Empathy

After reading President Barack Obama's Back to School Event speech, I imagined how encouraged all his listeners felt.

There are so many troubled kids who are struggling with difficult situations, and school only adds onto that frustration. Many children give up on the challenging work, and regret it years later. With an articulate speech as this particular one, however, students feel motivated to keep trying, not only because it was eloquently spoken, but also because it was very empathetic.

Empathetic words are needed by those who are striving to become successful, but are in a rough situation. Obama's speech wasn't meant to act as a pity party for himself and others; its purpose was to inspire students to work hard no matter what difficulties they may face. He provided students with solid evidence of how others with similar hardships were able to succeed.

By empathizing with the students and motivating them to continue with their schoolwork, Obama may have paved the road for inpsired students to persevere and succeed with their work.

-Chloe Martianou