Read (and listen as well if you'd like) to Obama's speech.
Respond (following the same "reading response" criteria as in #1) in the comments section.
Try to suspend judgment about the presidential race: in other words, set aside (to the extent possible) your feelings about the campaign and your support or lack of support for Obama, McCain, or other candidates while you read, focusing primarily on the content of the speech.
1/14/09
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Overall, I agree with a majority of what he is saying. Reading this makes me feel relaxed because I know that there are other people in the world who see that there are much bigger issues going on in our world. That understand this issues affect every person in the world .That it is not a racial thing in regards to education, health care, and everything else. As far as the comment his old pastor made, I think that just because you go to a specific church, doesn’t mean that you agree with what you pastor says. I think that pastors just give their interpreted version on what the bible says. And we don not have to believe everything the pastor says. I also think that he harbors these feeling because he actually lived through it. And its one thing to hear about something, but it’s another thing to actually live through it. The quote, “Not this time. This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children.” This quote alone show that there is so much more going on in our country , that is so much bigger that race, and that everyone should have the right to be educated. But I think the media brings up the racial issues so that we “forget” about the much bigger issues. I view it as an attempt to keep us divided. And as long aw we are all divided, we can never move foreword towards unity. I think that each and every race needs to “Embrace the past without becoming victims of the past” . Our country is now at a point that we must move foreword for our children and grandchildren. That although change is sometimes scary, we must change for the better and if these issues go unaddressed then we will never move forward.
ReplyDeleteSetting aide all judgment about the presidential race, I was actually surprised with how much of the speech I agreed with. I’m not a huge fan of Obama but a lot of the things I read made me look at him in a different light. I thought that his views of racism and inequality in America were very interesting. While he is trying to change the way minorities are treated in our country, he’s doing it with the intent of making things better even for those who aren’t discriminated against. He really seems to be sincere when he speaks about bringing the country together as a whole. One part that really got my attention was when he said “we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems: two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis, and potentially devastating climate change -- problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all.” I think that this really puts aside all racial problems and just makes us realize that as a country we have endless hurdles we still need to overcome. Race has nothing to do with many of the major problems we face as Americans and I think he does a good job of making people realize this and helping to break down barriers that divide whites from blacks.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the speech given by Barack Obama, I felt as though he assumed many American citizens shared similar opinions and beliefs. First of all, he starts the speech by addressing the flaws of the Declaration of Independence. He only states what the document did not accomplish rather than what it did accomplish. Yes, it did avoid many important topics, but this document started our nation and gave its citizens freedom. In my opinion, Obama should have given our forefathers some more credit for the sacrifice they made. Secondly, Obama assumes that all Christians have often disagreed with their pastors. Never in my twenty years of life as a member of a Christian church have my family or I disagreed with our pastor. Also, Obama only addresses the problems besides saying how to the fix him. He says they will be fix, but how will they be fixed if there is no plan. Changing the problems at hand such a healthcare would be great, but it would be nice to hear his plan once in a while besides just saying, “Change.”
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Obama's speech, I agreed with the majority of what he explained. I felt a passion and determination from him that made me think 'he really does want us all to unite and become one'. Of course I don't agree with some of his views, but I felt that he was very eager to fix the important issues America has, which made me want to keep listening and reading on what he had to say. I want to see equality, unity, and a change in this world; Obama is ready for that to happen. One thing that Obama said was, “But I have asserted a firm conviction, a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people, that, working together, we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds and that, in fact, we have no choice -- we have no choice if we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union”. This quote stood out to me very much because in no way can America move forward to greater and better things if we can’t even treat our fellow Americans with respect. No matter what race, culture, background, or gender we are, if we want to see change, those traits should not matter and should be ignored.
ReplyDeleteI've always thought that the reason why racism may still persist where I live was because the people who are still racist were raised by racist intolerable parents- 'racist' may be too harsh of a word to describe these people- how about ignorant. If you follow their lineage you may find that racism and intolerance to other races may just run in the family. I don't know where I am going with this, but racism really hits a strong point with me having dealt with it personally..... hope Obama nudges our countries ongoing racist state of mind into a more 2009 thinking and friendly country.
ReplyDeletewait... that wasn't my entire post.
ReplyDeletei wanted to quote what Obama said about how the "past isn't dead":
ReplyDeleteAs William Faulkner once wrote, "The past isn't dead and buried. In fact, it isn't even past." We do not need to recite here the history of racial injustice in this country. But we do need to remind ourselves that so many of the disparities that exist between the African-American community and the larger American community today can be traced directly to inequalities passed on from an earlier generation that suffered under the brutal legacy of slavery and Jim Crow.
Barack Obama’s speech, in the light of the very disturbing and divisive remarks of Reverend Wright, was very well written. However, I would expect this from any candidate in a campaign who is confronted with potentially devastating remarks. In Barack Obama’s speech, he condemns the comments made by Reverend Wright but at the same time defends his relationship with the Reverend. This, to me, is a red flag. If I chose a man to perform my marriage ceremony, baptize my children, and regard him a close family friend, I obviously admire him. How can you have such a strong relationship and not share similar views? On the other hand, Barack Obama does say many great things in his speech. His comments are comments that any American would agree with, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, party affiliation, or financial standing. Therefore, this speech could be given by any candidate running for office because the real issue is not the problems of America but how to fix the problems.
ReplyDeleteThroughout reading Barack Obama’s speech, I tried to keep an open mind of what he was saying. There were parts where I agreed with, and other parts that I didn’t see completely eye to eye with him on. Overall, I would say that it was a very good speech and that he brings up many valid points. Obama presents his audience with a little bit of his background, which is that he is part black and part white. I liked that he did this because it shows that he is unbiased among races. He preaches that the constitution was signed, but left unfinished. He meant that although it “had at its very core the ideal of equal citizenship under the law; a Constitution that promised its people liberty and justice” people, both past and present, have not followed accordingly with that outline. It seems as though the constitution was aimed towards and written for white men during that time because what the constitution stands for has been violated over that past 200 years through acts such as slavery and discrimination. Obama says that “this nation is more than the sum of its parts—that out of many, we are truly one”. He clearly is not trying to point out who is right and who is wrong, rather he is working towards achieving equality among people of all shapes, sizes, and color—a goal that has long been amongst this nation.
ReplyDeleteKeeping in mind that Barack Obama’s speech was given shortly after his reverend passed a misleading comment I strongly agree with what he says. It is time for American to come together regardless of race, political views, or religion. “working together, we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds and that, in fact, we have no choice – we have no choice if we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union.” Setting any political views of my own aside, I fully agree with Barack Obama. Now more than ever does this country need to bridge the gap between different race’s. I thought the way he addressed his reverends controversial comment was interesting. The speech did not apologize for the remark but explained it in a way we can all relate too. I’m not saying that the comment passed was acceptable, but this man grew up in a time where segregated schools still existed. I do not honestly know all the details of this controversy but what I do know is that Reverend Wright was preaching to his black community who have all felt racial discrimination.
ReplyDeleteAfter hearing President-Elect Obama’s speech, I am just as optimistic about the future of our country as I was when I heard that Obama won the democratic ticket. The one thing from Obama’s speech that stuck out to me was when he stated, “Whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation -- the young people whose attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this election.” When I heard this part in the speech, I thought back to the latter part of President-Elect Obama’s victory speech in Grant Park on November 4, 2008. In President Obama’s speech, he addressed the nation by stating that “out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: yes, we can.” As an African-American, my generation can begin to erase some of that deep-rooted hatred. I am a strong believer that if someone is not careful, that history can and will repeat itself. It is time for change in this country. The past exists in our memories, the future is only in our plans but the present is our only reality.
ReplyDeleteI fully enjoyed this speech by Barack Obama. As strange as this may sound, reading this speech almost put me in the mindset of so many different people from various backgrounds and how they perceive America and the choices their leaders have made for them for generations. I liked how Obama disagreed with the statements that his former pastor made that have sparked so much controversy, but still stands by him. Although, I am not a fan of Jeremiah Wright, I did see the loyalty Obama has for him through this speech, which I think is an important quality for a President to have for the American people. Lastly, I thought the story he told at the end was such a perfect ending. As he continues to talk about unity and recognition through out this speech, it really showed how the American people are capable of coming together.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the speech given by Barack Obama I mostly agree with everything that he has to say. I think that it was an extremely well written and well spoken speech. I feel that race is a serious problem that we deal with in today's society. Obama's speech helps define a few of the problems that people of every race have to go through on an everyday basis. I feel that the main reason we as a society struggle so much with race is because we continue define individuals not by male and female, but by black, white, asian, mexican, and so on. By reading Obama's speech, and also with it being Martin Luther King day and taking the time to read his infamous speech, you can see what great progress we have made as a nation. In Obama's speech I think he does a good job addressing that we have come a long way in the history of our country, but we still have a long way to go to truly be a united country.
ReplyDeleteI agree with many of the previous posts. Obama speech is good. It is well-written, he makes important points, and does an excellent job of speaking to every American. He knows what everyone wants to hear. However, (and I know other people have made this comment) this speech would be typical of any politician faced with such controversy. He speaks of how he could have ignored the situation but he knows that to ignore it would be tantamount to announcing his own racism. He says his disagrees with many things his Reverend states and then comments on how the man has been a key role model in his life. Some things in this speech are conflicting in my opinion. However, his beliefs about how now is the time to get out of the "racial stalemate" we are in brings up many good points. He states that while many people believe that only African Americans struggle with racial issues, each race has its own problems. He is smart enough to know that this change cannot happen in a few years time, but that we as the young people of the next generation need to be prepared to make these changes happen. Although I did not support Obama during the race, I agreed with many of his final points in this speech.
ReplyDeleteThe words of Barak Obama’s speech are what captivated me from beginning to end. The speech itself was such a well written piece just as much as how wonderfully he touched on the issues of American society today. Generally, I agreed with his thoughts and passion to help our nation come over not only problems we have been fighting for years, such as slavery and racial injustice but worldwide problems that haunt us. Obama addressed how 221 years ago our founding fathers made their declaration for independence in hopes that others shared their strive for a ‘more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America.’ The part that moved me most was how Obama believes the document has room for changes and needs to be perfected to make this country just that. ‘America can change,’ this is the land of opportunities, where people of any race, ethnicity, and or religion can be free to express themselves however they please and better yet, to succeed in which ever direction they choose.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to set aside all other notions of the presidential race and or attitudes that were established previously. However, I do think Barack is an incredibly intelligent man, who probably has gone through many struggles throughout his time. For the most part, I definitely think he can speak well and motivate many people just by the carefully chosen vocabulary and such in his speech. After the introduction of his speech, I think he can relate to many people because he knows what both sides of the field look like from growing up in his biracial family. As he continues with addressing the statements his reverend said, I think he was sincere with his response, and it's true when he says, "...I'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagree." It's true, I think in any religion. I also went on to read some other previous speeches his reverend has given during their gatherings. When someone is around something continuously and is always subjected to certain ideas and beliefs, it's hard not to tend to believe the same thing. Overall yes, everything he covers in the speech about how racism and injustice hasn't changed over time. I think it's slowly gotten better, but if it was something easy to be fixed or wasn't so controversial then it would have been fixed by now. Gradually as each older generation dies out, that's what progresses the change in ideals and certain actions over a group of people. Those generations that have grown up in the time of slavery or their parents' grew up then, those are the ones who still have the same though process because they know no different. Today, many of the younger generation kids are more open on the issue and have totally different views. Although the progression is slow, change is coming.
ReplyDeleteThese will be the quotes I make references to: 1) "Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely, just as I'm sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagree." 2) "They are full of dancing and clapping and screaming and shouting that may seem jarring to the untrained ear." This speech, I felt, down-played the Reverend Wright situation too much. In quotation 1, Senator Obama says that we all might have different ideologies than our pastors. There is a big difference between my pastor denouncing drinking, and I disagree, than Reverend Wright saying G-D America. Obama then says that things that go on ion the black church can be bizarre to the untrained ear. Again, he tries to down-play Reverend Wright's comment to the same playing field as dancing and screaming. really disagree with the speech and what it is trying to accomplish with the Reverend Wright comment. This really made me feel like Obama was not condemning Reverend Wright like he should.
ReplyDeleteI thought that Barack Obama’s A More Perfect Union speech was beautifully written. It is a message that promotes unity without dismissing the wrongs of America’s past “that we’ve never really worked through”. By the same token Obama asks that we not allow America’s past to keep us divided. He asks that we make a conscience effort to understand “that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes”; “we all want to move in the same direction”. I think nothing expresses these views better than the line in which Obama states, “working together, we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds and that, in fact, we have no choice—we have no choice if we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union.”
ReplyDeleteI believe that Obama’s words help to interpret more clearly the ideals of Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence; “all men are created equal”. I believe that Obama has fulfilled an action that Jefferson may have hoped to inspire “in order to form a more perfect union”; He has exercised his “right” and “duty” to throw off a government that has failed to invest in our and our children’s future security, and has asked that we contribute in doing so.
From Kathryn:
ReplyDeleteWhile reading Obama’s speech, I felt a sense of pride and hopefulness in
the American people. Since the founding of this country, the people
living in it have faced many issues and problems that have been
associated with civil rights. Obama states, “What we know, what we have
seen, is that America can change,” and I agree with him completely.
Through out his speech he gives examples of how the country has grown.
From segregation to women’s voting rights, the American people have been
transitioning their train of thought and producing a more united
America. However, we are still not completely unaware of our racial
differences yet, and Obama knows that with each election the country has
grown.