Obama's momentous victory speech, written by Jon Favreau and delivered in Chicago, 2008 will be remembered throughout history as that of the first African American president. It was purposely structured to make it extremely emotive and the didactic and convincing tone matches the historic occurrence. Obama addressed a hungry worldwide audience, who could be compared to the audience at one of the world's most famous speeches - Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech in 1963. He meets their needs as he grabs their attention with a number of shrewd techniques. .
The tone in which Obama begins his speech immediately captures the attention of the audience. After the first few words, the audience instantly interrupt with cheering. It is at this moment that Obama pauses, not only to let the audience react, but also for effect; which makes him seem more confident. He uses a rule of three in the opening moments of his speech - another highly effective way to captivate the audience. The fact that Obama uses the collective pronoun 'our', hints at ownership - he wants America to be a democratic country. .
Obama's speech crosses all time as he mentions the past 'our founders', 'our time' and the immediate present with 'tonight'. One of Obama's most notable characteristics of style is his use of anaphora and repetition such as 'It's the answer'. Such use of 'answer' implies that he has the answers and will solve the problems - that there is great change ahead and his excitement is contagious to his audience. He uses such language as 'Numbers never seen' and 'First time in their lives', perhaps exaggerating the numbers that voted. His repetition of the word 'difference' echoes the theme of change. He also speaks of schools and churches which bring good and positive thoughts to the fore. Obama is both emphatic and powerful including all in a contrasting list that labels every type of person and brings them together as 'Americans'.
