Some questions to think about now that you've finished the beginning of Obama's book (and are about to watch his speech):
How does Obama open this book? What are the images and ideas that he begins with? What kinds of things does Obama reveal about himself, his personal life? What does the purpose of the book seem to be—not just “elect me” but elect him for what reasons? What kind of case is he trying to make so far in this book? How has Obama built (or harmed) his ethos thus far?
due in class 9/7
Obama opens his book with describing his path to deciding, and running, for a senate seat. He begins with describing how much of an underdog he was. How he had few funds, his struggles with his name, etc. He reveals that he isn't easily angered about things, that he is very devoted to his family, and that he is very optimistic for the future. He's trying to make the case, in my opinion, that by being optimistic and hoping for a better future, our country can obtain greater things. I think that Obama has definitely built his ethos thus far in the book. He has appealed to reader's emotions.
ReplyDeleteObama opens this book with remembering the first time he went into politics. He talks about his adventure through politics from his start as a struggling politician up until he became a senator for the United States. He reveals that he went through some hard times at first running for office especially, he reveals how it was hard on his marriage and he had left Michelle at home to raise the two girls. He recounts how he is fascinated with the 60s but only really knows what he does about the 60s through his mother.
ReplyDeleteThe book seems to be an elect him for the reasons of he wants to end the huge split between democrats and republicans, that the partisan politics does not seem to be the answer and that it is dividing our country more than ever. He is trying to make a case that if we do not end this partisan politics we are going to have a very divided nation, more so than ever before and it may lead to our fall. He talks about how every great empire falls and how that fall usually begins with a split amongst the nation.
He has built his ethos thus far in that he wants to help the nation get out of these partisan politics and to better our country and help the average person since a lot of people don't pay a whole lot of attention to politics, that they are more focused on what is right in front of them, mainly their families and what is going on in their lives. He seems to be saying that he wants to help the average American, who is worried about their jobs and their financial security but also try to put an end to partisan politics that is slowly ripping this country in half.
In contrast to Romney's book, President Obama's intro is much more personal. He begins by talking about his journey with politics. He tells stories about his process getting into the U.S. Senate and the struggles it caused his supportive family. He uses personal anecdotes about his wife and daughters which allows the reader to connect with him on a more human level. I was surprised at the little amount of name calling and opponent bashing. He seemed to convey his stance on issues without sounding preachy, and explained how he plans to "fix" this country. Obama goes in depth about the policies he has created while in office, and the things he hopes to fix in the future. I enjoyed the President's rhetoric as he seemed to effortlessly have a way with words.
ReplyDeleteObama opens his book , stating important things about his political past. He reveals his accomplishments , along with his failures. He tells us about his family and his marriage, his friends and his long journeys. The purpose of the book seems to be to give a reader a looking glass on his views and beliefs.
ReplyDeleteObama opens his book in a different manner than Romney did. Whereas Romney focused on what is wrong with Obama's administration and comparing America to a large corporation, Obama focused on describing how America's government has lost the focus and purpose that it used to have in our country's early years and how different presidents and their administrations have each contributed to this change instead of laying it all on one man. In describing this change of politics over time, Obama tied in various experiences that he has had on the road during his different campaigns that has allowed him to realize that the American system of government is not what it used to be. He also reveals quite a lot about his family and his personal life by using subtle remarks and stories rather than awkwardly throwing in random tidbits that may relate to the topic if you really tweak their meaning.
ReplyDeleteSo far in his book, Obama is focusing on where government has gone wrong recently and how it needs to change for the better. I think this is a much better tactic that simply attacking the other candidate, his administration, and his policies. It makes him seem like he would much rather fix what needs fixed rather than just win.
Also, just a side remark, I have noticed that Obama seems to be a much better writer than Romney simply in terms of creating interest and flow in the order of the topics he discusses. I find myself more into Obama's book than Romney's even though I don't particularly like one candidate over the other as of now.
Obama opens his book (the prolouge) with the discussion of the beginning of his political career. He is sort of talking himself up in a humble way by sharing his experiences and how politics have shaped him and brought him to where he is today. He starts by talking also of his family and how that aspect of his life was intertwined with is political career. The actual first chapter of his book begins with images of what the inside of the Capital Building looks like and its beauty and he makes it sound very embellished and grand. Obama reveals a lot about himself and personal life by including things that Michelle did not support and how he was not always there for his family as much as he wanted to be. He also spoke of his political discovery in college and how his political views were shaped by those views of his family. He seems to be saying "elect me" because I am different, because I believe in bipartisanship and because I see what is wrong with America and am willing to admit and change it instead of idealize it. He is trying to make the case that he believes Republicans and responsible in large for partisanship but it is all of our duties to change it. He also discusses recent history of our county but from a view of the different parties. He has made an appeal to ethos through his discussion of his family and his passionate discussion of the political parties.
ReplyDeleteObama starts his book by talking about his job in the U.S. Senate. He introduces the way that he used to take to work and some of his office works. At the beginning of the book, Obama notes his family and his personal life a little, but explains more about his work. He talks about the processes of he election as the junior Illinois senator. Obama points out that the relationship inside the Democrats have some problems. In addition, he also notes that the Democrats should stop to fight with their Republican counterparts, but cooperate with them to win the public's trust.
ReplyDeleteObama opens his book with his life as a politician and his troubles that went along with his political career. Obama reveals more about his personal life then Romney did as with his background in politics and how he started his career in politics four years after he graduated law school. The purpose of this book seems to be to elect him because he cares about the state of the country and want to help it also to elect him because he is an every man that has worked hard for his success and not just had money to get to where he is like the person he was running against for the senate seat who spent eighteen million dollars for his campaign against Obama. The case Obama makes in his book is that this country is in trouble and needs a new political structure formed from the constitution. He supports this ethos by saying how this country is made up of hard working people with simple expectations that have the ability to see the faults of politicians and ignore politicians now.
ReplyDeleteObama opened his book by saying that this book gives his thought and opinions. His ideas for fixing the country may not be complete, but that is okay. He talks about his struggle working his way up in the political rankings, especially after September 11th. He went into detail about some of his experiences and talked about how those experiences shaped him into the politician he is today. He cares about individuals and their issues and loves to hear others philosophies of what we can do to better America or even just to vent about issues that citizens are passionate about. This book seems to be written explanation of why he is so passionate about what he does in politics and his experiences.
ReplyDeleteThe prologue to Obama's book describes his emotions and mental struggle while climbing from an attorney to his seat in public office, focusing notably on his low expectations for himself as he ran for senate. He very vaguely reveals his stances on his family and his partial absence as a father when he began his political career. The main gist of his speech claims that he knows the ins and outs of politics, particularly the disconnection between congressmen and the acts they vote on. He mentions the struggle between Republicans and Democrats and their divide within the legislative branch. Most of his appeal to ethos is in his explanation that he's seen the lower end of society and understands the problems associated with the lower and middle classes.
ReplyDeletePresident Obama starts out his book by talking about his time in political office and how he got there. I found it really interesting that he jumped into Republicans verses Democrats right away in his first chapter. I liked how he stated that he does not always agree with his party. He transferred to the strong points of his party in comparison to the so-called poor policies that the Republicans view. I don’t really think he revealed too much about himself as I thought that he would have. He mostly jumped right into his career as an adult rather than discussing about his up bringing. He built up his ethos by describing how he wants to help the nation. Obama says he wants to help the nation by helping the average American. I don’t think that he went into too much detail how he was going to do that.
ReplyDeleteObama's book The Audacity of Hope begins with talk about his career in politics. He talks about how he was the senate of Illinois. His family is very important to him, but because of his job he struggled to be with his family as much as he wanted which michelle did not approve of. He is trying to change the way the country runs in politics. Obama wants the Republicans and the Democrats to stop arguing and come together to create a better public. The ethos was shown through his talk about family and his political history.
ReplyDeleteBarack Obama opens his book by describing his political climb, from Illinois legislature to US Senate to President of the United States. He also illustrates his morning routine in traveling to the Capitol, allowing us to see into his personal life. He tells of the hardships he faced in establishing his political career. He utilizes understanding and strong public speaking to captivate his audience and build trust. Obama's morality leaks from the words in his novel, and his overall concern for our nation's most pressing matters presents itself early on. His genuine outlook and humble intelligence all help to build his ethos, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteObama opens the book by telling a little bit about his background and his journey along the way. He reveals some about his family life but more about his life in the political world. The purpose of the book seems to allow him to relate to the average person and bring about change and how something can be implemented in creating a better nation. The case that he has is trying to make is how we need to change the way we have been acting and tries to illustrate a potential path to go down. He has built his ethos by creating a positive environment and giving the people hope and the idea that something can be done to eliminate the problems and allow us to live in a better world.
ReplyDeleteObama opens his book by sharing his life in politics and in the senate. He made it clear that he wanted to let people know that he was an underdog, and tried to look as if was a normal person. He did this by telling personal stories about is life and the chooses he made in politics. The purpose of this book I thank was to make himself look as normal as he could, to relate to the people that that voted for him in 2008. This book is a guide to Obama life and his beliefs.
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