President Obama's inauguration speech was so good on so many different levels that I need some time to digest it. At this point, I can think of no greater praise than to say I believe it is truly and typically "Obama-esque." It will stand as a majestic call to reality, shared responsibility, and service.
A few details of interest: it was quickly pointed out by commentators that he used the word "I" only three times, and one of those was to say that he accepted the office with humility. Typical of Obama's emphasis on "we" throughout his campaign: "we can do it."
And this I noticed and appreciated: the diversity as represented even in the makeup of the musical quartet. The group included one Chinese-American, one Israeli-American, one African-American, and a woman with a Hispanic name. They played a piece by the pop-classical composer John Williams, and it was based on a theme from the most quintessentially American classical composer, Aaron Copland, himself Jewish.
Beautiful symbolism but without sacrificing excellence to make a statement. Yo Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, and Aaron Copland are not just politically correct window dressing.
An historic moment; a brilliant beginning.
Ralph
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The only slight stumble was Obama's hesitancy in repeating one sentence of his oath of office. It turns out that Chief Justice Roberts is the one who stumbled. He reversed the order of words, which momentarily threw Obama, who obviously knew the oath and was prepared to say it as written in the Constitution.
ReplyDeleteHey Ralph,
ReplyDeleteI guess I wasn't as overwhelmed by the speech as you. I thought it was okay, but not transcendent. The tone was the strongest part. Confrontational may be too strong of a word, but there was that element were he seemed to be confronting past policies, past behaviors, and past attitudes - of individuals as well as our government. I liked that.
I hated the poet though. Simply put, she sucked. I couldn't believe he didn't select someone more skilled - and I don't want to hear about how she was a finalist for XYZ Award. She's not a first rate poet, and it showed. Her poem was full of stale, cliched images. I guess George Packer took him to task for the choice in the NY Times. It would've made more sense for Obama to choose Derek Walcott who was one of her teacher/mentors. Walcott won a Nobel, didn't he? This choice was reminiscent of Clinton choosing grade B movie actress Jane Seymour to head the NEA. Someone simply not capable of coming up to the standards of the occasion.
At least she wasn't as bad as Andy Griffith's wife, who wrote a poem for Beverly Perdue's inauguration in NC. She literally wrote drivel. My 3rd graders do better. It was embarassing in a state(NC) known for fine poets.
Anyways, here's hoping and praying he can guide us through this mess.
Obama's speech did not have the soaring poetry that he is capable of. I don't think that's what he was aiming for. Rather, as I said above, it was a call to reality, shared responsibility, and service. In that sense, I found it inspiring.
ReplyDeleteAnd I especially like what he said to the world.
I leave the critique of the poem to you, Richard. Poems written for an occasion usually aren't much good, are they?
I thought Angelou's poem fit the occasion. There is a split in reaction to Alexander's poem. Some poets are excusing her because 'it's hard to write for the occassion'. My take is this - Yo-Yo Ma, Izthak Perlman, and all the other musicians, had to perform for the occassion, too. If you agree to take on an Inauguration poem, you need to come up with more than stale, cliched images. If you can't do it, say so, step down. Her teacher at BU, Nobel Prize winner Derek Wolcott, would have been a far better choice.
ReplyDeleteIt's true, Richard, that Nobel Prize Laureate Wolcott would have given us a better poem. But Alexander is said to be an old friend of Obama's. I'm willing to give him a pass on choosing a friend, who is a published poet, even if not a very good one.
ReplyDelete