"Where Were You"

The song that has made the greatest impact on me is “Where Were You” by Alan Jackson. For those who are unfortunate enough not to recall or even worse have never heard this song, “Where Were You” is a compilation of all the things that people did in response to the attacks of September 11. Jackson introduces each response as a question, inquiring to each individual in his audience to see if they reacted in specific ways. However, the overall purpose of his song is to call upon people to act: to love. Specifically, he says, “But I know Jesus and I talk to God / And I remember this from when I was young / Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us / And the greatest is love.”

Jackson is a world-renown American country music singer whose songs often hit a chord with country music fans throughout the nation. Immediately, his target audience, Americans throughout the nation, is reached as his words were broadcast all over the radio and television. Furthermore, the song connects with all people. Rather than narrowing his scope to the perspective of just one, he integrates the actions and feelings of millions of Americans and calls upon them to recognize that they are not alone.

The general purpose of the song is to inform people of the effect that September 11, 2001, had and still has in the world. This song will continue to be played for years to come. This genre of rhetoric reaches everyone including those who are illiterate. It effectively communicates a purpose in many cases without the listener even knowing that they are being persuaded. Also, in the time soon after the attacks, people did not want to be lectured and directly reminded of the dramatic results of such a horrific event. The genre of song is an effective, less-direct way of persuading others. This song is a perfect example.

CHANGE is already happening.

I wasn't exactly in my best condition on the night of the election day - tuesdays were always the busiest day of the week for me, and I hadn't had much sleep the night before. After I came back to my apartment in the evening, after three power lectures, one lecture and a group meeting, I fell asleep on my bed without even having dinner. After having slept for an hour or two, I woke up to the loud noise outside my apartment. Living on state street, the loud noise on the street is nothing uncommon even on a weekday night, so I didn't think it was a big deal. Apparently, I wasn't exactly thinking clearly then because I didn't wake up from my sleep quite yet. Then I decided I should go out to grab something to eat - and put my coat on and stepped outside. Then I saw these group of African American boys screaming and running on state street with the flag of America in their hands. They were yelling, "Obama!," "YESSSSSSS!," as they passed by me. Then I snapped back to reality and realized, wow, Barack Obama did finally become the next president of the United States.

Unlike the very many avid supporters of Obama, I was not his biggest fan although I should admit that I was deeply impressed by his speeches. (It might have been a whole different story if I had been an U.S. citizen, but being a Korean, I was unsure if Obama would be the better choice for the sake of the economy and policics of Korea and for the relationship between the U.S. and Korea.) Nevertheless, a lot of my friends and I were thrilled by his landslide victory because his becoming the president was more than just Obama himself being president. This election brought hope to all American children who hope to become an amazing president one day no matter what their races are. This election brought true equality to the U.S. and its politics.

I may not have voted for change, but I will always remember the most ardent presidential campaigns ever, the day of the election, and the change that will come.

A Remedy to a Hurt Country

I was one of the few people on campus who had class during the election coverage on Nov. 4, 2008. While sitting in my lab I was constantly distracted by the vibrating phone in my pocket. Friends calling and texting asking me to join them in their celebrations of the end of another long election process and GOTV work. After months of working nonpartisan on registering voters and getting people to the polls, I thought I would have been glad to see it end. I thought I would have been one of the people jumping for joy as McCain and Obama spoke. But mostly, I just thought of the long road ahead of this African American man in his new office and this historical turn of events.

In retrospect, I find myself thinking of the state of our country, and if electing change to our country was for the best. I haven’t thought this all through yet, but the short answer is yes. Obama possesses the charisma and poise needed in a leader. He was able to gain the support of enough Americans to win the presidency. He convinced voters that their voice is important and that one voice can make a difference. And for this reason he has gained all my respect. He is the speaker I wish to be and he sends the message I want to send.

There is no reason why he will not be able to use those same skills in foreign affairs to gain the support of countries around the world. This is exactly what he needs to do. After the many years spent overseas in the Middle East, it is still debatable to people if America has done any good. America has gained the reputation of sticking its nose where it doesn’t belong. I can’t remember the last time I heard America getting praise from another country for working so diligently in the Middle East.
Obama will bring this country out of the dark haze that has been engulfing it for so many years. He will restore our country to its original glory, economically, and in the eyes other countries. It is going to be a long road but I truly believe he is what this country needs.

A Night to Remember

As I sat in front of my television screen starting at 6 p.m., my friends and I discussed how we felt about each candidates policies and what they could offer this country. While three of us stressed Obama's ability to create change for America, my other roomate tried to make her point that McCain was clearly the better candidate. While at times, she made a few solid points, there was no way she was winning this debate with three hardcore democrats in the room. We watched the sreen as the votes for Obama increasingly went up for each state, and Jen the republican began to look less confident as she slumped in her chair. Every couple of hours I would check CNN just to put a smile on my face that Obama will soon be announced as our next President. Once Obama reached his winning count, I quickly heard people within my building screaming and jumping for joy, but more so from my two roomates whose voices were ringing in my ears. Every person in my phone sent me messages saying OBAMA!!! or WE WON!! Although I always thought that Obama would win this election, I was mostly relieved to know that this man would be leading this country and hed do so with confidence and poise. As our new President apporached the podium to speak, the faces in the crowd were filled with tears and joy and I couldnt help but smile and become a bit misty. All I could think of was that this moment will go down forever in history. That this shot of him standing in front of so many will be in textbooks for our children and our childrens children to learn and study about. The first African American President has really happened and I think it could be the best thing for our country.

The Symbolic White House

Surprisingly, the results of the presidential election were a complete blowout. I never would have guessed that the battle for this presidency would come to such a clear-cut victory. After reading several articles analyzing the voter turnout for this specific election, I was thrilled to hear that the vote of young adults like me (18-29) really had a drastic impact on the outcome. Specifically, two of the swing states, North Carolina and Indiana, were won by slim margins, and in both cases, the young vote was strong and significantly supported the Obama campaign

However, the impact of the youth involvement in the election really hit me on Tuesday night. Having repeatedly checked the electoral results while at the library, I returned home to find that there was great celebration on State Street. Although the Halloween festivities of the previous weekend brought noise and commotion to the area around my house, the impact of Barack’s victory far surpassed the charades of the previous nights. Soon, my roommate and I ventured out to join in the celebration. Apparently, I missed some of the most rowdy and impressive proclamations of merriment, but it was still quite the scene to see when I joined.

Immediately, I ran into one of my best friends, and we found ourselves running to catch up to the mob and to put ourselves in the center of all of the commotion. It did not matter, McCain or Obama supporter; the impact of the peaceful festivity was profound. The group moved from State Street to the top of Bascom Hill where students and other community members alike joined in on chants. “Yes, we can.” “Show me what democracy looks like…this is what democracy looks like.” “Si, se puede.” “Oooooooooo.” “Varsity…” Once again, the crowd began to move, and it was as if everyone was united on the next step to take. There was a march to the capital with celebrating patrons coming out of the State Street bars to cheer on the parade of people.

Then, we were on the steps of the capitol. Flashes were going off all around as people stood united with the lit capitol building behind us. For me, the night ended by saying good night to all of my friends who I ran into throughout the celebration. As I left, others continued to celebrate. The scene was completely surreal: a completely diverse group of students arm-in-arm rejoicing for a new era of this country in front of the symbolic white house.