“Yes we can!” is the catchword every single citizen of the United States remembers from the past presidential election. It was the democrat candidate, Barack Obama, who clubbed during his many speeches this slogan and, in the mean time, fulfilled America with hope for a brighter future.
The document we have here is the inaugural speech made by this President, newly elected, on January 20, 2009. This man carries many hopes on his shoulders because on the one hand, he is the first Afro-American, which accesses to the highest function. On the other hand, through his speeches, announcements and promises he embodies a glimmer of hope for the United States and, actually, for the whole world. The gathering of either the personification of the American Dream and the numerous promises is essential to understand this speech. To what extend can we say that this inaugural lecture, highly lyrical, even poetic stands for this meeting? We will only focus on the metaphors, which are, the guiding horizon of this speech.
Barack Obama or more precisely, the author of the speech, probably Jon Favreau, soaked in America’s values, seeks to connect the program, the purpose of the new administration with the United State’s history. He insists on the fact that, sure, there has been some “clouds and raging storms” but, thanks to the “founding documents” which are, so to speak, the “light {of} the world”, America will rise up.
It’s highly important to notice the sharp contrast between the “cynics” who failed because the “ground has shifted beneath them” and those who are “in high office”. Indeed, we can guess that Obama tackles the former administration that was near to the floor whereas the new one is closer to the sky. In addition, there are many references to the religious aspect of the Nation, such as the “Scripture” so; we can say that he exhorts the people to come back to the fundamentals.
Another aspect has to be highlighted; it’s the importance giving to the earth, literally