A More Perfect Union: Questions
A More Perfect Union: Questions
- Why do you think we have still not resolved issues of race and discrimination in our society?
- In the speech, Obama talked about how politics factor in to our discussions of race. What did he say? How do we fix the problem?
- When we talk about racial discrimination, we tend to focus on African-American populations, simply because they have suffered quite extensively under the control of the majority. What other populations have experienced discrimination, according to Obama? Do you think there is a connection between these different groups?
- Imagine if we woke up tomorrow and suddenly all people received equal wages, no matter their gender, race, or sexual orientation. How would fixing one problem, and a significant one at that, impact other issues in our society?
- Think about the rhetoric of race in our culture today—the stereotyping, the insults. How does that contribute to lingering racial prejudices? How are we ever going to eradicate this particular problem?
- Speaking of rhetoric, how did Obama use his own story as a rhetorical device in his speech? Do you think it was effective? Why or why not?
- What were some other rhetorical devices (such as hyperbole, repetition, etc.) that Obama used to make his point? Which do you think was most effective?
- Throughout the speech, Obama made it clear that we will not eradicate racial prejudices in a single administration. Do you believe we will ever solve the problem of racial discrimination in our culture? What do you think we need to do to make it happen?