Running Head: START OF SOMETHING NEW

The Start of Something New

Olivia Salyers
Bowling Green State University

ECCO 1110 GSW 4:30 MW

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On September 8, 2009 in Arlington, Virginia President Barack Obama

gave a very motivating speech entitled Back to School Event. Students all
across America were watching as President Obama told touching stories of
his own and of other students and how they took control of their education.
President Obama was really targeting the youth of America that were going
through hardship and believed they had no hope. President Obama did a
wonderful job of expressing the importance of education and how it is the
key to success. The success of this speech is really due to the ethical,
emotional, and logical appeal factors, which can be found all throughout it.
Students today, especially those going to school in poor environments,
are losing sight of the importance of their education. President Obama is
trying to motivate students at Wakefield High School, as well as students
across America, to take their education into their own hands. President
Obama mentions not only how it is the students responsibility to take their
education seriously but also the parents, teachers, and governments
responsibility to nurture your education. President Obama states that is the
parents responsibility to make sure students do their homework and stay on
track. Also, that is the teachers responsibility to inspire and push children to
learn. Lastly, that it is the governments responsibility to support the school
and set high standards. President Obama is motivating the entire nation to
take the education of the youth seriously.

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President Obama uses language that could be understood by an

elementary schooler as well as a high schooler. President Obama also shows
an understanding for how the students are feeling and where they are
coming from. In his opening statement President Obama really hits on every
level of school age children from kindergarteners to high school seniors.
I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for
those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, its your first
day in a new school, so its understandable if youre a little nervous. I
imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right
now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade youre in,
some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you couldve
stayed in bed just a little longer this morning. (Obama, 2009, para. 2).
This is a good opening and immediately gains the trust of the students
because he is expressing his understanding of how they are feeling. Students
often block out the advice and/or opinions of adults because they feel like
adults dont understand them. President Obama does a great job here of
countering that in this opening statement by showing an understanding of
how the students are feeling.
In President Obamas speech he touched the audience by appealing to
their emotions. President Obama includes stories not only of his own but
other success stories of people who came from a difficult background.

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Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didnt speak
English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went
to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard,
earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in
graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin
Perez. Im thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, whos
fought brain cancer since he was three. Hes endured all sorts of treatments
and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer
hundreds of extra hours to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind,
and hes headed to college this fall. And then theres Shantell Steve, from
my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to
foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a
local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and
shes on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.
Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell arent any different from any of you. They faced
challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They
chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for
themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same. (Obama, 2009, para. 2528).
President Obama really tugs on the audiences heart strings by relating
the point back to himself and telling a story about a time when he also found
it difficult to stay committed to hid education.

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I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia

for a few years, and my mother didnt have the money to send me where all
the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons
herself, Monday through Friday at 4:30 in the morning. Now I wasnt too
happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, Id fall asleep right there at
the kitchen table. But whenever Id complain, my mother would just give me
one of those looks and say, This is no picnic for me either, buster. (Obama,
2009, para. 3-4).
President Obama also makes some very legitimate points throughout
the speech. President Obama expresses to the students that their success
really is all on them. A student can be given every opportunity and supply
available, but if they dont take advantage of it they wont succeed.
Now Ive given a lot of speeches about education. And Ive talked a lot
about responsibility. Ive talked about your teachers responsibility for
inspiring you, and pushing you to learn. Ive talked about your parents
responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework
done, and dont spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that
Xbox. Ive talked a lot about your governments responsibility for setting high
standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools
that arent working where students arent getting the opportunities they
deserve. But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated
teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world

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and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless
you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your
parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to
succeed. (Obama, 2009, para. 6-10).
This is really shows the students how their success really is up to them.
President Obama stresses the fact that no matter how much support and
opportunity a student has they will only succeed if they really want to.
The timing of President Obamas speech also plays a key role in its
success. The speech would be less effective if it was given in the spring or
summer. The speech is relative because it is given at the beginning of the
school year when students can still decide to commit to their education even
if they havent been very dedicated before. The speech is given to motivate
and inspire students to do well in school when they still have the chance to
turn it around if they havent done well in the past.