Dan's Papers - January 30, 2009

Talk never mattered as much as in last week's inauguration of Barack Obama. Consider how the nation hung on to every word of his speech, focused in on his remarks as he made the rounds of Washington venues, and homed in on commentary of TV pundits who analyzed his discourses.

Enough already. TV is still a visual medium where images dominate, particularly before, during and after a Presidential campaign. No president since Ronald Reagan has used images as well as Obama, although there are some real standouts from the Bush administration: George W. raising an American flag at the Twin Towers' site after 9/11; and his arrival onboard a ship with the banner, "Mission Accomplished," behind him. There's no doubt about it. Pictures are worth a thousand words.

What then could the images of Obama's Inauguration activities tell us without using words? While a celebration on Sunday at the Lincoln Memorial emphasized the theme, "We are One," a recurring symmetrical image of the Washington Monument, with people flanking each side, also reinforced oneness and unity. (That same idea was present when Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream Speech" at the Lincoln Memorial decades earlier, although the monument was not particularly used as a visual metaphor.

By the same token, President Obama's speech featured a symmetrical Washington Monument again, but the angle was not eye-level as in the past examples; moreover, the image was slightly off-balance, on a diagonal, and often shot from a worm's eye-view. Such a view usually evokes power when an image seems larger-than-life. Does this suggest that our monumental icons supercede "the people?"

There were other iconic images that signified strength and power, this time in the face of uncontrollable factors (the wind). One was the persistent image of an American flag positioned in the foreground, with people standing in the background. The flapping flag remained steady and self-contained despite the swirling wind, a visual reminder of America's persistence.

Speaking of "wind," this critic couldn't help but note that President Obama used several references to climate and geography in his inauguration speech: "rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace"; "gathering clouds and raging storms." Such rhetorical devices, which suggest contradictory imagery, bestowed eloquence and a thematic thrust despite the opinion of people who thought his speech was "good but not great." President Obama ended with, "Let us brave once more the icy currents and endure what storms may come." Such words gave meaning to the cold Washington weather, allowing listeners to recreate such words in their minds.

Isn't that what images themselves can do? Permit us to experience what we see - and hear.