IRB: The Audacity of Hope

The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama

Barack Obama writes about the beginnings of his career in government: the obstacles he had to work around and the harsh reality of politics.  He includes personal reflections on the current state of politics as well, in which he thinks has gone off course.  While partisan politics may have worked at one point in time, Obama suggests that it has become inefficient.  Furthermore, he writes about his early conversations with everyday Americans and how we can change our politics.  Obama's moderate tone and intellectual consistency makes him seem very level-headed.  By avoiding extremes and backing up his claims with honest personal experience, he opens up his readers.  Other rhetorical elements include dialogues from his memories, qualifiers and some historical references.

Barack Obama is the 44th and current President of the United States.  Before he became President, he was a community organizer for a rough part of Chicago and also Senator of Illinois.  He is of mixed heritage: his dad black and his mom white.  He attended Columbia University and Harvard Law School.

In Obama's first memoir Dreams from my Father, he managed to remain very honest about not only himself but his observations.  It is this element that made him very respectable.  However, that was before he became a well-known politician.  Now, critics are interested to see if he can maintain that same integrity.  Barack Obama acknowledges this and that is part of his purpose as the writer: to show that he has not lost touch.  Therefore I think Barack's audience is mainly his supporters and even skeptics.  Another purpose he has is to promote healthier politics.