Summary #3

The last article I choose to blog about for English 1520 at Oakland Community College this week was an opinion editorial titled “Perfecting the Union”. Written by Roger Cohen, the article appeared in the New York Times on November 5^th, 2008. According to Wikipedia, Roger Cohen (born August 2, 1955) is a British-born journalist and author as well as a columnist for The New York Times and International Herald Tribune. Supplementary, Cohen held foreign correspondent positions in fifteen different countries (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Cohen).

According to our English book, the article “Perfecting the Union” was written one day after the inauguration of President Obama in 2008. Perhaps not entirely coincidental, chronologically speaking, for President Obama’s politically directed goals and aims to better America is the main topic of discussion in Cohen’s article from the Times. Mr. Cohen appears to generally be impressed with aspects of President Obama’s policies and for certain his eloquent use of the English language to convey messages to American’s has been a breath of fresh air. Auxiliary, Roger Cohen notes, the President’s rise from anonymity taking down “… two of the most ruthless political machines on the planet: first the Clinton’s and then the Republican Party… (They Say I Say 479)”, all the while proclaiming America can be better even than what it has been before.

At this point, I think I have to say that reading this article was enlightening, enjoyable if not even motivating. I say this mainly because I had no idea the extent of the positive topics and natures of some of the speeches given by Obama in his early presidency. Further, I can see that they do no doubt announce communiqué of hope, but that, in conclusion, and according to Cohen, though tough days do indeed lie ahead (They Say I Say 481) that the present nevertheless is a definitive moment in which to dream (They Say I Say 481), in spectacular fashion, towards the more perfect union spoke of in the Constitution; or towards perfecting the Union, as the title of Cohen’s November 2008 New York Times article reads.

Randy Johnson

Eng 1520 (Sat) 12-2:55pm