Why all the controversy?

Well, to start, I didn't know that President Obama was giving a speech to school children until I read about it in the syllabus. Before the speech I read the articles Mrs. Bell provided and talked about the issue with my dad.

This speech was an excellent example of President Obama's eloquence and ability to create empathy with his audience. There were several compelling points in his speech. When the president brought up the examples of the girl who didn't know English when she started school, or the boy with brain cancer, or the kid passed from foster home to foster home, the listener could not help but feel that: "If they can triumph over their adversities, so can I." Also, the series of rhetorical questions at the end of the speech:"So today, I want to ask all of you, what's your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a President who comes here in 20 or 50 or 100 years say about what all of you did for this country?" serves to make his point that the choices you make now regarding your education don't just effect your future, but the future of your country.

I have to agree with my fellow students and say that speech was mainly an appeal to pathos. The sections of the speech I discussed above are examples of this, as well as the stories the president told about his and the first ladies childhoods. Those stories could also be considered appeals to ethos, or argument by credibility of character. President Obama wanted to connect with students by saying, in effect, "I've been through what you are going through, and worse. If I could do it, and get to where I am today, so can you." He was trying to build up his credibility with them.

The best argument made by opponents of the speech wasn't even against the speech itself, but against the "lesson plans" that originally went with the speech. I agree with those opposed to the lesson plans, but I think that too much was made of the whole situation. The lesson plans were border-line indoctrination, but once they were removed, conservatives should have read the speech and been satisfied.

Supporters of the speech were given much fodder by speech opponents who continued to label the speech as "socialist propaganda" even as it was released to the public and the lesson plans were removed. They made themselves look ignorant and stubborn; irrationally opposed to anything the president might do, good or bad.


Ultimately, although I am not an Obama fan, I must admit that this was a good speech and it had good content. Was I personally motivated? Maybe. I already consider myself a motivated student, but it was a good reminder that the future of my country depends on my generation and we(members of our generation) owe to ourselves and each other to get the best education we can.