Language and Power free essay sample

Language and Power Barbara Mellix, an African-American writer, grew up with the concern of how language and power come together. Growing up she spoke two types of language- black english and standard english. When Mellix was with her family in South Carolina, she spoke black English which was their way of feeling a sense of pride. This predicament is experienced by many people on a daily basis. Language is one of the biggest tools in the art of gaining power. Most people feed off the way you speak; as well as sentence structure, and wording. Language can cause inspiration as well as pride, and a sense of comfort and understanding from the person speaking. An example of how language and power are used is presidential speeches. When Obama’s staff writes his speeches, they are careful in the way they word everything according to what city, state, and setting they will be in when delivering the speech. We will write a custom essay sample on Language and Power or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Mr. Barack Obama’s announcement of seeking another term in office took none by surprise, and neither did the first stops in his campaign. He tried to capture everyone’s attention by stating that he had done what he said he’d do during his presidency; like he said he would back when he was campaigning in 2008. He stated â€Å"For the first time in nine years, there are no Americans fighting in Iraq. Osama bin Laden is no longer a threat to this country. †(Blake,Cillizza). On August 28, 2012, Obama addressed the students of Iowa State University. He started off his speech by first saying â€Å"Hello, Cyclones†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â€Å"I love you back and I’m glad to be here. By starting off the speech in this cheerful manner, it really captures the attention of all the students. Because he mentions their school and states that he is glad to there with them, he is really trying to get them on his side. Next, he says how they have been preparing for the st orm ‘Isaac’ and how response teams and supplies are already lined up. This is really good for making the public feel like he is ready and is going to be prepared as soon as disaster strikes. His words have now formulated the feeling of comfort and reliability on the president and the government. Obama then throws in the family aspect. Obama says â€Å"We are one family. We’re one family and we help our neighbors. † By Obama saying these words with passion and also understanding because he himself has a family. While using the including the family in this speech, Obama also says â€Å"we†. This is a pronoun used very generously in all of his speeches. â€Å"We†, gives the impression of unity and community and everyone coming together to do what is best for those around them and themselves. During the whole time Obama is making this speech, He is talking in a much laid back tone, while still capturing their interest by making jokes and talking about the football team and the issues that concern them. His tone is very inviting and understanding which draws the people in. If Obama continues to connect with his audience on issues that they are concerned about, then he is more likely to get their vote. In the eyes of the people, if he understands an issue, then he will do something to help fix or try and better the circumstances. And that is how Obama captures his audiences. Mellix talks about how her parents changed their dialects when they were around certain people. At home with family, they spoke black English; in public and when first meeting someone, they spoke in standard English. Obama also used a different dialect than he would use if he were in a much more professional setting. He uses words such as â€Å"folks† and â€Å"y’all† which make him seem more like one of them. After he created a good, friendly vibe, he then turned to the more serious issue- voting. He proceeds to tell them students that it is coming to be their time- their time to be able to really make a difference in the country for the first time. Obama says â€Å"for the first time in most of your lives, you will get to pick a president†. He saying this has now made the students of Iowa State feels like their choice actually will mean something. Any person wants to feel like they can make a difference. While being at Iowa State University, Obama talks about the issue of paying for college and how †we† won the fight to keep federal student loans from doubling for more than seven million students.