“I did not travel around this state over the last year and see a white South Carolina or a black South Carolina. I saw South Carolina. I saw crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children. I saw shuttered mills and homes for sale that once belonged to Americans from all walks of life, and men and women of every color and creed who serve together, and fight together, and bleed together under the same proud flag. I saw what America is, and I believe in what this country can be.
That is the country I see.”
Barrack Obama Primary Election in South Carolina 2008
Website: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/01/barack_obamas_south_carolina_v.html
In class we learned about different types of rhetorical devices that help the reader engage with the authors purpose of their point. I looked over many devices and I found schemes that are helpful to analyze, evaluate, and even add information to the writing to make a connection and verbal expression in writing. I chose to use one of the schemes of repetition which is Anaphora. Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase in sentences. I found Obama’s primary election speech in South Carolina and grabbed my attention. Obama, in this small section of the speech uses the repetition of “I saw”, by repeating this phrase it has given the ability of the author to emphasis that he is a witness that he has seen all the horrible and difficult situations that South Carolina and even America is going through. He makes his he focus on the reader to connection to the audience he is one of them, he understands and sees and feels what they are going through to try to make a connection with his audience. Also, no just connecting and mentioning the bad things that South Carolina has but also the potential that it could become if they choose Obama. He uses this to convince his audience he is on their side and want to help them improve and become a better state and even a better country.
My imitation
I did not come tot his country just to be another person in the United States. I came to have a better life for myself and my family. I came to have an opportunity in this world. I came to work hard and contribute to this country. I came to be someone important. I came to better my education. I came to live the American Dream. I believe that coming to America was the perfect choice.
For my imitation I wanted to connect a similar situation that Obama mentioned. I choose to use my personal situation of the reason I came to America. I tried not toe repeat the anaphora “I came to”, but that is the point of anaphora to use relation of words to create an artful point of the topic I am conveying to my audience. I mentioned my reason and many other peoples reason they come to this country which helps the readers, connect better with my situation. These are great examples on how Anaphora’s are useful to convey a message to audiences in an artful way.
akorte1 
Great imitation! I don’t see anyone background information description like your every other posts but it’s okay since this is an imitation post. Nice job of picking out different rhetorical devices and applying them here in the passage. Your imitation passage sounds very alike the original one, which is great. While applying your own information with Obama’s style, notice how the last sentence kind of falls short – the original had two parts, separated by a comma; while yours is one piece. It’d flow more similar with the original if you said something like “I saw what my choice could lead me to, and I believe this was the perfect choice.” Hope this helps, otherwise great imitation!
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