Barack Hussein Obama
Newtown, Connecticut School
Shooting Pray Vigil
Presented By Cody Bennett
4th Block Honors English II
April 11th, 2013
Background
 Barack Hussein Obama was born on August 4th, 1961 in Honolulu
Hawaii. He took office in 2009, and is currently our 44th
president. This presidential election was not special because of
the number but rather because he became the first AfricanAmerican president.
 As a president, within his first five years, he has been able to end
the war in Iraq, and take down one of the biggest terrorists
know to man, Bin Laden. This was a drastic accomplishment as
he became a legendary president.
 He is married to Michelle Obama, and has two daughters.
 Member of the democratic party.
 This speech was given in December 16th, 2012, three days after
the shooting occurred.
 Winner of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to increase
international diplomacy and c0-operation.
Video of Newtown Speech
Speech Given By Me
SOAPSTone Speaker
 President Barack Obama, started his term in 2009-2012, in which
he was re-elected and is currently serving as President in 2013.
 He has is a father of two girls, which enables him to truly
connect with those who lost a child.
 He has impacted the world greatly with his accomplishments
and his ability to stay strong through rough times.
Examples
 “And each time I react not as a President, but as anyone else
would, a parent.”
 “This evening, Michelle and I will do what I know every parent in
America will do, which is hug our children a little tighter and
we’ll tell them that we love them…”
SOAPSTone Subject
 Barack Obama addressed the nation after a massive school
shooting to mourn with the parents and show his care.
 He tried to bring the nation together, showing that we can
make it through anything together.
 Barack Obama thanked the heroic teachers who stood
strong for their students in attempt to save them.
Examples:
 “The majority of those who died today were children –
beautiful kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old.”
(Shows that he cares as he reaches out to the people who
lost a loved one)
 “So our hearts are broken today – for the parents and
grandparents, sisters and brothers of these little children.”
SOAPSTone Occasion
Newtown Connecticut, December 16th 2012.
 This is intended as a prayer vigil for those lost, a Christian service
that would provide comfort to those who were lost and their
families.
 20 children and 6 teachers are pronounced dead after a massive
school shooting in an elementary school.
 America is in shock and dis-belief and wondering why this may have
happened. What was the purpose in killing 20 beautiful children?
Examples
 “We gather here in memory of twenty beautiful children and six
remarkable adults.”
 “Here in Newtown…”
SOAPSTone Audience
 The speech is directed to the families of those lost, the first
responders, the community of Newtown, and all the
heartfelt Americans in shock and disbelief.
 The beginning of the speech was directed towards the
families as he prayed and mourned with them. But later on
he reveals his purpose and directs it straight towards the
American people as he wants to ban assault rifles.
Examples
 “To all the families, first responders, to the community of
Newtown, clergy, guests”
 “So our hearts are broken today, for the parents,
grandparents, sisters and brothers of these little children,
and for the families of the adults who were lost.”
SOAPSTone Purpose
 President Obama gave this speech in order to persuade
Americans into banning assault rifles and truly start the
debate and consideration of the violence cause by guns.
 Another purpose was to comfort the people of Newtown
and calm the chaos.
Examples:
 Scripture tells us: “…do not lose heart. Though outwardly
we are wasting away…inwardly we are being renewed day
by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving
for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”
 “Since I’ve been President, this is the fourth time we have
come together to comfort a grieving community torn apart
by a mass shooting.”
SOAPSTone Tone
Sympathetic, Upset, and Encouraging.
 Obama was sympathetic because as he was talking to the
parents and families your could hear the sorrow in his
voice as he provided empathy to them.
 Obama was also upset because we have done nothing to
prevent this problem of the course of time.
 President Obama was also encouraging as he wanted
Americans to stand behind him in the fight to ban assault
rifles.
Examples
 “So our hearts are broken today, for the parents and
grandparents, sisters and brothers…”
 “As a country, we have been through this too many
times.”
 Before starting the speech you can see Obama wipe away
a tear, this shows to me he is upset.
Analysis Paraphrase
“This evening, Michelle and I will do what I know every
parent in America will do, which is hug our children a little
tighter and we’ll tell them that we love them, and well
remind each other how deeply we love one another. But
there are families here in Connecticut who cannot do that
tonight. And they need all of us right now. In the hard days to
come, that community needs us to be at our best as
Americans. And I will do everything in my power as a
president to help.”
This paragraph shows that he can relate to Americans and show that
he is just like us. It also shows the hardships of these mass school
shooting as some parents lost their children. The last sentence shows
that he is fully behind us as he will do anything to help. Obama also
shows unity, as he says, “ and they need all of us right now.” He
wants us to stand together, learn, and prevent this from happening
again. Maybe we can even grow strong as a unit from this tragedy.
Paraphrase
 “…these neighborhoods are our neighborhoods, and
these children are our children. And we’re going to
have to come together and take meaningful action o
prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the
politics.
This is where he truly introduces the idea of banning assault rifles.
He shows that he doesn’t care about the politics, or what people
might think of his actions. Obama is trying to do his job and
protect the American citizens.
Paraphrase
 “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us
an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our
eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since
what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed,
we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven,
not built by human hands.”
This truly sets up the entire speech as it is the first words he says. This
single quote from a piece of scripture has many meanings. He shows
that he is a Christian and has true faith in God. He wants Americans to
look past all the tragic scenes, the “earthly tent” we live in and realize
that our life now is only temporary and we have an eternal house
built by God. Momentary troubles will not matter in the long run but
achieving eternal glory is what matters.
Main Idea
 “As a country, we have been through this too many times.
Whether it’s an elementary school in Newtown, or a
shopping mall in Oregon, or a temple in Wisconsin, or a
movie theater in Aurora, or a street corner in Chicago…We
are going to have to come together and take meaningful
action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the
politics.”
 The examples listed are all mass shootings that happened during
his presidency thus far. He is trying to make your realize that this is
preventable and we need to take action. The President is also
trying to show unity, as we fight through this together.
Ethos
 “In the coming weeks, I will use whatever
power this office holds to engage my
fellow citizens, from law enforcement to
mental health professionals to parents
and educators”
 This statement appeals to the speakers
credibility as he states “whatever power
this office holds.” This shows that he is
the president, and that the presidential
office and executive branch will do
everything they can to prevent further
shootings. It also shows that he has
power over the law enforcement, this
shows he is in a position of high power if
he can control the lengths officers go to,
in order to protect our people.
Pathos
 “The majority of those who died today were children, beautiful
kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old. They had their
entire lives ahead of them, birthdays, graduations, weddings,
kids of their own. Among the fallen were also teachers. Men and
women who devoted their lives to helping our children fulfill
their dreams.”
 I think the motive in this was to make you feel sad and
remorseful because we have done nothing to prevent it. He
wanted to show that we can do something instead of watching
it on T.V. take a stand. This would later on set up his statements
on gun control to get the people behind him. I believe it was
very effective because the war on guns had begun, the debate
on guns has began in an uproar since this speech and is being
talked about on a daily basis.
Logos
 Example: “no set of laws can eliminate evil from the
world, or prevent every senseless act of violence in
our society. But that can’t be an excuse for inaction.
Surely, we can do better than this. If there is even
one step we can take to save another child, or
another parent, or another town, from the grief that
has visited Tucson, and Aurora, and Oak Creek, and
Newtown, and communities from Columbine to
Blacksburg before that -- then surely we have an
obligation to try. “
 This appeals to the logic behind the argument as he
states that even though one law may not eliminate
these tragedies, we have to try something. Whether
we fail, or succeed, we can’t let this become a
routine for the people in America. He states the past
Mass shooting as a way of using facts to back up his
argument which is a logos appeal.
Repetition
 “These neighborhoods are our neighborhoods, and these
children are our children. And we’re going to have to come
together…”
 “And they need all of us right now.”
 “So our hearts are broken today.”
 “Our hearts are broken for the parents of the survivors…”
 “As a country, we have been through this…”
- Essentially he is trying to refer to the people of America and
himself on an even plain as if we are equal. He is trying to convince
people that the American people to trust that he knows the will of
the people. This is done to provoke a sense of unity and
togetherness to provide help to those hurt from this tragedy.
Phrasing/Meaning
“While nothing can fill the space of a lost child or loved
one, all of us can extend a hand to those in need, to
remind them that we are there for them.”
 This means that you may not be able to heal
someone’s wound, but just being there to comfort
them, help them, and stand by them can bring ease to
them. Anything done to help is positive
reinforcement that you can make it through tough
times together.
Phrasing/Meaning
“May God bless the memory of the victims and, in the words
of Scripture, heal the brokenhearted and bind up their
wounds.”
 The meeting for the victims was a prayer service, this was
the ending line. He is rounding off his speech and ending
with a line of what he believes to be a common faith of
Christianity, a religion revolved around God. He is asking
God to heal to wounds left by this tragedy and repair their
lives.
Phrasing/Meaning
 “I can only hope it helps for you to know that you’re not alone in
your grief; that our world too has been torn apart; that all across
this land of ours, we have wept with you, we’ve pulled our
children tight. And you must know that whatever measure of
comfort we can provide, we will provide; whatever portion of
sadness that we can share with you to ease this heavy load, we
will gladly bear it. Newtown -- you are not alone.”
 This was directed towards the people in Newtown specifically to
comfort them and let them know that they are not alone. The
President wants everyone to know that we will share the burden
with them, ease the load, and help them in any way possible.
Powerful Lines
 “As a community, you’ve inspired us, Newtown. In
the face of indescribable violence, in the face of
unconscionable evil, you’ve looked out for each
other, and you’ve cared for one another, and you’ve
loved one another.”
 This makes the audience feel proud, strong, inspired
because he is showing the good in the situation. It
makes people realize we should all act this way in the
face of evil, united and loving.
Powerful Lines
 “Since I’ve been President, this is the fourth time we have
come together to comfort a grieving community torn apart
by a mass shooting. The fourth time we’ve hugged
survivors. The fourth time we’ve consoled the families of
victims.”
 This reminds the audience as they think back on all the
times that mass shootings have happened in the last 5
years. As we wonder, what could we have done to prevent
this? It leaves America in awe. They think back on the
innocent people, children and families, fallen helpless
before the mercy of a gun.
Powerful Lines
 “There have been an endless series of deadly shootings
across the country, almost daily reports of victims, many of
them children, in small towns and big cities all across
America -- victims whose -- much of the time, their only
fault was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
 This leaves the audience realizing, this can happen in your
neighborhood, in your town, in your atmosphere. Most of
the victims are innocent, some of them little children with
their lives ahead of them. The audience is left with a sense
of anxiety. This is done so that people start realizing that it
can happen to them and want stricter gun laws. They
realize they need this for self protection.
Literary Devices Used
Imagery: “The joy and anxiety of parenthood as the equivalent of
having your heart outside of your body all the time, walking around.
With their very first cry, this most precious, vital part of ourselves, our
child.”
 This is imagery because it describes parent hood in a very short
phrase. This is done by using the comparison of parenthood, to
having your heart out-side your body. The audience is then able to
relate to the speaker and it truly draws the audience in.
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since
what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. For we know
that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from
God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.””
 There is a metaphor in this statement describing what we live in
now as an earthly tent. This is a quote from the bible that is meant
to tell us that what we live in is only temporary like a tent. A tent is
only temporary, when you go camping, it is a temporary vacations
and family bonding time. This gives him a chance to connect with
the audience and let them know this is just a “tent”.
To Follow…
 Many memorial services were held as people around the world
came to leave teddy bears and flowers for the victims in
remembrance of them.
 Assault Rifle Banns were rumored and the prices rose. Every gun
store around the nation ran out of ammo.
 Debates took place on this important topic as some thought it
was against the second amendment of the constitution.
 Assault Rifles are currently not banned because the bill could not
make it through congress, so the speech did not serve its
complete purpose.
 Many conspiracy theories were developed saying that the
government was just plotting this to ban assault rifles.
Sources:
 Reilly, Mollie. "Obama Newtown Speech: President
Addresses Vigil For Sandy Hook Shooting Victims (FULL
TEXT)." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 16
Dec. 2012. Web. 09 Apr. 2013.
 "Barack Obama." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Sept.
2013. Web. 09 Apr. 2013
 "POLITICO." POLITICO. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013
 "Obama's Vigil Speech for Sandy Hook Elementary School in
Newtown, CT." YouTube. YouTube, 16 Dec. 2012. Web. 09
Apr. 2013.
Questions?