On-Screen the Second Time Around, the Silly and the Sublime

Alessandra Stanley of the New York Times wrote up the experience of President Obama's Second Inauguration that happened to take place on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  Stanley describes this event with a tone honoring Obama, yet hints of boredom and distraction regarding the event were also clear in her article.  Stanley establishes the trend of boredom at the opening of the fourth paragraph when she writes, "Second inaugurations are rarely as exciting as the first ones, and when the first was a never-before-seen historic moment, television has a hard time trying to whip up a similar sense of wonder and novelty." She acknowledges the fact that second inaugurations in general are less exciting, and then states that Obama's is even less recognized as a repercussion of his ground-breaking first inauguration.  This statement is a mixture between her two tones, because the potential boredom with the even appears in her opinion that second inaugurations are less exciting, but she also honors Obama through pointing out the fact that he had a renowned first inauguration. In the following paragraph, Stanley strays from the topic of Obama himself as she describes a celebrity citing of Jay-Z and Beyonce and, as a side note, refers to a former incident with reporters complimenting girls on television.  This tangent still deals with the inauguration, yet quickly develops into another topic.  The inclusion of this detail further develops Stanley's bored and distracted tone as her attention is drawn away from the true importance of the event. Stanley begins her next paragraph characterizing all coverage on inaugurations as " trite and tiresome."  This statement adds to her bored tone since she clearly states the common dullness of the event. Stanley then slightly shifts her tone when describing the positive effect that the holiday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day had on the event.  The pairing of this holiday and Obama's inauguration made the potentially boring event more special and meaningful.  Remembering Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech puts the landmark event of inaugurated an African American president into perspective. After this description, Stanley continues on to include other side notes regarding other celebrities and news reporters.  The inclusion of these details helps characterize the event, yet also demonstrates the author's opinion that these details are more interesting and noteworthy than the routine event. However, contradicting her bored tone, Stanley closes by including a remarkable quotation from President Obama:  “I want to take a look, one more time. I’m not going to see this again.” This closing remark highlights the fact that this routine event means everything to certain people.  Although the coverage and reports on the event may become repetitive and boring, it is a special time for certain people and for our country as a whole.