Smeared Type

When I read Obaba’s Audacity of Hope, I found myself touched and inspired most of all by what he called the “audacity of hope.” I’d like to use the term “the audacity of persistence.” I remember reading his description of making phone calls for support and donation at the beginning of his political career, only to be met with rejection or silence; his participation in a parade to get himself known, only to be placed in the very end of the parade, with his float next to the last vehicle of a sanitary truck and the audience he wanted to reach dispersing before he could reach them. But the numerous setbacks he encountered didn’t deter him—he persisted with audacity, which eventually led him to the White House.

Obama’s “Yes, we can” message conveys the same idea—hope and persistence. As a first generation immigrant, I know from my own experience the importance of such attitude and spirit. It doesn’t matter one is pursuing a new start in an adopted country, or striving to move forward in one’s own, the optimism and consistence are the key elements of success. This applies to our effort of writing as well—despite the fact that it is a labor of love, at times, it is very challenging and difficult—only with the audacity of persistence that we can finish a project we started, to a satisfactory level we are capable of reaching, by going through numerous revisions and rewrites.

Today marks the start of a New Year in the lunar calendar—the Year of the Ox. Some key characteristics of the Ox are: hard working, patience, and persistence. For those of us inspired to write, I’d like to say: let’s keep at it, be it poetry, fiction, or nonfiction, until we accomplish our goal, one after another.

Jian Ping, author of Mulberry Child: A Memoir of China. www.mulberrychild.com

I read with interest in the newspaper last week that Jon Favreau, the 27 year-old head of President-elect Obama’s speech writing team, is working hard on the inauguration speech.  It appears that Barack Obama sets the theme, reviews the drafts, and edits the results of Jon Favreau’s efforts to craft the speech.

There have been many times in history where speeches have roused a nation and changed the course of events.  Being English, I, of course remember Sir Winston’s Churchill’s powerful speech to the British people… We shall fight them on the beaches…we shall never surrender… in the darkest days of the Second World War when Great Britain stood alone against an expected invasion of German forces.

We are all familiar with Franklin Roosevelt’s rousing speech to the nation at the height of the 1930s depression… We have nothing to fear but fear itself…  Exuding confidence, he rallied support for the public expenditure programs that slowly pulled the US out of its industrial slump.

I was inspired by John F. Kennedy’s inauguration speech in 1961… “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country…  I used another quotation from Kennedy’s inauguration speech for the title and introduction of my recently published espionage novel… We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty.

The power of well crafted and well delivered speeches can have a profound influence on the course of world events.

During the past eight years of the Presidency of George W. Bush, among the long list of “worst’s” was the President’s inability to string together two coherent sentences.  I, like many other Americans, cringed as he stumbled and bumbled over his set piece speeches around the world.

Maybe he has been “misunderestimated” but to many, he appeared to lack conviction and comprehension of the words that he was delivering.   His inability to set out US policy and positions concisely and clearly has no doubt contributed to the US losing respect and its position as the leader of the world.

Clearly, Barack Obama has the power to inspire, the ability to communicate, and deliver rousing oratory.  As he begins his presidency, the US is fighting two wars and is facing the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression.  At this time, the American people need to be inspired and to regain their confidence.  Hopefully, our new president will be able to start this process with his inauguration speech.

Perhaps on this occasion, as often in the past, such a speech will change the course of events for the US.  It appears that much of this responsibility may well fall on the shoulders of a 27-year-old.  That is certainly food for thought.