he's beeen elected president and very determined to make a change in the United States. McCain seemed to want to help teh U.S. but it just didnt seem like he had the skills necessary to help us out.
shontia myricks
America Said "Change"
By Staff Writer Jack Scardino
As it has become known, the 44th president of the United States will be Barack Obama. The passion that has been generated in what has been called “the most important election in U.S. history” has also left some people questioning its cause.
Personally, while I feel that Obama’s election is a fantastic thing, and I fully embrace it, I can’t understand the lack of conscientiousness and over-enthusiasm in certain voters. I don’t mean to stray too far from my main argument, which is what I expect and hope for from Mr. Obama.
What I am trying to say is that there is still work to be done. The same issues that the candidates have been debating throughout their campaigns are still there, and it will be necessary for the president to deliver on them in the next four years.
The granted outcomes of Obama’s term seem to concern the issues that Obama has been strong in explaining during his campaign. These includ the idea of universal healthcare, which I believe can be achieved with Mr. Obama in the White House. The economy shall pick up its feet (after getting back on its feet) and America will start to feel the change that has been sought after for so long. Americans continuously hold presidents Kennedy, Roosevelt, Truman, Johnson, and Carter in their minds when they think of the significance of Obama’s election.
However, these are only two of the many issues our next commander-in-chief will face, and, like all things, it will take time to reinstate security superiority in this country. It will not happen instantly, and that fact must be understood, but what has been believed by so many voters during this campaign, for better or for worst, whether right or wrong, is that change will come. Personally, I believe that “change” happens under a good leader, who is passionate about his duty and exercises it to the fullest. Regardless of race, religion, gender, age, and so on, Obama and his country will succeed with his good leadership.
Watching Obama’s speeches, debates, his campaigns gives a promise to all. Obama is composed, brilliant, powerful, and has fantastic ideas for the US. McCain was a great man too. He gained a lot of respect with his losing speech as well. As an American, I know that assuming the President of the US was elected solely on color is a dangerous assumption to make for anyone. Obama gave his all, he did not win because of race but because he was a man of word and understood everyone. The United States was going to be placed into better hands regardless of the outcome. We all should be proud to have an educated, and powerful person in the white house. In the next four years I believe that Obama will do anything in his power to better The United States, maybe even bring our people and family back from the war. There is so much that he can fix, and there is no doubt that he will work to his greater ability. He will make changes that I will not even be able to understand until I get older. I believe just as everyone else that this is a beginning of a golden age.
Yes we can
It was announced yesterday that Barack Obama will be our 44th president. Going through years with Bush, and continually watching the world crumble around us, America has seen that we do need a change. I believe Obama will achieve those changes; I literally got goose bumps during Obama’s speech yesterday.
I fully believe that Barack Obama will be passionate on his duty and change things for Americans. Dealing with things like healthcare, bringing some troops home, he seems like he truly cares about people in the U.S. Because of Obama's leadership the economy will be fixed. Most things the Obama wants to change are things that I agree with.
-Jerica
With the beginning of a new presidency, there are a lot of things that I hope for this country and for its citizens. On January 20, 2009, Barack Obama will be inaugurated the new president of United States and will begin a journey to keeping our country united, fixing problems and improving our country in every way possible.
As a high school student, I am looking at all the ways that a new president is going to affect my life; how the prices of gas are going to change, which way the economy is going, the quality of education available to people, and the war in Iraq which is effecting everyone, directly or indirectly.
I hope that Obama can improve our economy and start to bring us out of the debt the war has caused. I hope he can bring our troops home safely so we can be a more peaceful nation. I hope he will readily support alternative energy movements so that America can do its part to reviving the environment and keeping the world clean. I hope Barack Obama can support education and give all the people in America the opportunity to get a good education, and to make health care more available to people who haven’t been covered in the past.
I hope that America will work together to stay united and stick together in hard times, and in times of prosperity, to make the United States a better place to live.
nahoma
What happened on November fourth, 2008 certainly made history. Barack Obama became the first African American president on record. However, Obama also has a lot to live up to. Our country is in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and we are in the middle of a war in Iraq that is going nowhere. Yet people have stood up and voted for change, and indeed, change is what I also hope for. I hope, first and foremost, that Obama can find get our troops out of Iraq in a safe and timely fashion. I hope that we can rein in spending and make every effort to reduce the huge deficit that President Bush has brought upon us. I hope that Obama will make health care more readily available for everyone. I also hope that he will be able to contribute more federal funding towards education, whether it is grade school or various forms of higher education. I believe that we, as young people, should be given every opportunity to better our lot through education. I hope that Barack Obama will work hard towards total equality in terms of gay marriage. I hope most of all that we as a nation can come together, despite our party differences, and work towards a better future.
Molly Snell-Larch
Change
With the historic election of Barack Obama, the youth of the United States are expecting change to come to our country within the next four years of his presidency. Many issues have arisen in our country recently, and while adults are the ones allowed to vote, the youth are also greatly affected by these national problems. Hence, the children and teens of our nation are expecting great deeds from our new president, Barack Obama.
For example, the economic crisis is of great concern to today’s youth. While the problem more directly affects their parents, children can definitely feel the ramifications of this nation-wide crisis. Therefore, they are anticipating some sort of reparation to be put in effect by Obama. Also, many children and teens are uneasy about the war in Iraq and feel that troops should be taken out of Iraq and brought back to the U.S. The youth feel that Obama should follow through with his plans to end the war and bring the troops home. Obama has also promised tax cuts that will help many families. But most importantly he has promised that he will once again unite our country into one people. The young adults of our nation are depending on Obama to follow through with his campaign slogan and bring forth a time of change for our country.
On November 4, 2008 Senator Barack Obama was voted to become the next president of the united states of America, making him the first African American president in all of the united states history. Along with this one very important feat, an extremely important task awaits our new president, saving us from this financial crisis.
I believe the youth of America are not expecting from our new president a war that has been completed, but a war that has been ended and a financial crisis that has been avoided. Along with the task of financial rehabilitation I believe that the youth expect a more fair tax break on the middle class, by cutting middle class taxes and increasing the taxes on the wealthy class which would create more economical stability that our middle class deserves.
A final thing the youth of America expects from our president is the unity that our country desperately needs, whether it is a racial separation or a financial separation. As the mere citizens of America we cannot destroy these boundaries alone, but we need a strong leader to help us through this tough time.
Last night, November 4th, the United States of America elected their first African-American president, Senator Barack Obama. Not only were racial barriers broken, but the American people decided that it really was time for change in our country.
If I were to have reported on this historic election, which was a great honor to anyone who did, I would have focused on the incredible change that America has made and the changes in its future. I would also capture the reaction of the people, the ones who virtually made this election outcome possible.
John McCain and Barack Obama both gave classy and influential speeches, about conceiting and winning, respectively. They spoke to the people of the United States of America as the audience of their speeches and made them interactive. Both men were cordial about the other, even in the wake of campaigns filled with bashing each other. Both men also stressed the importance of coming together and putting aside differences now that the election is over, and becoming unified as the country was intended to be.
In the next four years, I hope that there will be drastic changes in the White House. Although it will not happen overnight, there is ample time for change to occur. I hope also that Obama will be able to get us out of our current mess of a country. I would like to see the economy bounce back and for the troops to return home from Iraq and Afghanistan. I also hope that life for the lower and middle classes improve, making health care available for everyone. Also, the environment is an important issue to be dealt with, especially considering that this is our future.
Of course, change does not come instantly. In order for it to come, we must unite as a country, disregarding party lines and cultural differences. With the help of the future president of the United States of America, Barack Obama, our beautiful country truly can achieve change, hopefull
Many believe that with the election of Obama change will be instant. But realistically, change in this country will not be immediate. Surely change will come, but it will take time. Many things will change, but we must make known what we want changed.
I personally want change, and no more of the same. I want our men to come out of Iraq. I want them safe and back in the arms of there loved ones. I want peace in America once more. We have been known as bullies in America for as long as I can remember. I want us to be known for the good of America.
The list goes on for people all through America. Americans want less pollution, racism, violence, poverty and discrimination. We want for this “great” country to tell us the truth, the whole truth! We are sick of being lied to and given bits and pieces of the truth.
All Americans should know that Obama can not do this alone. We, the people of American, need to do as much as we can to make our country a great place for all. We need to come together and make our country the best that we can.
We have reached a new era, a new time and a new opportunity in America. We now have a new president, a black well qualified president to lead us further than we have ever ventured. I think I speak for most Americans when I say that we need change and Obama is one who can bring it for us.
Argh I always forget to put my name! So yeah... is Meredith Jeffers.
AMANE AMIREH SAYS:
This years presidential was a turning point in our history. On November 4, 2008, candidate Barak Obama was elected as the nation’s first African American president of the United States. I voted for Obama because as I watched the debates I noticed that when Obama was asked certain question he answered them thoroughly and completely. He knew exactly what he wanted to do for the question and he was very well prepared for the debates. When McCain was asked questions he took a minute to answer his questions or they didn’t sound as good answers should. Barak Obama must have put his feet in every one else’s shoes because he accepts homosexuals, is for the middle class which is a lot of people, and doesn’t think for a certain group, he thinks for the better of the nation and the Americans our nation. In his speech Obama reminded the world of what was most important. “WE THE PEOPLE.” This year was the first year I actually watched the election. I liked it. It was very interesting and actually had me on the edge of my seat. McCain had more states than Obama did but the fact is he had about five people in each state. When Obama won states, he won big. He had fifty percent or more. McCain had more states but he didn’t have as many electoral votes as Barak Obama.
I believe as much as anyone that this past Presidential election has gone on for what seems to be forever; candidates tearing at one another’s throats, pledging a change to America from the dreaded Bush administration that has had a death-grip on our nation for the past 8 years. Obama’s policies, though, definitely made more sense than McCain’s to the average American citizen; tax breaks to the middle-lower middle class and raised taxes to anyone who makes ¼ of a million dollars (or more) each year, thus inspiring wealth and prosperity where it is really needed.
And, while some republican supporters may disagree, pulling the troops out of Iraq is probably best done in posthaste. Because honestly, the non-specific timeline offered by McCain is severely discomforting. While debating this point with a republican student yesterday, I came to the realization that although all of the men and women serving in the army are volunteers now, more and more young people are realizing that the Iraq war is utterly futile and giving up on the military altogether. So, what happens when there aren’t any more volunteers and there is an increasing need of bodies overseas? Drafting starts again.
Don’t even get me started on abortion. The words ‘pro’ and ‘life’ without one or more words in between them are bone-chilling, as the rate of teen pregnancies are increasing (even more so because of the ineffective ‘abstinence only’ program). I overheard a conversation between two girls in an Earth Science classroom about a week ago, in which one girl asked the other if she was pregnant again. The other girl replied that she was, but she’d gotten an abortion. She could not have been older than 14. With the young community in the state it is, if teenaged girls are giving birth to babies of rape and hate, possibly dying in childbirth (yes, it is likely. The young body is absolutely not capable of that kind of strain), what will happen to the population of good children that had an opportunity to become fine adults?
What I personally found amusing between the two speeches was the diplomacy of the Democratic and Republican crowds at Obama’s victory speech and McCain’s concession speech. The republican bunch would boo-loudly-every time Sen. McCain mentioned Obama, while he himself had to quiet the masses and be the responsible and graceful loser, which the rest of the party clearly were not. The democrats, however, possibly because of a heightened smugness from their win, took any mention of McCain in Obama’s speech with a smile, as for the rest of the speech.
--Miller Cooper
Nautica Lawrence
Hopes for the Future
As many other people do I have dreams. I hope that the election of Obama will bring more equality. It would install in people the hope for a better future and diminish the idea of impossible. In the years to come violence should decrease and that the war will be over. No one will have to worry about whether or not their loved one is going to return home from the war. Voting shouldn’t be the last time that people speak out and their voices will be heard; that people will continue to aid our new president in doing the right thing, not for him self, but for the country. I hope that this is indeed “our victory” and that no one will regret voting for an African American president. I want the amount of people without health insurance will decrease by magnificent amounts. That life will be better for the poor and the rich alike. That the United States of America will reach the state where we are completely stable, with little worries and we (the citizens) are safe in the place we call home. The citizens will have no reason to be ashamed of where they come from; but may travel the world and say I am an American. This election should not only install in us the want and need to dream but a dream far more extravagant than we have ever dreamt before. Old dreams should become realities. Goals we as people should form and reach goals in order to make this country a better place. Overall my hope is that America will change for the better and not the worst with new leadership.
I believe that Mccain's speech showeds incredible class, class that, i personally believe,his campaign had not shown. It was well put together and sounded gracious while still urging his supporters to back Obama and that's what i believe america needs. Unity.
Obama's speech was exceptional. The whole moment, for my family was very emotional and that night we did not get very much sleep. His speech was also very heartfelt and though the tone was a happier one, i feel that Mccain's was on par with this. Everyone knows Obama's skill as a speaker, and if they watched the 2004 DNC when he made his speech they knew long before the election. The president-elect seemed to bring his soft-side to the table at the moments where he recognized his family and the history that had been made. Im just wondering, with the election over, what are the news channels going to report.
-(sick) Jonathan Madison
On Tuesday November 4th, 2008 history was made. Senator Obama an African American man was elected president. This is the first time and African American has run for president as well as winning. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee has made it significant that during his presidency we, the people of America, will see change. Everyone is hopeful in his election and anticipates the changes that will be made.
In the next four years there are several things that should be addressed and changed. One major problem in the United States of America is our economy. Our economy has been in decline and is the worst it has been in a whole century. We cannot let this become another Great Depression, our economy needs help and this is one change I would like to see. Everyone suffers if our economy crashes.
John McCain, Senator Obama’s running mate said in his concession speech that we plan to see in general a more peaceful America. This one main change I would really like to see. Whether we should end the war, or not has been a conflict in America for a long time. Obama plans to get the troops out of Iraq by 2010, I feel this is a good plan. We don’t pull out until that year.
Obama is also an eco friendly nominee. Obama plans to have better eco-friendly America. This is a major change I would like to see as well. We cannot ignore the fact that our economy is suffering. Even if you do not believe in Global Warming it is still good to help the environment.
Lauren McGuire
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