President Obama 's Second Inaugural Address Analysis Essay

In President Obama’s second inaugural address, he chooses to bring attention and give accountability to the America that George Washington once ran, to America today by using repetition in his speech. For example, Obama states that, “Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law, for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal, as well.” (Obama 1) He uses “Our Journey” to begin multiple sentences and to get into the audience’s head. This quote in particular is just one of the examples of freedom US citizens should have because LGBTQ+ Rights are just one of the freedoms we have strived for in America for a long time. This quote is effective because it grabs the attention of the LGBTQ+ community as well as supporters because this was still an early time for LGBTQ rights and was something that had just started to get lots of attention and become acceptable. Obama also uses repetition to bring attention to America then versus now when he mentions that, “Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity, until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country.” (Obama 1), again, he includes repetition (“Our Journey…”) in his writing to get the message across that the United States as a country still has a lot to do before we can call our country the one we have always wanted. 

President Obama also chooses to use allusions in his speech to help give accountability and bring attention to the America we wanted in the early ages of America versus today and that we still have a lot to do before we are that country we dreamed of having in 1776.. He gives an allusion at the beginning of his speech when he is starting to introduce the message of his speech. He states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” (Obama 1) which is what is stated in the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence. Tying into the message that we still have work to do before we are the America we wanted in 1776. When Obama mentions that “all men are created equal” he is alluding to the original message of the United States as a whole and what America was all about when it became a country. That being a country of freedom where people can live their life as they wish. With this, he is also alluding to the message that we still have more to do as a country. Obama also states that “That they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, and among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” which hints to the main message of the Constitution, alluding and connecting the idea that America still has a lot of work to do and that we aren’t the America we wanted in 1776 just yet.