“We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all
of us are created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our
forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall…”
 The entire first half of the clause is an extended allusion (a
reference to a person, place, or thing in history, literature, or
folklore that summarizes or evokes broad, complex ideas or
emotions).
In this case Obama is alluding to the country’s two founding
documents. The first words of the Constitution are “We, the
people…” And the Declaration of Independence begins with
the need to “declare the causes” for independence, a
statement that introduces the document’s most quoted line:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness.”
“We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us
are created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our
forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall…”
 “The star that guides us still” is a second allusion (to the star
that guided the wise men to the manager where Jesus lay).
“We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us
are created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our
forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall…”
 The same phrase is also, with its four s sounds, an example of
consonance (the repetition of the same consonant two or
more times in quick succession).
“We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us
are created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our
forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall…”
 “Through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall” is,
likewise, a use of consonance.
“We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us
are created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our
forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall…”
 The same phrase is an example of polysyndeton (the use of a
conjunction [“and”] between each word in a phrase to give a
sense of piling on or building up power)
“We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us
are created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our
forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall…”
 And each of the three locations is a metonymy (a type of
metaphor, in which a particular thing represents a larger
concept).
Seneca Falls stands for the struggle for women’s equality.
(One of the earliest conventions in United States concerned
with women’s rights was held in Seneca Falls, New York.)
Selma represents the struggle for racial equality. (There were
three marches in 1965 from Selma, Alabama to the state
capital to secure voting rights for African-Americans.)
And Stonewall represents the struggle for gay and lesbian
equality. (When police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in
Greenwich Village, in 1969, demonstrations broke out in
response.)
“We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths – that all of us
are created equal – is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our
forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall…”
 The point of using rhetorical devices isn’t to call attention to
the devices or to show how clever you are for using them. The
point is to make your message powerful, compelling, and
memorable. Kudos to Obama for using them.
Most frequently used
words in first inaugural
address. The largest words
were used the most often.
Allusions in Obama’s
Inaugural Addresses
 Allusion: a short reference to a familiar person, place,
thing, or event. The allusion explains, or enhances the
subject under discussion without sidetracking the
listener.
 The speeches heavily referenced the inaugural
addresses of former Presidents John F. Kennedy and
Abraham Lincoln, and also referred to speeches of
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Exhibit A
 Lincoln, second Inaugural Address, 1865:
 Fondly do we hope—fervently do we pray—that this mighty scourge of
war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue, until all
the wealth piled by the bond-man’s two hundred and fifty years of
unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with
the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said
three thousand years ago, so still it must be said, “the judgments of
the Lord, are true and righteous altogether.”
 “House Divided” speech, 1858:
 I believe this government cannot endure permanently half-slave and
half-free.
 Obama:
 Through blood drawn by lash and blood drawn by sword, we learned
that no union founded on the principles of liberty and equality could
survive half-slave and half-free.
Exhibit B
 Kennedy, Inaugural Address, 1961:
 With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history
the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land
we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that
here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.
 Obama:
 For history tells us that while these truths may be selfevident, they have never been self-executing; that while
freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by His people
here on Earth.
Exhibit C
 Lincoln, annual message, 1862
 As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. We
must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our
country.
 Obama:
 [W]e have always understood that when times change, so
must we; that fidelity to our founding principles requires new
responses to new challenges; that preserving our individual
freedoms ultimately requires collective action.
Exhibit D
 King, “I Have a Dream” speech, 1963:
 The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro
community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for
many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here
today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our
destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is
inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.
 Obama:
 We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths—
that all of us are created equal—is the star that guides us still, just
as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and
Stonewall, just as it guided all those men and women, sung and
unsung, who left footprints along this great Mall, to hear a
preacher say that we cannot walk alone, to hear a King proclaim
that our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of
every soul on Earth.
Exhibit E
 King's, "I've Been to the Mountaintop" address:

Like anybody, I would like to live - a long life; longevity has its place. But I'm not
concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up
to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get
there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the
Promised Land. So I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing
any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.
 Obama:

"But tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining
moment, change has come to America" and "The road ahead will be long, our climb
will be steep. We may not get there in one year, or even in one term — but America, I
have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.”
 King ( used regularly, most notably after the Selma to Montgomery marches):

The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.
 Obama:

..we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history.
Exhibit F
 Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address:
 We are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have
strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.
 Obama:
 As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are
not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained,
it must not break our bonds of affection.
Exhibit G
 Lincoln:
 It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task
remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we
take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave
the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly
resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this
nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and
that government of the people, by the people, for the
people, shall not perish from the earth.
 Obama:
 ...that more than two centuries later a government of the
people, by the people, and for the people has not perished
from the Earth.
Exhibit H
 Sam Cooke:
 It’s been too hard living but I'm afraid to die
'Cause I don't know what's up there beyond the sky
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will
 Obama:
 It's been a long time coming, but...change has come to
America.
Writing Prompt
 Review the speech for uses of allusion.
 Discuss with your face partner how each one emphasizes
the point and adds to the kairos of the situation.
 “If there is anyone out there who still doubts…”
 Using the above sentence-starter argue on a topic that
resonates in you. Turn the skeptics into believers about
something you know. Use 2-3examples of allusion within
your writing.