Obama's State Of The Union Adress

View Obama's State Of The Union Address

1.)TRIUNE BRAIN



This media text connects a great deal to our limbic brain because it appeals to our emotions. Much of Obama’s content are exaggerations and stories about the effects on the American people. His speech doesn’t include a great deal of specific facts and statistics, and he also doesn’t talk about the specific details of his plans and how they are going to be executed because it seems that he wants to connect with the people through emotions.
Examples: When Obama talks about the struggles that people have from the state of the economy. When he talks about the letters he receives from children and adults.
When he tells the stories of the people who have been helped by the Recovery.

2. EIGHT TRENDS
Personal shift: This media is personal to me and I am able to participate in it because it is on the Internet. By being on the Internet I can watch it, stop and re-play parts whenever I want. By having Obama’s speech on the Internet it becomes less of a group activity because I have access to it at all times, and I can control it however I want. If this were not the case then I and everyone else would be more likely to watch it when it was talking place in person and would be around others.

Technological Shift: Can view Obama’s speech whenever I want from my own computer. This means that I have full control over Obama’s speech as I can access it, along with stop and re-play any part of it that I want. For me personally, I am able to better analyze his speech because I can play back a part that I didn’t understand and notice every detail of what he says and does.

3. SEVEN PRINCIPLES
Emotional Transfer: This media transferred emotions a great deal because it was all about connecting with the people through emotions. Obama taps emotions of his audience that have to do with the hardships and successes of individuals and society as a whole. These include emotions of helplessness, struggle, loss, gain, achievements, triumph, relief, and strength. When thinking more deeply about this media and considering the extent of its emotional transfer it makes me question whether or not Obama’s plan’s are realistic and how well they will really work. I noticed that my attention was diverted away from asking these questions and I want to know more about the specifics of his plans.

Individual meaning: Every American is able to construct their own meaning of Obama’s speech. Most people have access to view exactly what he said with the Television and Internet. This means that many people don’t learn about the event through another person’s interpretation of it, which allows them to create their own means of the media.

4. 29 TECHNIQUES OF PERSUASION
Plain Folks: Obama persuades the American people by appealing to the Average Americans and making them feel like he is apart of them/ is aware and understands their problems.
Example: when referring to the problems of the American people he said, “Working longer and harder for less, not being able to send children to college- for these people change can’t come soon enough.”
Warm and Fuzzies: Obama is persuading his audience about how bad economic problems are when he talks about the letters he reads from children who don’t understand why their parents cant find a job and want to know when they can go back to work. This causes people to view the economy as a large problem because it is affecting children. If it were not affecting children then people may not think it is that bad, and therefore may think that Obama should direct his attention to other issues. This also aids in people viewing Obama as a person who really cares about the people of America, and that he is taking the correct actions in focusing on this problem.
Scapegoating: Obama tries to divert attention from mistakes that he may have made by holding other people responsible for the poor economy. He blames the economy crisis and the loss of jobs on Wall Street, and Washington for not being able to solve the economic problems.
Strength: Obama persuades by using strength to show American’s that he is a strong leader, and to make them feel that their country as a whole is strong.
Examples: When he says, “The union is strong.” He said that he wouldn’t just do what was popular, he would do what is necessary and if he didn’t do that then unemployment could have doubled, more businesses would have been closed, and more homes would have been lost.
When he refers to the American people and says, “We do not give up, we do not quit, we do not let fear or diversion break our spirit.” –makes people feel that their country is strong.
Group Dynamics: Obama uses group dynamics to persuade people to make them feel like they aren’t alone and that he is apart of them. He creates a feeling of togetherness. He does this by addressing Americans as “we”-- he says, “we face big and difficult challenges.” “How together we can deliver on the promise…”
Flattery: Obama uses flattery several times when he talks about the government that the American people deserve to make his audience think better of themselves, and persuade them that his government will make their problems better. He makes his audience feel that they are strong and he cares about them.
Examples of this: when he says that the American people deserve is for both democrats and republicans to both work through their differences.
When referring to the American people he says, “They share a stubborn resilience in the face of adversity. People re-main busy, building cars, teaching kids, starting businesses, going back to school, coaching little league, helping neighbors.” Because of this Obama said he “has never been more hopeful about the nation than he is tonight.”
He says, “American people gets a government that matches their decency, embodies their strength.”
Humor: Obama uses humor to make himself personable and to make the people laugh. This also distracts the people from the bank bail out, which was very unpopular. When referring to the bank bail out he said, “It was about as popular as a route canal.”

5. Thesis: Jobs will be the number one focus for 2010 because the economy is what has put American’s in the crises that they are in.

6. Facts:
7 million American’s are jobless/ 1 in 10 people can’t find work.
He proposed a fee on the biggest banks, to help recover the money the government had to spend of the banks.
Extended or increased unemployment benefits for more than 18 million Americans.
Passed 25 different tax cuts.
Haven’t raised income taxes by a single dime for a single person.