Obama’s “A More Perfect Union” is a much
more compelling argument because of the strong amount of personal insight and
emotion he provided to the audience reading it. He used not only his story and
his past but as well the past of his family and loved ones and the stories from
the people of America. He talks very passionately about many issues he holds
very close and some that have brought about great controversy during his race.
He answered them completely honestly and passionately. Obama’s speech had it
all he held our attention with emotion and logic and authority as he expressed
his passions and dispersed some circling doubt over specific issues.
King’s essay though it had the same
logic and the same authority that makes for a good essay it did not have the
same amount of emotion to keep my interest. His was more about getting the
point of his cause across in a polite way rather that seeming accusatory.
Though his essay was very well put together it did not hold the same amount of
heart that was found in Obama’s.
I agree with Tina in her argument of the use of ethos, pathos, and logos by Barrack Obama in his "A More Perfect Union" speech. President Obama uses Pathos and ethos in the beginning of his speech by recounting his heritage, and explaining that he is of more than one race to capture an understanding of the American people. Pathos and logos are seen again when he explains that his grandfather survived the Great Depression and fought in the war, because it gives a sense that he is an "All-American" man which counteracts to the next statement that his father is black. He uses pathos and egos to further counteract the sense that he is 100% American by stating that his wife is a black women, and that they have black children together. This background information and the use of pathos and egos helps tie in Obama's points based on logos. Obama uses logos in the introduction of his speech when he recalls the first phrase of the Declaration of Independence. The use of logos is seen time and time again through out the explanation of American history in his speech. He concludes by putting all three appeals(pathos,ethos,logos) together, and explaining that in order to form a more perfect union, America must look beyond the color of skin in every American citizen, and work together as a country in order to build up the Nation on the principles it was first founded on.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Tina, because in Obamas excerpt the reader can tell how he uses compassion and emotion to get through to his audience. How he uses pathos and ethos by intertwining his heritage to make his audience feel the Americanism. Another way he differs from king is his way of using his grandfather as a way to see the “man” that is all American, but is black which appeals to emotion.
ReplyDeleteKing is not as emotional as Obama and I think this is because of two very different times. If you think about it could King be emotional and outreach to the audience he wanted to? No, because white people at the time were in tolerate assholes who did not sympathize. King uses more logic and authority like Tina mentions. I personally don’t think he had a choice however, and was smart enough to know if these white people will read this at a higher logistical rate with authority maybe they will come to understand.
I have to agree with Tina as well in the fact that President Obama uses a strong sense of emotion to capture his audience. From the very start of his "A More Perfect Union" speech he uses history, discrimination, and the thoughts of our future children and grandchildren to get the idea that we are all of the same and should be striving for a common goal. He uses his own childhood experience to correlate himself, along with his beliefs to the reader and allows the reader to become comfortable, because later in his speech Mr. Obama brings up some touchy topics for some people. By the end of his speech it is easy to see the President Obama's central theory is that we have all been raised differently, from different backgrounds, of different races, suffered through depressions, and suffered through life at some point; so lets put the past away and create a better nation for our future generations to come.
ReplyDeleteI agree that in both “A More Perfect Union” and “Letter from Birmingham Jail” there is a use of logos or logic to back up the claims made by both men. To add, they both use the logic in such ways that make both their stories interesting and insightful to the issue at hand. I would also agree that Obama does use his story, his past, and his compassion to give an emotional aspect to his story that people have found way more passionate than King’s essay. However I would have to disagree with the fact that most people have been saying that Obama’s emotional aspect better conveys his point than the ones that King uses in his essay.
ReplyDeleteAlthough King does use mostly logic to support his claims he does also use emotional connections to show his perspective. He talks about being called “boy” and how his wife will never have the title of Mrs. because of the color of his skin. He also describes having to tell his children why white people are so mean to colored people, and ultimately he goes on with the wear and tear that people of color has to experience everyday in that time. King uses this paragraph to remind us just how horrible it is for people like him everyday to go through things such as that. It doesn’t matter that he uses more logic in his essay because we already know how bad it was during this time. Especially now looking back in our history. We don’t have to be told over and over again because we know it now; it’s in our history books and apart of our culture today in America no matter what color you are.
Overall I would say King’s speech is more impactful because he uses his words carefully to convey a message that is now known worldwide. Obama’s speech makes you feel a certain way because he tries to relate to the reader on a “human compassion” type level so that when he tells his story you start to feel more connected. This is why I think more people feel more connected when they read Obama’s essay, but I believe you kind of have to take yourself out of it for a minute to really take in what is being said in both essays.
I would also have to agree with Tina’s comment.
ReplyDeleteThe way I am looking at this, I think Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama want the same things done but one to a more extreme because of the time difference and King is trying to do this to change history as where I think Obama is trying to change things to not only change history but to make a difference as President.
In King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” there is not much emotion. King is trying to get a point across without being too offensive but because of this his letter isn’t as interesting and doesn’t keep a reader connected like Obama’s speech does.
The difference about Obama’s “A More Perfect Union” is that he brings in person experiences that would make a reader attach to the story easier. With these personal stories it is also easier for a reader to understand what Barack Obama is trying to say and why he believes things should change. Barack Obama states, “For the African American community, that path means embracing the burdens of our past without becoming victims of our past (658)”.
What is similar about the two is that they both have authority about what they want done and have good logic for their reasoning. Times really have changes and I think that is where the difference comes into play.
In his speech, Obama made it clear that racism is well known to most maybe even all Americans. many African Americans still hold antipathy versus Anglo Americans because of the memories of oppression that remains in their minds. I believe Obama did way more than just uphold his Reverend as being a good man because of his Christian values. Moreover Reverend Wright was raised in a period where schools were still segregated, and where discrimination was still dominant. In society today, discrimination still occurs, but people make sure it is more confined. Obama also illustrated that Reverend Wright was a good man because he is a Christian man, as well as clarifying why Wight remains to have resentment towards Anglo people. He supported this statement by explaining the harsh truth that several Anglo Americans still have racists feeling towards African Americans. Obama's speech was very straightforward and the goal of the speech was to try and join the American people despite what skin color they had or despite the way things were in the past.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Tina. Obama's speech gave us more emotion than King's, and that is why Obama's speech is better. Obama ties you in with stories from his past, stories of his family and loved ones, and past events of America. Also he talked about controversy's that came about because of race. All of this that he talked about gave greatness to his speech because it made it more interesting to read. In King's speech he a very logical standpoint and was very logical in his speech, but there was no emotion, it was just bland, which made his speech less interesting to read. Obama did a better job in carrying out his speech with emotion, while King gave a great speech it just wasn't as interesting as Obama's.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Tina as well. I think Obama's speech had a more heart tugging aspect to it, while King used more of a logical standpoint, making few emotional connections. Obama uses stories of not only his own, but other American's and that makes it all the more interesting. I know that, for me at least, using pathos in a speech, essay, or any other form of writing is the best way to appeal. It is easy to state logical things and prove your point, but to get someone passionate about something you have to get some emotion in it. I think that is why most of us are agreeing with Tina. Obama and King have very similar wants, and both have some grounds to talk about racism, they just went about it different ways.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tina's blog post as well. One similarity between King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and Obama’s “A More Perfect Union” is the use of logic. Obama incorporates information from pieces of history such as the preamble, Jim Crow laws, the Brown v. Board of Education court case, the O.J. trail and more. These examples show how the issue of racism has continued to be an issue throughout history. King also uses concrete examples such as the fact that “negroes have experienced grossly unjust treatment in the courts” as well as how “there have been more unsolved bombings of Negro homes and churches in Birmingham than in any other city in the nation.” These examples also show how racism is a pressing issue. Both King and Obama write with emotion and passion deliver a strong message. The only difference that I can see between the two pieces is that fact that Obama makes a somewhat deeper connection with his audience by sharing personal stories from his life. He talks a lot about the impact that the church and Reverend White have had on him and even goes further by sharing Ashley Baia’s personal story to push his ideas even more. The use of personal experiences creates a stronger connection to the audience in addition to trust. King does not use the same level of emotion. He does not incorporate personal experiences into his letter. At one point there is a paragraph in King’s letter that lists situations that colored people might have had to deal with. This paragraph is the closest thing there is to a personal connection, but considering that they are not King’s own experiences they come off as hypothetical rather than concrete. In my opinion, Obama’s speech establishes a deeper connection and more effectively balances logic and emotion.
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