Analysis of Obama's Victory speech

Analysis of Obama's Victory speech

"there is nothing impossible, once upon a time this old lady couldnt vote, now we can, once there was depression, we can get out of it, its a catch cry, a slogan, nothing is impossible, we can change, we can make it happen, we can deliver, we can bring new hope"



President elect Barack Obama uses a variety of techniques to address and unify his audience.

Obama’s use of second person, directly making reference of his audience, “tonight is your answer...it belongs to you...it cannot happen without you” is cleverly employed to demonstrate the importance of the individual and how his victory and future effort to change America will rely on the efforts of the collective. In the mind of his audience, it is used to make people feel a sense of belonging, having their presence acknowledged.

In his speech, Obama makes several intertextual references to inspirational orators of the past. One such example is Martin Luther King, “the road ahead will be long...we will get there” where Obama creates the sense that it will be a tough, arduous journey ahead of America in undoing the damage done by past leadership. Its inclusion also acts to instil the hope in the eyes of the crowd, the very same hope that spurred on the crowd in several of Martin Luther’s orations.

The repetition of “yes we can” acts as a motif that nothing is impossible and America as a whole can overcome all obstacles. In the context of Obama’s campaign of change, the repetition also emphasises that America has changed over the years through women’s rights, dealing with economic recessions and depressions and will continually change for the better under Obama’s leadership. It also epitomises the American Dream, that anyone can achieve with a positive, forward thinking and optimistic mentality.