Obama's Eulogy: Senator John F. Kennedy

As seen in Obama’s eulogy, “in good writing, words become one with things,” as American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson claims. Obama’s eulogy, delivered during the funeral of Senator Ted Kennedy in Boston, Massachusetts, not only praised but also memorialized Kennedy for his achievements and determination to make the world a better place. Through the use of colorful metonyms, thoughtful metaphors, and a shift in focus from Kennedy’s background to his achievements, Obama achieves his purpose of praising and memorializing Kennedy. Obama opens his eulogy with the introduction of Kennedy’s background through the use of metonyms. Obama uses the metonymy– a nickname used to substitute another word– “the world,” to substitute for the people of the world

Obama later adds, “a champion for those who have none; the soul of the Democratic Party; and the lion of the U.S. Senate,” in order to indirectly describe Kennedy’s recognition. For instance, lions are widely recognized as being “Kings of the Jungle” and are often a symbol for bravery; whereas, souls are often binded with the idea of rebirth or immortality. Though Kennedy cannot literally be a soul or a lion, by comparing Kennedy to the terms, Obama further glorifies Kennedy’s actions and achievements. In addition to metonymies, Obama also implements a variety of metaphors throughout his speech in order to further amplify his gratitude for Kennedy as both a friend and a political figure. Such metaphors– words used to indirectly compare other words without using the term like or as– continue the recurring praise for Kennedy. Obama ties Kennedy with the ability to “add a rung to the ladder of opportunity.” A “ladder of opportunity” –meant to indirectly imply the stages of progress– does not exist in the physical world, though it does in a metaphorical sense. Ladders are often used to get to higher places and places which are harder to