By Ryan ReehThe Daily Northwestern
History does not repeat itself. Irony does.
The irony is that, in my junior year of high school English, my class critically analyzed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech. Word for word. Image for image. Metaphor for metaphor.
This past Wednesday, the week before Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday, President George W. Bush, made the 3rd TV primetime speech about Iraq since his 2004 reelection. Regardless of how you feel about what the president said, where he made the speech, and how he spoke, his timing is impeccable.
The irony is I would normally watch a speech on TV like this one and notice the intonations and nuances of the speaker. I didn’t this time to be fair to the president. Let’s face it: he is an easy target. And besides, my English teacher would want me to be fair. So I’ve read the transcript of the speech. Word for word. Image for image. Metaphor for metaphor.
This past Wednesday, Bush used 2,898 words to speak of a war costing more than 3,000 American soldiers’ lives so far. The number isn’t exact, but neither is the war. These are the deaths we know about; the lives of other soldiers, whose names have not been released by the government yet, and the lives of Iraqi citizens, whose tragedy goes beyond words, have also been callously discarded.
The irony is the word “unacceptable” only appears twice in Bush’s speech before he addresses the various councils and critics he has so thoughtfully listened to. And in the third primetime speech where he addressed Iraq, he claims to have changed his strategy: by adding more troops and giving increasing power to the newly appointed Iraqi government and its people. Again and again. Word for word. Image for image. Metaphor for metaphor.
This past Wednesday, Bush also called for the cooperation of other countries in the Middle East during this conflict. He also suggested sending Condoleezza Rice to “continue the urgent diplomacy required to help bring peace to the Middle East.” This is a good time to start talking peace: before things get really out of hand. Before world conflict reaches a point where suddenly the United States may find itself without an ally.
The irony is this kind of criticism is not anything new. Wilfred Owen, a World War I soldier and English poet, wrote an anti-war poem in 1917, which was published after his death in 1921, that echoed a quote from the Roman poet Horace. The last part of this poem reads:
My friend; you would not tell with such high zestTo children ardent for some desperate glory,The old lie: Dulce et decorum estPro patria mori.
The literal Latin translation goes something like this: “It is sweet and proper to die for one’s country.” Word for word. Image for image. Metaphor for metaphor.
This past Wednesday, Bush’s speech inspired me to write this column. I found this motto posted in the Daily newsroom: “If you don’t want it printed, Don’t let it happen.”
History does not repeat itself. Irony does.
Reach Ryan Reeh at [email protected].
