Obama's Eulogy For Ted Kennedy

Multi-media techniques in President Obama’s eulogy to Ted Kennedy are used in a very useful way. Throughout the entire speech there are different images that will come up to make the speech more genuine since the pictures and videos will attest to what Obama is saying. At random parts in the speech pictures and videos will come up making the speech more realistic and it makes it more emotional and heartfelt then if there were no instances of multi-media. There are also pictures of Obama and Ted laughing and having a good time showing the viewers how they were friends. Along with these pictures and videos of Ted, the camera will sometimes pan across the audience in the booths showing the emotion on their faces making the youtube video more sincere.


Ted Kennedy was one of the rare people who always looked at the world in a positive light. He would always try to find something good out of his often sad and tragic times. Early on in his life his brothers teased him but he learned to brush it off and this is maybe where he learned to view the positives in life. As Obama says, he went through lots of hardships and it would have been easy for him to give in, but this was not the person Ted proved to be. He pushed on and stated, “Individual faults and frailties are no reason to give in.” The more he suffered the more he noticed others suffering and the more he felt obliged to help these people. For example, for every family that lost someone on 9/11 he would write a letter to them annually saying how sorry he was for their loss.


Obama speaks very highly of Ted in a very dramatic way that makes you feel incredibly bad for Ted because of all his hardships. Obama calls him resilient, humourous and amazingly selfless. Ted was also very emotionally intelligent and would ask people whether they are okay. He would also send birthday cards and thank you letter when need be and would show everyone love when so much sadness filled his life. Obama also calls him the greatest legislator of our time and says, “We do not weep for him because of his prestige attached to his name, but rather, because we loved this kind and tender hero.” Obama also uses lots of metaphors in his speech like, “as tempted more, the more able to endure,” and, “as more exposed to suffering and distress, the more alive to tenderness.” Obama goes on saying, “He persevered through pain and tragedy, not for the sake of ambition or vanity, not for wealth, or power, but only for the people and the country that he loved.” It is personification when Obama says, “We can still here him, his voice bellowing through the senate chamber fists pounding the table.” Overall, Obama’s eulogy was astonishingly genuine and sincere. Ted Kennedy will be remembered for a long time as, “The happy warrior.”