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Address to the Congress on February 24, 2009






 

This speech, originally marked as “Non-State of the Union Address”, is the first that Obama delivered officially in his presidential office. It means it was at the time when he has real responsibility for the actions he has made. On the other hand, the speech was proclaimed only one month after Obama was officially inaugurated as US president. This gives him a possibility to be truly critical because the critical words do not concern his own actual politics yet. And it also gives him the opportunity to introduce his plans and to try to persuade the others that fulfilling of this plan is the necessity for America.

It would be beneficial to remind that the speech was primarily dedicated to the members of the US congress. He began his address by: " Madame Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, and the First Lady of the United States". This is conventional opening of an address delivered in front of the Congress and it is probably also the reason why such direct addressing is not a part of two previous speeches.

The most characteristic feature of this speech is its effort to portray the real state of affairs in the US, its critics and unlike the two previous speeches the appearance of factualness and concreteness; Beside the fact that the address serves as an evaluative annual state of the union and that such statements were expected, it is also necessary to be aware when the speech was dated, i.e. at the beginning of 2009 when the world, and especially The United states, was affected by the consequences of financial crisis from 2008. The effort to hide something or not showing everything in its true contours would not supposedly be accepted by the audience either in the congress or everywhere where American people were watching it.

Obama depicts the real situation in which the United States and its economy presently occur. He also introduces the steps that he and his government have undertaken since his presidential inauguration till the day of this speech in the US congress and the steps that it will be necessary to do in the future as well. A considerable proportion of the speech therefore is occupied by an apology and explanation of the so-called Recovery plan that Obama's administration has actually approved and which goal is to offer a new incentive for the restart of the US economy. The description is relatively thorough and makes an impression of sincerity and genuine tendency to bring some improvements. There are not so much direct appeals and persuasive urge (although even the expressions and suggestions like " so I ask this Congress to join me in doing whatever proves necessary" are explicitly articulated), the general tone of the speech lies especially in the tendency to indirect appeal by drawing out of the state in which the US has appeared and explaining the key areas that need to be reformed. So the reform of lending fund, housing plan or improvements of bank-s confidence are analyzed. The appeals are thus rather indirect such as: “a failure to act would have worsened our long-term deficit by assuring weak economic growth for years".

Obama's task is not easy because such plans as the help to banks which have contributed not a little to the world's financial crisis by their bad financial politics would not belong to the popular steps. However, Obama is fully aware of that and therefore he has not the other possibilities than to confess it openly and sincerely.

Furthermore, even the part devoted to the changes which will be necessary just to do is also rather more explanative than directly urging. The passages dealing with the contemporary state of the US education system, health and social care and the reforms that should be made is persuasive just indirectly. Still, it might work even though it should be still remembered that the speech was primarily aimed at congressmen who are more familiarized with these topics than " the ordinary laymen" and would expected rather the presentation of facts than an attempt on emotions. This is the reason why the speech appears to be quite factual with elaborated wording and longer compound or complex sentences.

 






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