" A More Perfect Union"

The other day, my English 1102 class watched, listened and also read along a speech made by our current president Barack Obama. In this speech he addressed the issue of race in society today. It shed light to the reality that we, as a nation, are still divided by racial context.

He begins his speech with a quote from the Declaration of Independence; "We the people, in order to form a more perfect union..." and tells his audience the brief background of what happened 221 years ago in that same city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He states that, “The document they produced was eventually signed but ultimately unfinished."

"Unfinished" was the word that resonated in my ears. What could he possibly mean by it being unfinished? I thought to myself in that moment and realized that it was "unfinished" because it wasn't fulfilled. Although written, these words were not acted on to their fullest potential. 

He slowly connects with his audience, with a series of emotional appeals (pathos) that primarily serve to give us (the audience) a better sense of his standings on the issue of race without making excuses for any particular behavior. He says; 

"I chose to run for the presidency at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together- unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction-..."

At this point in the speech he, in a way, makes himself more human; I saw him as a hopeful man and not the president of the United States. He talks about his upbringing in a "white" surrounding and his diverse background. He states along the lines that in no other country is a story like his possible and that out of many countries, his story and many others makes us one. 

I agree these United States are a very unique entity. Here we are said to be "free" in the "land of opportunity" but I believe opportunities lend themselves to those who make an effort to change for the better...

On the topic of a man by the name of Reverend Wright, whose racial comments stirred the media: Obama goes on to admit they were wrong, and far from beneficial at a time where unity must be obtained (by our "union"). There are bigger problems to be solved and we have to do that together. Racism is a part of our "union" that we have yet to perfect. We must understand its rooting and work to heal the wounds of an imperfect society. 

"Union": one word, so simple, yet harder to obtain. Yet, a "more perfect union" allows us as a nation to learn from our past and only progress in our futures; to gradually learn to be "one nation" undivided, united, and similarly ambitious with hopes of unity.

The speech proved to be very inspiring and motivational. It handled the issue of racism in a tasteful presentation that gave the audience hope. It told me to treat others equally, as you would like to be treated- no more, no less. I enjoyed listening to President Obama as he filled our hearts with progressive hopes for the future of our country. 

 * sapient- adj. wise