National Address

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Response to “Remarks by the President in a National Address To America’s Schoolchildren”

The article “Remarks by the President in a National Address To America’s Schoolchildren” recites Obama’s 2009 speech to young students in America. To begin, Obama states twice his purpose for talking to these students. In paragraph four, he says, “I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what is expected of all of you in this new school year” (¶ 4). Additionally, in paragraph six, he states, “...that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education” (¶ 6). This shows Obama’s reason for discussing education with these students. This is significant because he mentions responsibility and the importance of education, which are key details, for he notably talks about these two topics frequently throughout his speech. Furthermore, the president repeats a notable phrase in his speech in three different occasions. As stated in paragraph twelve: “...if you quit on school— you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country” (¶ 12). In paragraph twenty-five, he relatively says the same phrase: “...because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country” (¶ 25). Similarly, in paragraph twenty-eight, the president states, “Don’t let…your country down. Most of all, don’t let yourself down” (¶ 28). This is all significant because he repeats the same general idea over and over: do not let give up, or else you will be giving up on your country as
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You have to work and learn for what you want, and although you may have issues outside of school, you cannot let that obstruct your learning in school. Most importantly, his message expresses multiple times that giving up on yourself equals giving up on your country, so succeeding in school will allow your country to succeed as

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