On January 24, 2012, President of United States Obama delivered his latest State of the Union (SOTU) speech to Congress. It heavily brings up the major problems that currently go on in United States: tax code, job opportunities, energy and education etc. He brings up the irrationality of current tax system and expresses his strong attitude on adjusting tax rate for upper class. For job opportunities Obama speaks about his expectation for more large international companies to bring back their overseas product lines and encourages hiring more American workers. In particular, the president calls to Congress to prevent a drastic increase in student loan interest rates, extend the tuition tax credit, double the number of work-study jobs available to students and so on.
The style of the speech is surprisingly personal and less formal considering the importance and status. More than once President Obama addressed himself personally and mentions stories from his own family. Instead of classical style of stating and reporting, Obama tends to use phrases such as “bring the bill to me desk tomorrow and I will sign it right away”, “bring me the layout and I will sign it right away”. Such form of language can bring the audience closer to the speaker. To back up his ideas he also uses examples with people’s actual names which can relate to the mid class audience more and creates a sense of encouragement.
Overall I think this is a great speech. His style is amiable to the audience and at the same time serious when addressing the problems of United States. He statement is clear and logically easy to follow. However, despite the success of the speech, the points brought up in the speech are correct but not novel. This is generally a summery of the statements that Obama has been addressed in the past few years. And based on the limited effect of the actions that have been taken, I stand pessimistic about Obama’s future in this election year.
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