Future Assignment
In terms of content, note Hanks' self-mocking humor, using cause-effect (he's an "official celebrity" and therefore expects his fans to vote for whom he votes).
Then he uses cause-effect (he wants Barack Obama to be president because). He goes into detail about his reasons (division). Then he compares Obama to other presidents (note he includes a Republican [Reagan] to reach a wider audience of sympathy for his plea.
Then Hanks uses definition, defining what a president must be ("to embody the America I have been waiting for"). That is, the president should belong to the class of people who embody the best political values.
Comparison is used again when Hanks compares the upcoming election with the one in 1797.
Hanks then uses specific examples about the candidates' showy behavior and mistakes. (He's obviously referring to the Reverentd Wright, Mr. Clinton, and other well-known events during the campaign, which American citizens would recognize.)
Notice the use of "we," linking him, though a special celebrity, with the "ordinary" folk he's speaking to. This is an example of the Communication Triangle.
He uses the same technique in the next paragraph, referring to "I" (reading history), then linking himself with other Americans. At the same time he assures Americans he's not just an actor, but an intelligent citizen who read "history for pleasure." He also reminds viewers of his acting career ("and sometimes get paid to recreate it"). So he has it both ways: he's both ordinary (like us) but special (we don't get paid to star in historical films).
In referring to John Adams, Hanks uses an historical example, but also cause-effect (because of that historic election in 1797, new democratic values were established).
He defines this as a "seismic shift" in political history and argues another one is now needed. This is a comparison: the November election of 2008 will be as important as the election of 1797.
He then combines definition and cause-effect: the American Republic must be "redefined," he argues, and this will happen when Obama is elected president (cause-effect).
Cause-effect continues when Hanks argues that America will "live up" to her historical "promise." (Note the emphais Hanks places on the particle, "up," which is usually not stressed.)
The "promise" is defined as the "grand American idea," and America therefore becomes the example of Hanks' ideals.
Cause-effect follows when Hanks says, "That's why I'm supporting Barack Obama." But note the Communication Triangle again, when Hank begins his sentence with the self-effacing phrase, "For what it's worth," which makes him sound humble, not arrogant in a way that might offend viewers.
The Communication Triangle has been at work throughout this speech:
First Hanks presents good reasons why Obama should be the next president (text).
Second, he is always amiable, modest, and links himself with ordinary people, and even makes funs of himself at times, especially at the end when he says, "I wrote and approved this message and I'm now going to turn off the camera." In other words, Hanks does not belong to a powerful Hollywood system; he's just "ordinary folk," like you and me, with his small camera, which he uses to record his opinion, "for what it's worth."
Third, Hanks forces the American listener/viewer to link themselves to a long American history, which they value as much as Hanks says he does. He forces the viewer to believe that if he or she votes for Obama, that vote will be vindicated by the best of American history. The Obama voter will belong to the great American tradition of Washington, Adams, Roosevelt, Kennedy, and Reagan (even Republicans are included in Hanks' audience).
Hanks' delivery is varied throughout: fast-paced phrases, some of which are almost "thrown away" as if they didn't matter; more deliberate (slower) phrasing; clear diction; and stress when required. Note how well Hanks handles a long sentence, which begins, "This November. . . ." He handles it in the way I suggest in class: like a stepladder, on the steps of which he pauses to catch his breath and allow his audience to digest what he is saying. I don't hear much variety of vocal resonance (timbre). I have marked a few of them in green.
Hello. // I'm Tom Hanks and I want Barach Obama to be the next president of our country. As official celebrity, I know my endorsement has just made your mind up for you.
History with a capital H is going to be made this November no matter who the president-elect is. I want Barack Obama to be president of this country: a country that once said that people of his skin color were only 3/5 of a human being.
My support for Obama isn't just about breaking boundaries. // It's because of his character / and vision / and the high road he has taken during this campaign. He has the integrity and the inspiration to unify us, // as did FDR and Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy, and even Ronald Reagan when they ran for the job.
I want the president of my country to embody the America I have been waiting for. One where leaders address challenges with candor // and truth is their basis for policy.
We now have watched for months as the candidates have pretended to eat cheese steak sandwiches and go bowling. Each has committed gaffes // and each candidate / has had to distance themselves from supporters or relatives / who have gone off half cock.-Still, I support Barack Obama.
I read history for pleasure and sometimes I get paid to recreate it. This November / we have a chance to witness another moment like in 1797, / when George Washington transferred power to president-elect John Adams // and / for the first time / in recorded human history, / leadership of a great nation was passed from one man / to a non-relative / without death, / rebellion, / or violence being the cause. It was a seismic shift in the political and social fabric of the eighteenth century and here in the third millennium we need another / seismic shift.
In November / Americans will have redefined our republic / when President George W. Bush watches president-elect Barach Obama swear on the Holy Bible to preserve, / protect, / and defend our constitution.
Around the world, / to friend and foe alike, / our nation will live up to the great promise once shaped by our Founding Fathers when they came up / with the grand American idea.
For what it's worth that's why I'm supporting Barack Obama as president in 2008. Be sure to vote. I'm Tom Hanks. I wrote and approved this message and I'm now going to turn off the camera.
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