Nobel Peace Price Speech

In our previous session we studied President Barack Obama’s acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway. We saw a clip, read the speech and underlined different important things that the President mentioned. As our last homework before Christmas, we got these tasks about the speech to answer:

1.     What was the Marshall Plan?

The Marshall Plan was a plan that the United States had for rebuilding and creating a stronger economic foundation for the countries of Western Europe, and removing the threat of internal communism after World War II. The Plan was named after the Secretary of State; George Marshall, who also has received the Nobel Peace Prize.  

2.     Why is Obama humbled by this award?

Barack Obama is humbled by this award because he feels that he hasn’t accomplished anything worthy of this prize, but he views it as inspiration to accomplish his goals as President of the United States.

“I am both surprised and deeply humbled by the decision of the Nobel committee. I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations.” – Barack Obama

3.     Who was Woodrow Wilson and why was he awarded the Nobel peace prize?

Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28^th President of the United States. He was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 1919 for his attempt to make peace after the First World War, with his fourteen points for peace.

4.     Who are some of the previous winners that he mentions?

In his speech he mentions former Nobel Prize winners like Albert Schweitzer and Nelson Mandela. Albert Schweitzer was a German-French theologian, musician, philosopher and physician. He received the prize in 1953 for his philosophy of “Reverence of Life”, and for founding the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné in west central Africa. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela is a former President of South Africa. He received the Prize in 1993 together with Frederik Willem De Klerk for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa.

5.     According to Obama, what is a just reason for war?

According to Obama, reasons for a “just war” is if it is waged as a last resort or in self-defense, if the forced used is proportional and if civilians are spared from violence.

6.     What are Obama’s 3 ways to avoid war and keep the peace?

Obama’s three ways to peace is to deal with those nations that break rules and laws, find out the nature of the peace that we seek and not only include civil and political right, but include economic security and opportunity. “For true peace is not just freedom from fear, but freedom from want.” – Barack Obama

7.     What “old architecture” is buckling?

When Obama says that the old architecture is buckling, he means that other countries are no longer afraid of the United States as a nuclear superpower. I think he means that USA has “let their guard down” without noticing it, and it has made them weaker to threats like terrorists and suicide bombers and this increases the risk of catastrophes.

8.     What does Obama mean by a “gradual evolution of human institutions”? Where is this quote from?

By “a gradual evolution of human institution” Obama means that war is at some level an expression of human feelings. This is a quote from one of President Kennedy’s former speeches.

9.      Why can’t Obama be guided by the example of King and Gandhi alone?

Obama can not be guided by the example of King and Gandhi alone because, and I quote; he faces the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people.

Here is the first part of Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize Speech in Norway.